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## Changing directories

To select data files, you must often change the active directory. This can be done in two ways. The first way is to enter the entire directory path into the Path text field and press Enter. You can use UNIXTM shell symbols, like the "~" for your home directory, or the "../" to go up one directory from your current directory. The directory conventions used depend on the type of computer being accessed. A Windows(C) computer expects directories to be specified with a disk drive and a path with back slashes (e.g. C:\temp\data) while a UNIXTM computer expects directories with forward slashes (e.g. /usr/local/data). Keep the type of computer in mind when entering a path. After a path has been typed into the Path text field, VisIt will attempt to change directories using the specified path. If VisIt cannot change to the specified directory, the Output Window will appear with an error message and the Path text field will revert to the last accepted value. Another way to change directories is to double click the mouse on any of the entries in the directory list. Note that as you change directories, the contents of the File list change to reflect the files in the current directory. You can immediately return to any recently visited directory by selecting a directory from the Path text field's pulldown menu.