## CD Change Working Directory Function

Section: Operating System Functions

### Usage

Changes the current working directory to the one specified as the argument. The general syntax for its use is

      cd('dirname')

but this can also be expressed as

      cd 'dirname'

or

      cd dirname

Examples of all three usages are given below. Generally speaking, `dirname` is any string that would be accepted by the underlying OS as a valid directory name. For example, on most systems, `'.'` refers to the current directory, and `'..'` refers to the parent directory. Also, depending on the OS, it may be necessary to ``escape'' the directory seperators. In particular, if directories are seperated with the backwards-slash character `'\\'`, then the path specification must use double-slashes `'\\\\'`. Note: to get file-name completion to work at this time, you must use one of the first two forms of the command.

### Example

The `pwd` command returns the current directory location. First, we use the simplest form of the `cd` command, in which the directory name argument is given unquoted.

    --> pwd

    ans =
    /home/basu/dev/branches/FreeMat4/help/tmp
    --> cd ..
    --> pwd

    ans =
    /home/basu/dev/branches/FreeMat4/help

Next, we use the ``traditional'' form of the function call, using both the parenthesis and a variable to store the quoted string.

    --> a = pwd;
    --> cd(a)
    --> pwd

    ans =
    /home/basu/dev/branches/FreeMat4/help/tmp