{smcl}
{.-}
help for {cmd:fastcd} {right:Nicholas Winter}
{.-}

{title:Utility to automate changing directories}

{p 5 15 2}{cmd:fastcd}{p_end}

{p 5 15 2}{cmd:fastcd} {it:code}{p_end}

{p 5 15 2}{cmd:fastcd cur} {it:new_code}{p_end}

{p 5 15 2}{cmd:fastcd drop} {it:existing_code}{p_end}


{title:Description}

{p 0 5 2}
{cmd:fastcd} automates the process of changing directories within Stata.
The command allows you to build a database of commonly-used directory
paths, and to associate a short mnemonic code with each.

{p 0 5 2}
Typing {cmd:fastcd} by itself displays a list of mnemonics and the associated
directories.  You can then click on a mnemonic code to change the
current Stata system directory to the associated directory.

{p 0 5 2}
{cmd:fastcd {it:code}} changes the current Stata system directory to the
directory associated in the database.

{p 0 5 2}
{cmd:fastcd cur {it:code}} adds the current directory to the database, and
associates the mnemonic {it:code} with it.

{p 0 5 2}
{cmd:fastcd drop {it:code}} drops the specified mnemonic from the database.

{p 0 5 2}
{cmd:fastcd} uses the {help file} command to create a file called {cmd:directoryfile.txt} in your
personal ado directory (see {help adopath}), containing the mnemonics and associated
directory paths.  The {cmd:file} command appeared as part of an update to
Stata 7, so be sure your Stata is up-to-date.


{title:Examples}

{p 5 10 2}
{cmd:. fastcd}

{p 0 23}{space 12}{stata fastcd bowling:bowling} {txt}U:\nwinter\marketing\Putnam\bowlingdata{p_end}
{p 0 23}{space 12}{stata fastcd brrsims:brrsims} {txt}U:\nwinter\StataData\brrsims{p_end}
{p 0 23}{space 16}{stata fastcd ccd:ccd} {txt}c:\usrdata\ccd{p_end}
{p 0 23}{space 13}{stata fastcd nascar:nascar} {txt}c:\usrdata\nascar{p_end}

{res}            fastcd {it:code}          {txt}to change directories
{res}            fastcd cur  {it:code}     {txt}to add current directory to database
{res}            fastcd drop {it:code}     {txt}to drop entry

{p 5 10 2}
{cmd:. fastcd ccd}{p_end}
{p 5 10 2}{res}c:\usrdata\ccd{txt}{p_end}


{title:Author}

     Nicholas Winter
     Cornell University
     nw53@cornell.edu


{title:Acknowledgement}

{p}I have used code from Jeroen Weesie's {cmd:qsort} command for sorting
the database.  Thank you Jeroen!
{p_end}