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To list the files in a different directory on the current drive,
type the pathname of that directory. For example, to list the
contents of the LEDGER subdirectory while logged onto
drive C, type
DIR \LEDGER
and press Enter. (Pathnames
are described below.)
-
Using Pathnames
Whenever you want to access a file that is not in the current
directory, you must specify the file’s pathname. A full pathname
consists of one or more directory names separated by
backslashes and followed by the filename. The pathname tells
MS-DOS where your file is stored.
For instance, in the directory structure shown previously in this
chapter, if you had a file named APRIL.TXT stored in the
subdirectory named LETTERS, the full pathname of that file
would be:
This pathname tells MS-DOS to start at the root directory
and go through two subdirectories (WORDPROC and
PERSONAL) to find the LETTERS subdirectory. Once in the
LETTERS subdirectory, MS-DOS finds the file called
APRIL.TXT.
The first backslash tells MS-DOS to begin at the root directory.
If you omit the backslash at the beginning of the pathname,
MS-DOS begins the search at the current directory. For
example, if the current directory is PERSONAL and you want
MS-DOS to find the file APRIL.TXT, which is stored in the
subdirectory LETTERS, you can specify the pathname like
this:
LETTERS\APRIL.TXT
3-10
Using MS-DOS With Your Computer