xref: /netbsd-src/usr.bin/realpath/realpath.1 (revision d0aa7735ced28a7cd38de43316b787cdfa7046e8)

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.\" $FreeBSD: head/bin/realpath/realpath.1 314436 2017-02-28 23:42:47Z imp $
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.Dd July 21, 2022
.Dt REALPATH 1
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm realpath
.Nd return resolved canonical path
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Nm
.Op Fl eEq
.Op Ar path ...
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
utility uses the
.Xr realpath 3
function to resolve all symbolic links, extra
.Ql /
characters and references to
.Pa /./
and
.Pa /../
in each
.Ar path ,
and writes the result of each to standard output
followed by a newline.
If
.Ar path
is absent, the current working directory
.Pq Sq Pa .\&
is assumed.
.Pp
With the
.Fl E
option
(the default)
it is not an error for the final component
of the resolved pathname to reference a file
which does not exist.
.Pp
The
.Fl e
option reverses the effect of
.Fl E ,
requiring the
.Ar path
to resolve to an existing pathname.
.Pp
If
.Fl q
is specified, warnings will not be printed when
.Xr realpath 3
fails.
Messages about other errors, such as bad usage, are still printed.
.Pp
On error, nothing is written
to standard output for that
.Ar path .
If
.Fl q
was not given a diagnostic is written to standard error.
.Sh EXIT STATUS
.Ex -std
Any failure to resolve a
.Ar path
is an error for this purpose,
the
.Fl q
option is irrelevant.
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr readlink 1 ,
.Xr realpath 3
.Sh STANDARDS
The
.Nm
utility is expected to comply with the forthcoming
edition of the POSIX standard.
To be fully POSIX compliant, applications must use
either the
.Fl e
or
.Fl E
option, as which of those (if in fact either, and
not some other behaviour) applies in their absence
is unspecified.
The standard requires support for only a single, mandatory,
.Ar path
argument.
.Sh HISTORY
The
.Nm
utility first appeared in
.Fx 4.3
and was imported into
.Nx 10 ,
but modified to be slightly more compatible with the coreutils version,
and the proposed POSIX standard requirements.