A path is the name of one file or directory, written as the way down the tree to it.

• The first / means: start at the root directory.
• Each other / separates one name from the next.
• The last name is the item. It can be a file or a directory.

Use a path as an argument

Any command that takes a file name also takes a path. The file can be anywhere in the tree:

learner@tidepool:~$ cat /home/learner/shop/prices.txt
tea 4.50
coffee 3.20
learner@tidepool:~$ cat /etc/hostname
tidepool

The file /etc/hostname holds the name of the computer. It agrees with the prompt.

tree also takes a path. It draws that directory:

learner@tidepool:~$ tree /home/learner/shop
/home/learner/shop
|-- orders
|   |-- monday.txt
|   `-- tuesday.txt
`-- prices.txt

1 directory, 3 files

Uppercase and lowercase

Names are the same as commands: uppercase and lowercase letters are different. /home/learner/Shop and /home/learner/shop are two different paths.