Content-type: text/html Man page of basename

basename

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 18 Mar 1997
Index Return to Main Contents
 

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: LANG, LC_ALL, 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
Interface StabilityStandard

 

SEE ALSO

expr(1), basename(3C), attributes(5), environ(5), standards(5)


 

Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
/usr/bin
/usr/xpg4/bin
EXAMPLES
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
EXIT STATUS
ATTRIBUTES
/usr/bin
/usr/xpg4/bin
SEE ALSO

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Time: 02:39:21 GMT, October 02, 2010