How do I change directory to home directory in Script? (bash)

Question

Hi this is my first time writing bash and I'm trying to practice creating a bash script and am attempting to do the following:

Using absolute path the script changes directory to your home directory.
Next it verifies whether a subdirectory called project exists. If it does not exist it creates that directory.
Next it changes directory moving into the project subdirectory using relative path.

I'm already stuck on the first step:

#!/bin/bash
cd
if [ -d ./project ]
    then 
        echo hi it exists!
    else
        echo it doesn't exist!
cd project/

I would appreciate if someone could help! thank you so much!

Do you want the script to leave the directory changed after it exits? Because you can't do that at all, which makes this entire thing moot. — Charles Duffy, Oct 06 '17 at 17:59
If you expect to call the script and have it leave you in the target directory when it exits, then you have to source it. `. scriptName` runs it in your current context instead of a subshell. Was that what you meant to do? — Paul Hodges, Oct 06 '17 at 20:28

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 06 '17 at 17:55

0

cd by itself changes the current working directory to the home directory. See man cd for other uses of this command.

answered Oct 06 '17 at 17:55

David Harris

Since the OP is already doing that (calling `cd` by itself with no arguments -- on the second line of their script, immediately after the shebang), telling them to do what they're already doing clearly isn't an answer or solution. – Charles Duffy Oct 06 '17 at 18:05

score -1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 06 '17 at 17:53

-1

You can use the $HOME environment variable. Bash also recognizes a tilde (~) as home.

answered Oct 06 '17 at 17:53

Michael Albers

This is true, but fixing that specific, narrow issue won't enable the OP to write a script that changes their shell's (that is, the calling shell's) directory. – Charles Duffy Oct 06 '17 at 18:02
And the OP *is* already running `cd` with no arguments at the top of their script (first line after the shebang), which *does* already change to the home directory just as effectively as `cd "$HOME"` or `cd ~` does. – Charles Duffy Oct 06 '17 at 18:04

2 Answers2