Question

What is an absolute path name? Give an example.

Short answer

An absolute path name specifies a file's location from the root directory, like /home/user/documents/report.txt.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the Concept of a Path Name

A path name specifies the location of a file or directory in a file system. It can be absolute or relative.

Define Absolute Path Name

An absolute path name is a path that describes the location of a file or directory from the root directory (/), and it remains the same regardless of the current working directory.

Provide an Example

For example, /home/user/documents/report.txt is an absolute path. It starts from the root directory and defines the complete path to the file named report.txt inside the documents directory.

Key concepts

file system

A file system is a method and structure that an operating system uses to manage files on a disk or partition.
It organizes data and provides a way for users and programs to store, retrieve, and update information.
Different types of file systems exist, such as NTFS for Windows or EXT4 for Linux.
In a file system, files are organized in directories (or folders), which can contain subdirectories, allowing a hierarchical structure.

root directory

The root directory is the top-most directory in a file system's hierarchy.
It is represented by a single slash (/) on Unix-like systems, including Linux and macOS.
All other directories and files stem from the root directory, forming a tree-like structure.
For example, in the path /home/user/documents, 'home' is a subdirectory of the root directory.

current working directory

The current working directory (CWD) is the directory in which a user or program is currently working.
Commands and operations are typically carried out relative to the CWD.
For example, if your CWD is /home/user, and you try to access a file called documents/report.txt without using an absolute path, the system will look for it within /home/user/documents.
You can often change your CWD using commands like 'cd' (change directory) in a command-line interface.

relative path

A relative path specifies a file or directory location in relation to the current working directory.
Unlike an absolute path, it does not start from the root directory.
For example, if your CWD is /home/user and you want to access the file documents/report.txt, you can refer to it simply as documents/report.txt.
This path tells the system to look into the 'documents' directory within your current location without needing a full path from the root.