Article: Working with the dir Command (with examples)

1: Show the contents of the current directory:

Code:

dir

Motivation:

This command allows you to quickly see what files and directories are present in the current directory. It is useful for getting an overview of the files and folders you are working with.

Explanation:

The dir command without any arguments lists the contents of the current directory. It displays information such as the file or directory name, size, date, and time. By default, it does not include hidden files or directories.

Example Output:

08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          .
08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          ..
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file1.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file2.txt

2: Show the contents of a given directory:

Code:

dir path\to\directory

Motivation:

This command is useful when you want to view the contents of a specific directory other than the current one. It allows you to explore the files and directories within a particular folder.

Explanation:

The dir command followed by the path to a directory lists the contents of that directory. Replace path\to\directory with the actual path to the directory you want to view. This command works with both absolute paths (e.g., C:\Users\Documents) and relative paths (e.g., ..\Downloads).

Example Output:

08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          .
08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          ..
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file1.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file2.txt

3: Show the contents of the current directory, including hidden ones:

Code:

dir /a

Motivation:

This command allows you to see all files and directories in the current directory, including those that are usually hidden by default. Hidden files and folders may contain important system files or data that you need to access or modify.

Explanation:

The /a argument is used with the dir command to include hidden files and directories in the output. It displays both the regular files and directories along with the hidden ones.

Example Output:

08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          .
08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          ..
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file1.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file2.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          .hidden_directory
08/24/2021  09:15 AM           100,000 hidden_file.txt

4: Show the contents of a given directory, including hidden ones:

Code:

dir path\to\directory /a

Motivation:

This command is useful when you want to view the contents of a specific directory, including hidden files and directories within it. This can be helpful for troubleshooting or analyzing a folder that contains important hidden files.

Explanation:

Similar to the previous example, the /a argument is used with the dir command. This time, it is appended after the path to the directory to include hidden files and directories in the output.

Example Output:

08/24/2021  09:15 AM    <DIR>          .hidden_directory
08/24/2021  09:15 AM           100,000 hidden_file.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file1.txt
08/24/2021  09:15 AM                 0 file2.txt

5: Show a bare list of directories and files, with no additional information:

Code:

dir /b

Motivation:

This command is useful when you want a simplified and concise view of the directories and files at a glance, without any additional details. It can make it easier to parse or process the list of files and folders.

Explanation:

The /b argument is used with the dir command to display only the bare list of directories and files, without any additional information like size, date, and time.

Example Output:

file1.txt
file2.txt
hidden_file.txt
.hidden_directory

This article covered various use cases of the dir command, providing code examples, motivations, explanations, and example outputs for each scenario. The dir command is an essential tool for exploring and managing files and directories in a Windows operating system environment.