basename()

The basename() function is a commonly used function in various programming languages, including PHP and Unix/Linux shell scripting. Its primary purpose is to extract the filename from a given path.

In PHP, basename() is used to return the filename from a specified path:

basename(string $path, string $suffix = "")
  • $path: The path to be processed.
  • $suffix (Optional): If the filename ends in suffix, this will also be cut off.

An example:

echo basename("/some/path/file.txt"); // Outputs: file.txt
echo basename("/some/path/file.txt", ".txt"); // Outputs: file

In the first example, basename() returns file.txt, which is the filename. In the second example, it also removes the .txt suffix, returning just file.

basename in Unix/Linux shell scripting is a command used to strip the directory and suffix from filenames:

basename [path] [suffix]

An example:

basename /some/path/file.txt .txt

This command will output file, which is the filename without the path and the specified suffix.

When using basename() in PHP, especially with user-supplied input, it's generally safe as it's designed to return the last component of a path. However, it's always good practice to validate and sanitize any user input and be cautious about how you use the resulting filename, particularly in file operations to prevent directory traversal or other path-related vulnerabilities.