: Relative link to a subfolder Let's assume that I have a website with three files: /home/blog.html /home/picture1.jpg /home/files/picture2.jpg Now let's edit that blog.html file. When I want to make

@Gloria169

This article should help to clear things up for you.

It's only necessary to add dots (.) in front of a forward slash (/) when requesting a folder (aka., directory) above the current one, like this:

../parent_folder/picture1.jpg

Or the current directory like this: ./

Using your examples then, noting the link text as to what they correspond to:

<a href="./">current folder</a>
<a href="picture1.jpg">picture1 in current folder</a>
<a href="files/">files folder</a>
<a href="files/picture2.jpg">picture2 in files folder</a>


You can check links in your webpages using the W3C Link Checker tool.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Bethany197

The part ./ is removed from the start of a URL as part of URL resolution as defined in STD 66. This has nothing to do with folders or files; it is just string manipulation dictated by generic URL specifications. Thus, for example, the URLs picture1.jpg and ./picture1.jpg have identical meaning: they resolve to the same absolute URL.

Whether you prefer one to the other is a matter of taste. Other things being equal, it is best to prefer the shorter alternative, not just because of shortness but also in order to somewhat reduce the risk of confusion that people may have with meanings of relative URLs.

Vote Up Vote Down