How to convert a directory to a string?

Question

I have I symlink named CURRENT pointing to a directory , lets say

CURRENT -> $HOME/local/java/jdk1.8.0

I want to extract the jdk1.8.0 part as a string.

First, I get the directory by :

 current_dir= $(readlink -f $CURRENT)

And then, I tried to extract the last part of the path :

last_part= ${current_dir##*/}

or even when I try to print it via :

echo $current_dir

I get this error:

bash: /home/tarrsalah/local/java/jdk1.8.0: Is a directory

How can I convert a directory to a string ?

Your errors occur due to the space following the equal sign: there must be **no** whitespace around the equal in shell variable assignment. — glenn jackman, May 09 '13 at 19:31
Thanks @glennjackman , I prefer using `basename` , less error prone. — Salah Eddine Taouririt, May 09 '13 at 19:37
ok, although my comment refers to a very fundamental aspect of shell programming which you appear to have trouble with. — glenn jackman, May 09 '13 at 19:38
yes, I can see, this is my first shell script :) ,I will pay attention for this case, Thanks again. — Salah Eddine Taouririt, May 09 '13 at 19:51
The actual problem is the space after the `=` signs in the code. When you run: `current_dir= $(readlink -f $CURRENT)`, it first runs the `readlink` command, obtaining the pathname. That output is then used as a command name, but the variable `current_dir` is set to empty in its environment before it is run. Of course, since the name is actually a directory, `bash` reports '... is a directory'. Do not put spaces around assignments in shells. — Jonathan Leffler, May 12 '13 at 22:49

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered May 09 '13 at 19:12

6

Use basename:

$ basename /home/tarrsalah/local/java/jdk1.8.0
jdk1.8.0

answered May 09 '13 at 19:12

piokuc

1 Answers1