Linux Show Path - Shell/Bash

As a programmer, you might often need to know the path of a file or a directory in your Linux system. Knowing the path is essential for accessing the file or directory through the command line or in your scripts. In this article, we will discuss how to show the path of a file or directory in Linux using the Shell/Bash commands.

The pwd Command

The pwd command is the most straightforward way to show the path of the current directory in Linux. To use this command, simply run:

pwd

This will output the path of the current working directory.

The find Command

The find command is a more advanced approach to show the path of a file or directory in Linux. It allows you to search for a file or directory in a specific location and prints the path to it. For example, to find the path of a file named “file.txt” in the current directory, run:

find . -name file.txt 2>/dev/null

This command searches for all files named “file.txt” in the current directory and its subdirectories and returns their paths. The 2>/dev/null is used to discard any error messages that may occur during the search.

The locate Command

The locate command is another useful command that can help you find the path of a file or directory in Linux. It works by searching an index of the file system and returns the path to the file or directory. To use this command, simply run:

locate file.txt

This command will return all files named “file.txt” in the system and their paths. However, it is important to note that the locate command uses an index that needs to be updated regularly to ensure up-to-date results.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed how to show the path of a file or directory in Linux using the Shell/Bash commands. The pwd command is the most straightforward way to show the path of the current directory, while the find and locate commands provide more advanced ways to search for files or directories and return their paths. With these commands, you can quickly and easily access files and directories in your Linux system.