Breadcrumbs

[Luis Fok]

Breadcrumbs are a user interface element designed to make navigation easy and intuitive. They are used by operating systems, software programs, and websites. Breadcrumbs display the directory path of the current folder or webpage and provide one-click access to each of the parent directories. Like breadcrumbs in the story Hansel and Gretel, they allow you to retrace your steps back to where you started.
The Windows operating system displays breadcrumbs in the toolbar of each open window. If you open the Public user folder, for example, the toolbar will display the current location as:
Computer → Local Disk (C:) → Users → Public
This provides a simple way to view the directory path of the current folder. Each of directories listed in the toolbar are clickable, providing quick access to the parent folders.
Webpages often include breadcrumbs near the top of the page, though they are usually placed outside of the main navigation bar. The purpose of website breadcrumbs is twofold: 1) to clearly identify what section of a website a specific webpage is located, and 2) to make it easy for you to jump to the parent sections. For example, a soccer page on a news website may include breadcrumbs
Home : Sports : Soccer : Premier League
near the top of the page. This indicates the current page is three sections deep within the website. Since each section name is also a link, you can quickly jump to any of the parent sections, such as Soccer, by simply clicking the link within the breadcrumbs.

[Lizzy Liz]

very small pieces of dried bread, especially used in cooking:

[Sommer]

If you’re thinking Hansel and Gretel, you’re right. This fairy tale duo left a trail of breadcrumbs as they ventured into the forest so they could find their way back home. Digital breadcrumbs serve the same purpose. They’re a form of website navigation that shows users the sections they’ve visited in the order they visited them so they can retrace their steps easily.