What is the significance of using basename() versus pathinfo() when handling file names in PHP?

When handling file names in PHP, using basename() is useful when you only need the base name of a file (i.e., the file name without the directory path). On the other hand, pathinfo() provides more flexibility by returning an associative array containing information about the file path, such as the directory name, base name, extension, and filename. Therefore, the choice between basename() and pathinfo() depends on your specific needs for working with file names in PHP. 

// Using basename() to get the base name of a file
$filePath = '/path/to/file.txt';
$fileName = basename($filePath);
echo $fileName; // Outputs: file.txt

// Using pathinfo() to get more information about a file path
$pathInfo = pathinfo($filePath);
echo $pathInfo['dirname']; // Outputs: /path/to
echo $pathInfo['basename']; // Outputs: file.txt
echo $pathInfo['extension']; // Outputs: txt
echo $pathInfo['filename']; // Outputs: file

Keywords

basename pathinfo file names PHP handling.

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