[Zsh] Create a Zsh Function to Rename Your Current Directory

A common problem you'll run into when working inside of your terminal is the desire to rename the directory you're currently in. This is achieved in 3 steps: back out of the directory, mv to a new name, then back inside of it. Rather than 3 separate commands, let's take this down to a single command in a Zsh function. This lesson walks you through the process of creating a Zsh function to rename your current directory by using ${PWD##*/} to find the name of the directory your in then walking through the steps.

 

create a new file rename-dir:

#path/to/current/dir
# will only return 'dir'
currentDir=echo ${PWD##*/}
cd ..
mv $currentDir $1
cd $1

 

Run:

autoload rename-dir

 

Cd into a folder need to be renamed: 

run:

rename-dir good-name