Lessons · Terminal · where am I
Where am I?
The shell always has a current folder. pwd prints its full path, and every command you type runs from there.
Hone is a place to practise programming. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
What it is for
Half of all confusing errors on the command line are 'no such file' from a folder you did not think you were in. One command settles it.
How to think about it
When anything is unexpected, ask where you are before asking what went wrong. Read the path from the left: each slash is a folder inside the last.
Worked example
mkdir -p demo/notesA folder to explore, with one inside it.
cd demo/notesMove into the inner one.
pwdPrints the full path, ending in /demo/notes: that is where you are.
Your turn
Print the folder you are in.
Try it at a real prompt
The trap
Assuming you are where you were a minute ago. A cd in a script, or an earlier command, may have moved you.
Practise where am I on HoneA question on it now, a coding challenge where there is one, and it is remembered for review. Free, no email needed.