Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition

Name

basename

Synopsis

basename name [suffix]
basename option

Remove leading directory components from a path. If suffix is given, remove that also. The result is printed to standard output. This is useful mostly in a script when you need to work with a filename but can’t predict its full path in every instance.

Options

--help

Print help message and then exit.

--version

Print the version number and then exit.

Examples

$ basename /usr/lib/libm.a
libm.a

$ basename /usr/lib/libm.a .a
libm