Directory name completion

[Patrick O'Callaghan]

On Tue, 2011-06-21 at 09:12 -0700, JD wrote:
> On 06/21/2011 08:52 AM, g wrote:
> > On 06/21/2011 12:14 PM, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> >> There's a specific directory on my system, let's call
> >> it /some/long/path/foobar, that I visit a lot, so it's a bore to have to
> >> type the full pathname so often. The parent directory (/some/long/path)
> >> is a component in CDPATH so I can just type 'cd foobar' and all is good.
> > <snip>
> >
> > then consider an alias;
> >
> >    alias cdfb='cd  /some/long/path/foobar'
> >
> > now, a simple cdfb will put you there.
> >
> > i have used such aliases for long path directories for years and it has
> > always worked.
> >
> >
> > hth.
> >
> I solved this problem by using  a feature of Kshell ( /bin/ksh)
> It lets you create functions which you source at login (via .profile).

Don't all the Shells allow that?

> I have set up a large collection of such long directory path
> names in a file I call ~/_dirs
> This list is augmented (in memory) with pathnames that are used
> (i.e. cd <pathname>) during the lifetime of the shell, which are not
> already in ~/_dirs.
> I have created a few aliases such as
> alias cd=dchg , among others.
> The funcion dchg (which is sourced by the .profile file)
> examines  it's argument and if the arg pattern is found among
> the list of dirs  in cached in memory, then it cd's to that dir.
> The match occurs on a first fit basis, in case the pattern would
> match other unique pathnames, but which contain the same
> pattern.
> This has saved me millions of key strokes during rapid (i.e. high pressure)
> SW development cycles.
> I inherited this scheme from a friend while working at a company.

Could be useful but sounds like overkill for what I want in this
instance, given that what I want is supposed to be there already.

poc