Linux basename dirname Guide

Linux basename and dirname Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to basename and dirname on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including path manipulation, filename extraction, and directory path extraction.

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Table of Contents

1. basename Basics
2. dirname Basics
3. Path Manipulation
4. Script Usage
5. Troubleshooting

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basename Basics

Extract Filename

Basic usage:

# Extract filename
basename /path/to/file.txt

# Output: file.txt

Remove Suffix

Remove extension:

# Remove suffix
basename /path/to/file.txt .txt

# Output: file

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dirname Basics

Extract Directory

Basic usage:

# Extract directory
dirname /path/to/file.txt

# Output: /path/to

Parent Directory

Get parent:

# Parent directory
dirname /path/to/dir/

# Output: /path/to

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Path Manipulation

Combined Usage

Both commands:

# Get directory and filename
FILE="/path/to/file.txt"
DIR=$(dirname "$FILE")
NAME=$(basename "$FILE")

echo "Directory: $DIR"
echo "Filename: $NAME"

Remove Extension

Strip extension:

# Remove extension
basename file.txt .txt

# Output: file

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Script Usage

Path Processing

In scripts:

#!/bin/bash
FILE="/path/to/file.txt"

# Get components
DIR=$(dirname "$FILE")
NAME=$(basename "$FILE")
BASE=$(basename "$FILE" .txt)

echo "Full path: $FILE"
echo "Directory: $DIR"
echo "Filename: $NAME"
echo "Base name: $BASE"

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Troubleshooting

Commands Not Found

Check installation:

# basename and dirname are part of coreutils
# Usually pre-installed

# Check commands
which basename
which dirname

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Summary

This guide covered basename and dirname usage, path manipulation, and filename extraction for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• readlink Guide - Symbolic link resolution
• realpath Guide - Absolute path resolution
• Bash Scripting Guide - Scripting basics
• basename Documentation: man basename
• dirname Documentation: man dirname

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.