Switching directories on the command line is one of the most common tasks, but it can also be one of the most frustrating—especially when you find yourself typing "cd ls cd ls cd ls..." repeatedly. If you're unsure about the name of the next directory you want to enter, you often have to run `ls` to check, then use `cd` to navigate. While many terminals and shells now offer auto-completion, it still requires you to hit the TAB key multiple times. If you're as lazy as I am, you'll be amazed by a tool called **Autojump**.
Autojump is a powerful command-line utility that lets you jump directly to your most-used directories, no matter where you are in the file system. It works by learning your navigation habits and storing them in a database. The more frequently you visit a directory, the higher its priority becomes in Autojump’s ranking.
To get started, installing Autojump is straightforward. On Ubuntu or Debian, you can use:
```bash
sudo apt-get install autojump
```
For CentOS or Fedora, first enable the EPEL repository (on CentOS), then run:
```bash
sudo yum install autojump
```
On Arch Linux, simply use:
```bash
sudo pacman -S autojump
```
If your distribution doesn’t have a package for Autojump, you can always download the source from GitHub and compile it yourself.
Once installed, you can start using it right away. Just type `autojump` followed by a partial name of the directory you want to jump to. For example, if you’re in a directory structure like this:
```
/root/home/
├── doc
└── ddl
```
You can type:
```bash
autojump do
```
And it will take you directly to `/root/home/doc`, regardless of your current location. You don’t need to type the full name—Autojump does the smart part for you.
If you're really into saving keystrokes, you can even set up an alias like `j` for faster access:
```bash
j doc
```
Another great feature is integration with Zsh and tab completion. If you're not sure which directory to jump to, just press TAB after typing `autojump` and it will list possible options.
For more advanced users, Autojump offers commands to manually manage the database. You can add a directory with:
```bash
autojump -a /path/to/dir
```
Or increase the weight of a directory (making it more likely to be selected) using:
```bash
autojump -i 10
```
To decrease its weight, use:
```bash
autojump -d 5
```
You can view the database statistics with:
```bash
autojump -s
```
And clean up outdated entries with:
```bash
autojump --purge
```
In short, Autojump is a game-changer for anyone who spends a lot of time in the terminal. Whether you're SSH-ing into a server or just enjoying the retro feel of the command line, reducing the number of keystrokes needed to navigate can save a lot of time. If you love tools like this, you might also enjoy **Fasd**, another utility that offers similar functionality. We’ll cover it in a future post.
What do you think of Autojump? Do you use it regularly? Let me know in the comments!
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