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I frequently have to cd from $HOME to a particular long directory path. So I thought I'd put a cdscript in $HOME to make getting there a little quicker.

cdscript:

#!/bin/sh
directory="/some/big/long directory path/that/I/use/frequently"
cd "$directory"

Set permissions: chmod 700 cdscript

./cdscript doesn't do anything. What am I missing? (Yes, those spaces in the path exist, and I can copy and paste the exact individual lines in the shell with success, so the path exists too). Also, is it more Unixey to just make a symbolic link to the directory instead of the above script, and cd to the link instead?

Escher
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  • It could be because of spaces. Add -x at the first line: #!/bin/sh -xand runt it again. It starts debug mode, and you can see what it's really running. – Albert Dec 23 '14 at 12:44
  • Try again without the double quotes. –  Dec 23 '14 at 12:47

3 Answers3

4

just doing 

./cdscript

won't work. basically you forked a new shell, in which you cd, then the shell (and new working dir) exit.

You need to use

. ./cdscript

(there is a leading dot, and a space)

The first dot means : run ./cdscript as if I typed it. The second dot is needed if . is not in your PATH var.

Archemar
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4

You would be better of creating an alias for this within your shell. For example in .bashrc, you could put;

alias cdscript='cd /really/long/file/path/'
Chris Davidson
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    Ok, but why is an alias better than a symbolic link in this case? (i.e. is this the best solution, and if so why? - not trying to be obnoxious, just genuinely curious and trying to use the shell the best I can) – Escher Dec 23 '14 at 13:26
  • A symlink would add an entry into your directory ; the alias wouldn't. It keeps the directory clean of "practical symlinks", yet again, it could also be a good idea depending on your case. – John WH Smith Dec 23 '14 at 13:33
  • I agree it's cleaner than having specific scripts to change into a directory, there may be a need to have a script if you're doing something more complex but for a simple cd an alias would, in my mind, a cleaner-simpler solution. – Chris Davidson Dec 23 '14 at 14:01
  • I use symlinks, because then I can use them from all programs, not just the shell. However alias solves the question directly. – ctrl-alt-delor Dec 23 '14 at 15:43
1

The script changes your current working directory but then it is restored upon exit. Instead of typing 

cdscript

try typing

 . cdscript

to run your script for the desired result.

William Deans
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