BASENAME(1) User Commands BASENAME(1)
basename, dirname - deliver portions of path names
/usr/bin/basename string [suffix]
/usr/xpg4/bin/basename string [suffix]
dirname string
The basename utility deletes any prefix ending in / and the suffix
(if present in string) from string, and prints the result on the
standard output. It is normally used inside substitution marks (``)
within shell procedures.
/usr/bin
The suffix is a pattern defined on the expr(1) manual page.
/usr/xpg4/bin
The suffix is a string with no special significance attached to any
of the characters it contains.
The dirname utility delivers all but the last level of the path name
in string.
The following example, invoked with the argument
/home/sms/personal/mail sets the environment variable NAME to the
file named mail and the environment variable MYMAILPATH to the string
/home/sms/personal:
example% NAME=`basename $HOME/personal/mail`
example% MYMAILPATH=`dirname $HOME/personal/mail`
This shell procedure, invoked with the argument /usr/src/bin/cat.c,
compiles the named file and moves the output to cat in the current
directory:
example% cc $1
example% mv a.out `basename $1 .c`
See environ(7) for descriptions of the following environment
variables that affect the execution of basename and dirname: LANG,
LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, LC_MESSAGES, and NLSPATH.
The following exit values are returned:
0
Successful completion.
>0
An error occurred.
expr(1), basename(3C), attributes(7), environ(7), standards(7)
March 18, 1997 BASENAME(1)
NAME
basename, dirname - deliver portions of path names
SYNOPSIS
/usr/bin/basename string [suffix]
/usr/xpg4/bin/basename string [suffix]
dirname string
DESCRIPTION
The basename utility deletes any prefix ending in / and the suffix
(if present in string) from string, and prints the result on the
standard output. It is normally used inside substitution marks (``)
within shell procedures.
/usr/bin
The suffix is a pattern defined on the expr(1) manual page.
/usr/xpg4/bin
The suffix is a string with no special significance attached to any
of the characters it contains.
The dirname utility delivers all but the last level of the path name
in string.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Setting environment variables
The following example, invoked with the argument
/home/sms/personal/mail sets the environment variable NAME to the
file named mail and the environment variable MYMAILPATH to the string
/home/sms/personal:
example% NAME=`basename $HOME/personal/mail`
example% MYMAILPATH=`dirname $HOME/personal/mail`
Example 2: Compiling a file and moving the output
This shell procedure, invoked with the argument /usr/src/bin/cat.c,
compiles the named file and moves the output to cat in the current
directory:
example% cc $1
example% mv a.out `basename $1 .c`
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
See environ(7) for descriptions of the following environment
variables that affect the execution of basename and dirname: LANG,
LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, LC_MESSAGES, and NLSPATH.
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned:
0
Successful completion.
>0
An error occurred.
SEE ALSO
expr(1), basename(3C), attributes(7), environ(7), standards(7)
March 18, 1997 BASENAME(1)