basename - macOS

Overview

basename is a command-line utility in macOS that strips directory and suffix from a given file path. Essentially, it extracts the file name from a fully qualified path. This command is particularly useful in scripting and programming environments where you need to manipulate file paths or when dealing with logs and outputs that include full path specifications.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the basename command is:

basename [path] [suffix]

Arguments:

path: The full path from which the base name will be extracted.
suffix: Optional. A suffix to remove from the base name.

Multiple paths can be processed in one invocation by using the following syntax:

basename -a [path1] [path2] ...

Options/Flags

-a, --multiple: Allows the processing of multiple arguments. Each argument is treated as a separate path.
-s, --suffix SUFFIX: Removes a trailing suffix from the file name. This is useful for stripping file extensions or specific patterns.
-z, --zero: End each output line with NUL, not newline. This is helpful when dealing with file names that contain newlines.

Examples

Simple Extraction
```
basename /usr/local/bin/basename
```
Output: basename
With Suffix Removal
```
basename /example/path/file.txt .txt
```
Output: file

Multiple Arguments

basename -a /usr/local/bin/script.sh /home/user/photo.jpg

Output:

script.sh
photo.jpg

Using with Zero Option
```
basename -z /data/files/example.txt
```
(Output would be example.txt followed by a null character).

Common Issues

Incorrect Path: Users sometimes mistakenly use basename on directories. Remember, basename is intended for file paths.
Suffix Not Matching: The suffix passed to basename must exactly match the end of the base name, or it will not be stripped.

Integration

basename is often used in scripting and combined with other commands:

Example with find to change extensions:

for file in $(find . -type f -name "*.txt"); do
    mv "$file" "$(dirname "$file")/$(basename "$file" .txt).md"
done

This script finds all .txt files and renames them to .md, keeping them in the same directory.

dirname: Outputs the path part of the given file argument, which complements basename by extracting the directory path.
pathchk: Checks the portability of file names, useful in scripts validating file paths.

For further reading and more detailed information, consult the basename manpage on your system using man basename or visit the online macOS command reference.