INVOCATION_NAME

Section: Linux Programmer's Manual (3)
Updated: 2006-04-29
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NAME

program_invocation_name, program_invocation_short_name - obtain name used to invoke calling program  

SYNOPSIS

#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include <errno.h>

extern char *program_invocation_name;
extern char *program_invocation_short_name;
 

DESCRIPTION

program_invocation_name contains the name that was used to invoke the calling program. This is the same as the value of argv[0] in main(), with the difference that the scope of program_invocation_name is global.

program_invocation_short_name contains the basename component of name that was used to invoke the calling program. That is, it is the same value as program_invocation_name, with all text up to and including the final slash (/), if any, removed.

These variables are automatically initialized by the glibc run-time startup code.  

CONFORMING TO

These variables are GNU extensions, and should not be used in programs intended to be portable.  

NOTES

The Linux-specific /proc/[number]/cmdline file provides access to similar information.  

SEE ALSO

proc(5), feature_test_macros(7)  

COLOPHON

This page is part of release 3.22 of the Linux man-pages project. A description of the project, and information about reporting bugs, can be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.