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Day 26

File Paths Part II

Rounding out our file paths discussion with the Absolute File Path. Trick: think about trees 🌳.

This post is part of the series 30 Days of Web Development.

In this series, we start from the basics and walk through everything you need to know to get started with Web Development.

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File Paths Part II
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Rounding out our file paths discussion with the Absolute File Path. Trick: think about trees 🌳.

Now that we have a better understanding of what file paths are, and specifically what Relative File Paths are, today we'll finish up our conversation by looking at the second type of file path: Absolute File Paths.

Absolute File Paths
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Absolute file paths, use the root directory to figure out navigation. The root directory 🌳 ( "root" to elicit the image of a tree's beginnings) is the topmost folder of your file system.

The absolute file path starts at the root directory.

Windows Users: The root concept is the same for Windows users. The only difference is that instead of "Macintosh HD" the drive is "C:/Windows".

To indicate you are using an absolute file path, you start the file path off with a forward slash /. No dot. The following is the absolute file path to our Desktop.

Here is what that file path looks likes on the Finder.

Exercise: terminal and Absolute File Path
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  1. In your Terminal, navigate to your root directory. A quick way to do this is to use the tilde.

The tilde ~ indicates the home directory. The tilde key can be found in the upper-left side of your keyboard. The home directory is the home of the user who's executing a command. For me, this translates to users/angel for you, it will be something like users/yourComputersUserName.

  1. Using an absolute file path, let's move into our "nuts" folder.

I created the "nuts" folder in Day 24. If you created a different folder, replace "nuts" with the name of that folder. Otherwise, make a new folder or use an existing one already in your Downloads.

Remember, using the absolute file path means we start from the root directory, and omitting a dot start with the first Folder we want to move into.

And just like that, we moved into our nuts folder using an absolute file path.

  1. Now using an absolute file path, let's navigate to our Downloads folder.

If we had used a relative file path, the command would have been much shorter. Relative to where we were - in the "nuts" folder" - the Downloads folder is only a folder up. And if you remember, to move a folder up using a relative file path requires us to use two dots. Here is what it would have looked like if we had used a relative file path.

 

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Course Author

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Angel Garbarino

👋 Hi! I’m Angel, the author of the book.

I am a self-taught Frontend developer. Not until I was in my early thirties did I seriously consider building up skills as a web developer. In all honesty, I wasn’t even sure what it meant to work as a web developer. All I knew was, I wanted to work on computers because I was decent at using them, and I was attracted to the job opportunities.

I wrote this book for the “me,” five years ago; for the person who is starting to think about what it might take to become a programmer or web developer. My path was convoluted, stressful, and inefficient. But it did not have to be.

I started by reading articles and seeking advice from friends. I continued with more articles, books, and online courses. As my skills or ability to fake-my-skills improved, I sought out consulting gigs. Fixing friends’ websites, and then being hired out as a consultant. On the job learning is great, but I had no idea what I was doing and stressed and slept little during these contracts.

Eventually, I landed a position at a web application company. I made friends, asked questions, and studied the skills I learned were needed for a job as a Frontend Developer. The weekend studying paid off, I applied for a Frontend Developer position, and I got it!

In this book, I will cover the fundamentals. But more importantly, I will talk about why they are the fundamentals. My goal is not to teach you a specific skill like HTML. Instead, I show you how to navigate what’s ahead of you. I get you set up for your next steps, whether that’s a path of self-learning or attending a bootcamp. By the end of this book, you will be able to make an educated decision about your future and understand the steps and commitment it will take to get there.