basename

Strip directory and suffix from filenames.

Description

The basename command is used to print the base name of a directory or file. The basename and dirname commands are commonly used for command substitution in shell scripts to specify an output filename that differs from the input filename.

Syntax

basename [options] [parameters]

Options

--help: Display help information.
--version: Display version information.

Parameters

• File: A filename with path information.
• Suffix: Optional parameter, specifies the filename suffix to be removed.

Examples

1. To display the base name of a shell variable, enter:

basename $WORKFILE

This command displays the base name of the value assigned to the shell variable WORKFILE. If the value of the WORKFILE variable is /home/jim/program.c, then this command displays program.c.

2. To construct a filename that is the same as another filename (except for the suffix), enter:

OFILE=`basename $1 .c`.o

This command assigns the value of the first positional parameter ($1) to the OFILE file, but changes its .c suffix to .o. If $1 is /home/jim/program.c, then OFILE becomes program.o. Since program.o is only a base filename, it identifies a file in the current directory.