how to evaluate a given path within a bash shell

Question

Hi all,

Is there a bash command that takes as input a file path and returns an absolute file path? More specifically I would like a command that takes as input a path such as:

/tmp/yaneeve/kit/linux/../../output/kit/SOURCES//usr//apps/myapp/lib

and returns the path:

/tmp/yaneeve/output/kit/SOURCES/usr/apps/myapp/lib

Thanks!

Answer 1

Try (Linux)

readlink -f

Answer 2

If the path exists, there is a portable way which is (even on linux) far more reliable:

canonicalPath=$(cd "$path"; pwd)