In `chmod -R 755 PATH`, uppercase `-R` means recursive: the command requests 0755 for PATH and every file and subdirectory below it. ChmodCalc displays that mode as rwxr-xr-x. On directories, x means search or traversal; on regular files, the same x marks them executable.
0 · 7 · 5 · 5
Special digit 0 sets none of setuid, setgid, or sticky. Owner digit 7 is 4 + 2 + 1 = rwx. Group digit 5 is 4 + 1 = r-x. Others digit 5 is also r-x. Concatenating the three ordinary triplets gives rwxr-xr-x.
Directory meaning: owner rwx, everyone else r-x
For the directory mode bits, the owner has listing, entry modification, and traversal bits. Group and others have read and traversal bits but not directory write. Actual pathname access still depends on every parent directory, ownership class, ACLs, and system policy.
chmod -R 755 also marks regular files executable
A blanket recursive 755 does not distinguish directories from data files. If the intended model is 755 for directories and 644 for ordinary non-executable files, the separate examples are `find PATH -type d -exec chmod 755 {} +` and `find PATH -type f -exec chmod 644 {} +`. Inspect the selected PATH and existing executable files first: ownership, ACLs, symlinks, application requirements, and filesystem policy can require a different result.