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User Commandsbasename(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(5) for descriptions of the following environment variables that affect the execution of basename and dirname: LC_CTYPE, LC_MESSAGES, and NLSPATH.

EXIT STATUS

 

The following exit values are returned:

0
Successful completion.
>0
An error occurred.

ATTRIBUTES

 

See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

/usr/bin

 
ATTRIBUTE TYPEATTRIBUTE VALUE
AvailabilitySUNWcsu

/usr/xpg4/bin

 
ATTRIBUTE TYPEATTRIBUTE VALUE
AvailabilitySUNWxcu4

SEE ALSO

 

expr(1), attributes(5), environ(5), XPG4(5)


SunOS 5.9Go To TopLast Changed 18 Mar 1997

 
      
      
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