Which Command Gets the Absolute Path for Any Path in Shell Scripting?
In shell scripting, it is often necessary to retrieve the absolute path of a file or directory. This information is crucial, especially when dealing with file manipulation operations or when specifying paths as arguments for other commands.
Fortunately, there is a command that allows us to obtain the absolute path for any given path – readlink.
Understanding the readlink Command
The readlink command in shell scripting is used to resolve symbolic links and output the Target of a given path. However, it can also be used to retrieve the absolute path of a file or directory.
This makes it an invaluable tool when working with paths in shell scripts.
Usage Syntax:
readlink -f [path]
- -f: This option instructs readlink to output the canonicalized absolute pathname.
- [path]: This parameter represents the path for which you want to retrieve the absolute path.
Let’s look at some examples to understand how we can use readlink -f [path].
Example 1: Retrieving Absolute Path for a File
Suppose we have a file called “myfile.txt” located in our home directory, and we want to obtain its absolute path using readlink -f [path]. We can do so by running the following command:
$ readlink -f ~/myfile.txt
The output will be:
/home/your_username/myfile.txt
This shows that the absolute path of “myfile.txt” is “/home/your_username/myfile.txt”.
Example 2: Retrieving Absolute Path for a Directory
Now, let’s say we have a directory called “mydir” located in our current working directory, and we want to obtain its absolute path. We can use readlink -f [path] as follows:
$ readlink -f mydir
/path/to/current/directory/mydir
This shows that the absolute path of “mydir” is “/path/to/current/directory/mydir”.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we explored the readlink -f [path] command in shell scripting, which allows us to obtain the absolute path for any given path. We discussed its usage syntax and provided examples for retrieving the absolute paths of both files and directories.
By using readlink -f [path], you can easily incorporate the absolute paths of files and directories into your shell scripts, enabling you to perform various operations with precision and accuracy.
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