6.8.1 Directory Stack Builtins

dirs
dirs [-clpv] [+N | -N] 

Without options, display the list of currently remembered directories. Directories are added to the list with the pushd command; the popd command removes directories from the list. The current directory is always the first directory in the stack.

Options, if supplied, have the following meanings:

-c

Clears the directory stack by deleting all of the elements.

-l

Produces a listing using full pathnames; the default listing format uses a tilde to denote the home directory.

-p

Causes dirs to print the directory stack with one entry per line.

-v

Causes dirs to print the directory stack with one entry per line, prefixing each entry with its index in the stack.

+N

Displays the Nth directory (counting from the left of the list printed by dirs when invoked without options), starting with zero.

-N

Displays the Nth directory (counting from the right of the list printed by dirs when invoked without options), starting with zero.

popd
popd [-n] [+N | -N] 

Remove elements from the directory stack. The elements are numbered from 0 starting at the first directory listed by dirs; that is, popd is equivalent to popd +0.

When no arguments are given, popd removes the top directory from the stack and changes to the new top directory.

Arguments, if supplied, have the following meanings:

-n

Suppress the normal change of directory when removing directories from the stack, only manipulate the stack.

+N

Remove the Nth directory (counting from the left of the list printed by dirs), starting with zero, from the stack.

-N

Remove the Nth directory (counting from the right of the list printed by dirs), starting with zero, from the stack.

If the top element of the directory stack is modified, and the -n option was not supplied, popd uses the cd builtin to change to the directory at the top of the stack. If the cd fails, popd returns a non-zero value.

Otherwise, popd returns an unsuccessful status if an invalid option is specified, the directory stack is empty, or N specifies a non-existent directory stack entry.

If the popd command is successful, Bash runs dirs to show the final contents of the directory stack, and the return status is 0.

pushd
pushd [-n] [+N | -N | dir] 

Add a directory to the top of the directory stack, or rotate the stack, making the new top of the stack the current working directory. With no arguments, pushd exchanges the top two elements of the directory stack.

Arguments, if supplied, have the following meanings:

-n

Suppress the normal change of directory when rotating or adding directories to the stack, only manipulate the stack.

+N

Rotate the stack so that the Nth directory (counting from the left of the list printed by dirs, starting with zero) is at the top.

-N

Rotate the stack so that the Nth directory (counting from the right of the list printed by dirs, starting with zero) is at the top.

dir

Make dir be the top of the stack.

After the stack has been modified, if the -n option was not supplied, pushd uses the cd builtin to change to the directory at the top of the stack. If the cd fails, pushd returns a non-zero value.

Otherwise, if no arguments are supplied, pushd returns zero unless the directory stack is empty. When rotating the directory stack, pushd returns zero unless the directory stack is empty or N specifies a non-existent directory stack element.

If the pushd command is successful, Bash runs dirs to show the final contents of the directory stack.