Changing Directories and Filesystem Commands in Nushell

This will create all three directories even if none of them currently exists. On Linux/Unix, this requires `mkdir -p`. - Will not error if the directory already exists. For example: ```nu mkdir modules/my/new_module mkdir modules/my/new_module # => No error ``` ::: tip A common mistake when coming to Nushell is to attempt to use `mkdir -p <directory>` as in the native Linux/Unix version. However, this will generate an `Unknown Flag` error on Nushell. Just repeat the command without the `-p` to achieve the same effect. ::: ## Changing the Current Directory ```nu cd cookbook ``` To change from the current directory to a new one, use the [`cd`](/commands/docs/cd.md) command. Changing the current working directory can also be done if [`cd`](/commands/docs/cd.md) is omitted and a path by itself is given: ```nu cookbook/ ``` Just as in other shells, you can use either the name of the directory, or if you want to go up a directory you can use the `..` shortcut. You can also add additional dots to go up additional directory levels: ```nu # Change to the parent directory cd .. # or .. # Go up two levels (parent's parent) cd ... # or ... # Go up three levels (parent of parent's parent) cd .... # Etc. ``` ::: tip Multi-dot shortcuts are available to both internal Nushell [filesystem commands](/commands/categories/filesystem.html) as well as to external commands. For example, running `^stat ....` on a Linux/Unix system will show that the path is expanded to `../../..` ::: You can combine relative directory levels with directory names as well: ```nu cd ../sibling ``` ::: tip IMPORTANT TIP Changing the directory with [`cd`](/commands/docs/cd.md) changes the `PWD` environment variable. This means that a change of a directory is kept to the current scope (e.g. block or closure). Once you exit the block, you'll return to the previous directory. You can learn more about this in the [Environment](./environment.md) chapter. ::: ## Filesystem Commands Nu also provides some basic [filesystem commands](/commands/categories/filesystem.html) that work cross-platform such as: - [`mv`](/commands/docs/mv.md) to rename or move a file or directory to a new location - [`cp`](/commands/docs/cp.md) to copy an item to a new location - [`rm`](/commands/docs/rm.md) to remove items from the filesystem ::: tip NOTE Under Bash and many other shells, most filesystem commands (other than `cd`) are actually separate binaries in the system. For instance, on a Linux system, `cp` is the `/usr/bin/cp` binary. In Nushell, these commands are built-in. This has several advantages: - They work consistently on platforms where a binary version may not be available (e.g. Windows). This allows the creation of cross-platform scripts, modules, and custom commands. - They are more tightly integrated with Nushell, allowing them to understand Nushell types and other constructs - As mentioned in the [Quick Tour](quick_tour.html), they are documented in the Nushell help system. Running `help <command>` or `<command> --help` will display the Nushell documentation for the command. While the use of the Nushell built-in versions is typically recommended, it is possible to access the Linux binaries. See [Running System Commands](./running_externals.md) for details.

Nushell's `mkdir` creates directories like `mkdir -p`. `cd` changes the current directory, and `..` moves up directory levels. Multi-dot shortcuts (e.g., `...`) are supported for navigating multiple levels up. Directory changes with `cd` affect the `PWD` environment variable and are scoped to the current block or closure. Nushell offers cross-platform filesystem commands like `mv`, `cp`, and `rm` built-in for consistency and integration, though external binaries can also be used.