---
title: Structure and Navigation
sidebar_position: 1
description: Learn about the OpenBB Terminal, an interactive Command Line Interface
  application. Understand the structure and navigation of the terminal, functions
  or commands input via a keyboard, and the presentation of results in the form of
  interactive charts, tables, or text. Get introduced to terminal commands, terminal
  menus, OpenBB Hub's theme style, and the concept of absolute paths.
keywords:
- CLI application
- terminal structure
- Terminal navigation
- Command Line Interface
- Interactive Charts and Tables
- Terminal commands
- terminal menus
- OpenBB Hub Theme Style
- Absolute paths
---

import HeadTitle from '@site/src/components/General/HeadTitle.tsx';

<HeadTitle title="Structure and Navigation - Overview - Usage | OpenBB Terminal Docs" />

## Structure

import TutorialVideo from '@site/src/components/General/TutorialVideo.tsx';

<TutorialVideo
  youtubeLink="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8qjG_SyuQgY?si=kc948AQLp3yrfkgB"
  videoLegend="Short introduction to terminal structure"
/>

The OpenBB Terminal is a Command Line Interface (CLI) application. Functions (commands) are called through the keyboard with results returned as charts, tables, or text.  Charts and tables (if enabled) are displayed in a new window, and are fully interactive, while text prints directly to the Terminal screen.

![The Home Screen](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/85772166/233247655-2f8d0dae-be68-48ca-9b35-123b5b985cb6.png)

A menu is a collection of commands (and sub-menus). A menu can be distinguished from a command because the former has a `>` on the left. The color of a command and a menu also differ, but these can be changed in OpenBB Hub's theme style.

## Navigation

Navigating through the Terminal menus is similar to traversing folders from any operating system's command line prompt. The `/home` screen is the main directory where everything begins, and the menus are paths branched from the main. Instead of `C:\Users\OpenBB\Documents`, you'll have something like `/stocks/options`. Instead of `cd ..`, you can do `..` to return the menu right above. To go back to the root menu you can do `/`.

Absolute paths are also valid to-and-from any point. From the [`/stocks/options`](/terminal/menus/stocks/options) menu, you can go directly to [`crypto`](/terminal/menus/crypto) menu with: `/crypto`. Note the forward slash at the start to denote the "absolute" path.


<TutorialVideo
  youtubeLink="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xy8LElyYmaI?si=psfs7nD9xjb-N1N8"
  videoLegend="Short introduction to navigation"
/>