basename(1) basename(1)
NAME
basename, dirname - deliver portions of pathnames
SYNOPSIS
basename string [suffix]
dirname string
DESCRIPTION
basename 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.
dirname delivers all but the last level of the pathname in
string.
EXAMPLE
Invoked with the argument /usr/src/cmd/cat.c,
cc $1
mv a.out `basename $1 '.c'`
compiles the named file and moves the output to a file named
cat in the current directory.
NAME=`dirname /usr/src/cmd/cat.c`
sets the Bourne shell variable NAME to /usr/src/cmd.
FILES
/bin/basename
SEE ALSO
sh(1).
BUGS
The basename of / is null and is considered an error.
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