How to navigate directories faster with Bash (2015)

• z

  46 16,036 3.9 Shell

  z - jump around

In my opinion this replaces (and even does a better job i.e. less typing in the end, less commands to remember) almost everything in the article, especially when combined with https://github.com/rupa/z/. (or the PS counterpart ZLocation). Might be the type of work of course, but ever since I started using this I can go by weeks without needing to manually type cd. After all most of my time is spent in the same directories anyway. And if not, I'm really not manually going to type it, not even tab it, if it can be fuzzy matched since that is nearly always faster. tldr; people do yourself a favor and stop cd'ing around.

• autojump

  46 15,929 0.0 Python

  A cd command that learns - easily navigate directories from the command line

I use `autojump`, which sounds quite similar as it also uses your most frequently visited directories.

For exploring massive file trees, a terminal file manager that allows you to preview the contents of subdirectories without entering them is huge time saver. I use `lf`.

https://github.com/wting/autojump

https://github.com/gokcehan/lf

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• bashmarks

  6 1,851 0.0 Shell

  Directory bookmarks for the shell

Autojump is great. Another similar one with less functionality but a stripped down script is "bashmarks":

https://github.com/huyng/bashmarks

• dotfiles

  3 28 7.1 Shell

  My dot files (by lloeki)

• lf

  108 7,168 8.9 Go

  Terminal file manager

I use `autojump`, which sounds quite similar as it also uses your most frequently visited directories.

For exploring massive file trees, a terminal file manager that allows you to preview the contents of subdirectories without entering them is huge time saver. I use `lf`.

https://github.com/wting/autojump

https://github.com/gokcehan/lf

• fzf

  405 59,462 9.5 Go

  :cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder

~/a$

It changes directory to the last directory you were in (cd keeps track of the last directory in the OLDPWD environment variable).

https://github.com/junegunn/fzf also has a “cd mode”, by default triggerable using Alt-C, which can be useful.

• goat

  1 36 3.0 Shell

  POSIX-compliant shell movement boosting hack for real ninjas (aka `cd x` and `cd ...`) (by 0mp)

I use (and develop) `goat`. It's like a shortcut manager for aliases for directories you go to often. And a way to make "cd ...." work for any number of dots.

https://github.com/0mp/goat

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• fasd

  18 5,736 0.0 Shell

  Discontinued Command-line productivity booster, offers quick access to files and directories, inspired by autojump, z and v.

I exhort you all to take a look at Fasd:

https://github.com/clvv/fasd

• shell-scripts

  1 0 0.0 Python

  Various useful shell things (by danwills)

Here's my answer to that, an 'nd' (newdir?) alias that calls this python script:

https://github.com/danwills/shell-scripts/blob/bb989985d270c...

This makes all directories with names provided by args, including spaces and multiple levels (slashes) at once. It then enters the resulting directory as well (when aliased including 'cd' as advised in the comment).

• dotfiles

  1 1 0.0 Shell

  Linux / OSX / Cygwin config files. (by robmccoll)

I have a few functions in my bashrc for fast directory navigation.

up <#> - cd .. # times

upto

- find dir in the current path above you and cd to it

down

- find dir in the current tree below you including inside any number of subdirectories and cd to it

https://github.com/robmccoll/dotfiles/blob/master/bashrc#L15...

• dotfiles

  1 5 0.0 Vim Script

  George Spake Dotfiles (by gpspake)

(Full disclosure This is zsh and I don't have a bash equivalent for that)

Another thing I can't live without and some people hate is ls -la anytime I cd in to a directory. In a gui, I get that visual feedback immediately and it's usually the first thing I type when I land anyway so I just have a function for it https://github.com/gpspake/dotfiles/blob/master/zsh/gpspake/...

• zoxide

  100 18,294 8.2 Rust

  A smarter cd command. Supports all major shells.

I use zoxide: https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide

There're only few directories I need to change to daily. So when I have to visit them, I need to type only `z first_two_characters_of_the_directory_name`

• nnn

  200 18,170 8.1 C

  n³ The unorthodox terminal file manager

No mentions of https://github.com/jarun/nnn yet?

Using an actual file manager that has a ton of features without any bloat is in my opinion superior to any bolted on aliases or smart bash scripts.

• hstr

  36 3,904 3.7 C

  bash and zsh shell history suggest box - easily view, navigate, search and manage your command history.

And if you want to make bash history usable, use hstr [1].

[1] https://github.com/dvorka/hstr

• ohmyzsh

  559 168,498 9.5 Shell

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• chj-home

  1 2 5.8 Shell

  home directory

I do the following [1]:

- I define "cdn" to be what others call "mkcd", as then if I have a command line "cd foo" and it tells me that foo doesn't exist, I can just add the 'n' to the previous entry. I also overload "cdn" so that when not given any argument, it goes into the newest subdirectory in the current directory.

- "u", "uu", "uuu", "uuuu", "uuuuu" for going "up" that many levels, and unlike the aliases in OP, I define them as functions and if those are given an argument, they descends into the path from there: "u foo" is equivalent to "cd ../foo", "uu foo" to "cd ../../foo".

- I also have a function called "mvcd foo bar" that moves foo to bar and then goes into bar. "mvcdnewdir foo bar" that does the same but will create bar. (I'm pondering unifying them to a version that always calls mkdir -p)

- an alias "c" for cd [2]. The single letter messes with the history search though (ctl-r c space or ctl-r cd space ?), so it's not necessarily a good idea.

- some functions for special locations, "cs" for ~/scratch, "cb" for ~/bookmarks, etc.

[1] see .bashrc at https://github.com/pflanze/chj-home

• autocomplete

  164 24,255 9.6 TypeScript

  IDE-style autocomplete for your existing terminal & shell

  

We tried to somewhat mimic the finder experience when implementing directory navigation at Fig (https://withfig.com). Except of course, we make it all keyboard driven!

The methods listed in the article are almost certainly better if you know exactly which directory you need to go to (like a specific project repo, your bin etc) however often you don’t!

Another interesting tool is Z: https://github.com/rupa/z

• ranger

  165 14,889 6.5 Python

  A VIM-inspired filemanager for the console

  

• pushb

  1 57 0.0 Rust

  like pushd, but for git branches

If you frequently need to switch to and from several git branches, pushb and popb are useful commands.

https://github.com/pwoolcoc/pushb

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