Pathinfo()

What is the pathinfo() Function?

The pathinfo() function is a built-in PHP function that returns information about a file path. It takes a file path as its argument and returns an associative array containing information about the path.

Here's the basic syntax of the pathinfo() function:

pathinfo($path, $options);

Where $path is the path to the file, and $options is an optional parameter that specifies which elements of the path information should be returned.

How to Use the pathinfo() Function?

Using the pathinfo() function is simple. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Specify the file path as the argument to the pathinfo() function.
2. Optionally, specify which elements of the path information should be returned.

Here's an example code snippet that demonstrates how to use the pathinfo() function:

<?php

$path = '/var/www/html/index.php';
$info = pathinfo($path);

echo $info['dirname'] .PHP_EOL ;  // Output: /var/www/html
echo $info['basename'] . PHP_EOL; // Output: index.php
echo $info['extension'] . PHP_EOL;// Output: php
echo $info['filename']; // Output: index

In this example, we specify the file path as the argument to the pathinfo() function and store the resulting array in the $info variable. We then print out the various elements of the path information using the keys of the associative array returned by the function.

Optionally, we can specify which elements of the path information should be returned by passing a second argument to the pathinfo() function. The possible values for this argument are PATHINFO_DIRNAME, PATHINFO_BASENAME, PATHINFO_EXTENSION, and PATHINFO_FILENAME.

Here's an example code snippet that demonstrates how to use the options argument:

<?php

$path = '/var/www/html/index.php';
$info = pathinfo($path, PATHINFO_EXTENSION);

echo $info; // Output: php

In this example, we specify the PATHINFO_EXTENSION constant as the second argument to the pathinfo() function, which causes the function to return only the file extension.

Conclusion

The pathinfo() function is a useful tool in PHP for working with file paths. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily use the pathinfo() function in your PHP projects to retrieve information about file paths. We hope this guide has been helpful.