How to determine path of executable?

HPUX, aCC (HP ANSI C++ B3910B A.03.27) I have to determine the path of an executable. I want the same value as argv[0]. The problem is - my code is a library. I cannot use argv[0]. I want to use my code in a shared library and (statically linked) in an executable. Is there a way to determine this path? Thanks T.M.

Torsten Mueller <dev-null@shared-files.de> writes: > HPUX, aCC (HP ANSI C++ B3910B A.03.27) > > I have to determine the path of an executable. I want the same value > as argv[0]. The problem is - my code is a library. I cannot use > argv[0]. I want to use my code in a shared library and (statically > linked) in an executable. Is there a way to determine this path? In general, no. Why do you need this information? -- M�ns Rullg�rd mru@inprovide.com

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Torsten Mueller wrote: > HPUX, aCC (HP ANSI C++ B3910B A.03.27) > > I have to determine the path of an executable. Why? In my experience, when someone says that they have to determine the path of an executable, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. Perhaps we can help you solve the right problem. > I want the same value > as argv[0]. Which isn't guaranteed to be a path, let alone "the path to the executable". > The problem is - my code is a library. I cannot use > argv[0]. And you wouldn't want to, even if you could. >I want to use my code in a shared library and (statically > linked) in an executable. Is there a way to determine this path? Short answer: No, there is no way to determine the path to the executable. Long answer: Yes, there are several, implementation specific, ways to do this, but none are guaranteed to be accurate or correct during the execution lifetime of the process. - -- Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group (Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (MingW32) iD8DBQFCrtaAagVFX4UWr64RAmv9AJ443JwhXW+jqu1/yUIfSfdNZPkcEgCfaiJB kPxfh22evmipG4i7VpjcPlA= =YKwc -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > > I have to determine the path of an executable. > > Why? (This question seems to be always the first question ...) > In my experience, when someone says that they have to determine the > path of an executable, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. > Perhaps we can help you solve the right problem. Yeah, it's just to implement the same algorithm that is used under Windows. I port a software component and it has a config file located near the executable. By the while I read somewhere UNIX programmers should use just a fixed path for config files of an application, /var/opt/PACKAGE or /usr/local/etc or something like this. I can do this and this would indeed be a simple solution for the problem. But it's different than under Windows and then I have to manage such differences. Other people must know them to avoid confusion. OK, thanks. T.M.

