
While in Mac, Linux, Android, Chrome, and Steam, all Unix-like operating systems, directories in file paths are separated by forward slashes.
#Slash symbol windows#
Yet, for a relative path, Windows adopts forward slashes. For example, backslashes are used in non-relative path C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16. In Microsoft Windows operating system (OS), backslashes are used in file paths to separate directories. The easy way to remember them is that a backslash is a backward lean (\) while a forward slash leans forward (/). ).Īfter reading the general introduction respectively to backward slash and forward slash, you get to know what they are since you must have used them in your daily life. 23⁄43 and %), and as a date separator (e.g. Y/N permits yes or no but not both) or inclusive or (e.g., Shanghai/Nanjing/Wuhan/Chongqing as stops on a tour of the Yangtze), division (e.g., 23 ÷ 43 can also be written as 23 ∕ 43) and fractions (e.g. Now, it is mainly used to represent exclusive (e.g. Forward slash is called a solidus in Unicode.įorward slash was once used to mark periods “.” and commas “,”. Forwardslash is also called an oblique stroke, and it has several other historical or technical names like oblique and virgule. Sometimes, in order to distinguish it from the backslash, we call it forward slash. About Forward Slashįorward slash “/”, usually known as slash, is an oblique slanting line punctuation mark. It is encoded at U+005C \ REVERSE SOLIDUS (92 decimal) in Unicode and ASCII. Back slash is the mirror image of the common slash “/” (forward slash). it is also called a hack, whack, downwhack, backwhack, backslant, reverse slant, reverse slash, reversed virgule, escape (from C/UNIX), slosh, and bash. About Backslashīackslash “\” is a typographical mark mainly used in computing. Thus, next time when you need to use slashes, you won’t be confused about which one to choose. After reading, you’ll know the differences between forward slash and backslash and when to use them. Have you ever been confused by which kind of slash, backslash or forward slash, to use in a file path or web address like me? If so, did you get the correct one? Then, do you try to figure out when to use which slash? If not, you can take a few minutes to read this essay and find out the answer. Backslash vs Forward Slash: What Will Happen If Misused?.This post also mentions their different functions in different OS and programming languages. It elaborates the differences in grammar, file path, as well as on the keyboard. It is also used to indicate line break, while quoting lines from a poem.This article published by MiniTool Tech compares the two types of slashes: backslash vs forward slash. Sometimes it is also used in place of the ‘hyphen (-)’ to indicate a strong connection between two words. In the English language, the forward slash is extensively used as a connector between two words, either meaning ‘and’ or ‘or’. The backslash is placed just below the backspace key while the forward slash key is located on the immediate left of the right-sided, shift key. Keyboard Positionīoth backslash and forward slash, are a part of the standard ASCII computer keyboard.
#Slash symbol code#
He included it in the ASCII (American Standard Code For Information Interchange) set of characters to represent certain Boolean operators of the ALGOL language.

The backslash (\) was introduced as a symbol in computing by the computer scientist Bob Bemer in 1961. It is known by various names in the computing world which include ‘escape’, ‘hack’, ‘reverse solidus’, ‘slosh’, ‘whack’, ‘backslant’, ‘backslat’ etc.

Compared to the usage history of the forward slash, the backslash is a rather recent addition.
