dirname(C)                    06 January 1993                     dirname(C)


 Name

    dirname - deliver directory part of pathname

 Syntax

    dirname string

 Description

    The dirname command delivers all but the last component of the pathname
    in string and prints the result on the standard output.  If there is only
    one component in the pathname, only a ``dot'' is printed.  If string con-
    sists entirely of slash characters a single slash is printed, unless
    string consists of exactly two slashes, in which case both are printed.
    It is normally used inside substitution marks (``) within shell pro-
    cedures.

    The companion command basename deletes any prefix ending in a slash (/)
    and the suffix (if present in string) from string, and prints the result
    on the standard output.

 Examples

    The following example sets the shell variable NAME to /usr/src/cmd:

       NAME=`dirname /usr/src/cmd/cat.c`

    This example prints /a/b/c on the standard output:

       dirname /a/b/c/d

    This example prints a ``dot'' on the standard output:

       dirname file.ext

    This example moves to the location of a file being searched for (lost-
    file):

       cd `find . -name lostfile -exec dirname   ;`


 See also

    basename(C) and sh(C).

 Standards conformance

    dirname is conformant with X/Open Portability Guide, Issue 3, 1989.