Torsten Mueller <dev-null@shared-files.de> writes: > Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > >> > I have to determine the path of an executable. >> >> Why? > > (This question seems to be always the first question ...) > >> In my experience, when someone says that they have to determine the >> path of an executable, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. >> Perhaps we can help you solve the right problem. > > Yeah, it's just to implement the same algorithm that is used under > Windows. I port a software component and it has a config file located > near the executable. Right, that is the wrong problem. On unix, there may be several users running the same program, and they won't have all the access rights to read/write the configuration file. So you should put configuration files in the current user home directory (or if it's a system-wide tool like a server daemon, in /etc). #define PNAME "MyProgram" char* conf_path=concatenate(getenv("HOME"),"/.",PNAME,".conf",0); If you will you can either have a #include directive in ~/.MyProgram.conf that would allow each user to include at will a common configuration file (eg. /etc/MyProgram.defaults), or you can process the two files: #define PREFIX "" /* could be "/usr/local" */ #define PNAME "MyProgram" char* global_conf_path=concatenate(PREFIX,"/etc/",PNAME,".conf",0); char* user_conf_path=concatenate(getenv("HOME"),"/.",PNAME,".conf",0); > By the while I read somewhere UNIX programmers should use just a fixed > path for config files of an application, /var/opt/PACKAGE or > /usr/local/etc or something like this. I can do this and this would > indeed be a simple solution for the problem. But it's different than > under Windows and then I have to manage such differences. Other people > must know them to avoid confusion. Windows users are rarely unix users, so it won't confuse them to put configuration files in /etc or in $HOME. On the other hand, it would confuse unix administrators and unix user a lot if you did not put them in /etc or in $HOME. -- __Pascal Bourguignon__ http://www.informatimago.com/ -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.12 GCS d? s++:++ a+ C+++ UL++++ P--- L+++ E+++ W++ N+++ o-- K- w--- O- M++ V PS PE++ Y++ PGP t+ 5+ X++ R !tv b+++ DI++++ D++ G e+++ h+ r-- z? ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Pascal Bourguignon wrote: > Torsten Mueller <dev-null@shared-files.de> writes: > > >>Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: >> >> >>>>I have to determine the path of an executable. >>> >>>Why? >> >>(This question seems to be always the first question ...) >> >> >>>In my experience, when someone says that they have to determine the >>>path of an executable, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. >>>Perhaps we can help you solve the right problem. >> >>Yeah, it's just to implement the same algorithm that is used under >>Windows. I port a software component and it has a config file located >>near the executable. > > > Right, that is the wrong problem. > > On unix, there may be several users running the same program, and they > won't have all the access rights to read/write the configuration file. > So you should put configuration files in the current user home > directory (or if it's a system-wide tool like a server daemon, in /etc). To expand on that point a bit, Per-user configuration should be stored in a file or directory in the user's home directory Systemwide configuration and/or configuration defaults, should be stored in a file or directory in one of the standard configuration directories. A user-invoked program should use the config file in the home directory, and perhaps fill in the unspecified values from the system config file. This might be implemented as load system config file load user config file, overriding values of system config file or it might be implemented as load user config file load system config file, discarding values already set by user config or, it might even be implemented as if user config exists load user config file else load system config file fi - -- Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group (Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (MingW32) iD8DBQFCrwOHagVFX4UWr64RArpLAKCifXg2l7M//+ZphywTouFCb1vlNACguuO7 UGNuRxwZHD6GkAhL4f7kzwE= =qKLt -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

>I have to determine the path of an executable. I want the same value >as argv[0]. You do know that the value of argv[0] can have absolutely NOTHING to do with the path to an executable, right? And if there's any advantage to be gained by making your program find the WRONG executable, someone WILL invoke it that way maliciously. >The problem is - my code is a library. I cannot use >argv[0]. I want to use my code in a shared library and (statically >linked) in an executable. Is there a way to determine this path? What were you planning on using this value for? Nothing besides error messages, I hope. It doesn't sound very secure. Gordon L. Burditt

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Gordon Burditt wrote: >>I have to determine the path of an executable. I want the same value >>as argv[0]. > > > You do know that the value of argv[0] can have absolutely NOTHING > to do with the path to an executable, right? Perhaps a demonstration for the OP would be in order.... First, a program that echos all it's arguments, including argv[0] pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cat showargs.c #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { int count; printf("%s Begins\n",__FILE__); printf("argc == %d\n",argc); for (count = 0; count < argc; ++count) printf("argv[%d] == \"%s\"\n",count,argv[count]); printf("%s Ends\n",__FILE__); return EXIT_SUCCESS; } pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cc -o showargs showargs.c pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ showargs one two 3 showargs.c Begins argc == 4 argv[0] == "showargs" argv[1] == "one" argv[2] == "two" argv[3] == "3" showargs.c Ends As you see, showargs echo's all it's arguments, including argv[0] Now, let's use exec(3) to run showargs for us. pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cat arg0.c #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <unistd.h> int main(void) { execl("./showargs", "*&&%##/##@$@@\\... this is not my path at all :-( ", "an argument", NULL); return EXIT_FAILURE; } pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cc -o arg0 arg0.c pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ arg0 showargs.c Begins argc == 2 argv[0] == "*&&%##/##@$@@\... this is not my path at all :-( " argv[1] == "an argument" showargs.c Ends As you can see, showargs ran, but argv[0] /was not/ the path to the executable. In fact, argv[0] isn't a path to anything at all. And, this is perfectly legal in a Unix system. Now, lets try a variation. No argv[0] at all... pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cat noargs.c #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <unistd.h> int main(void) { execl("./showargs", NULL); return EXIT_FAILURE; } pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ cc -o noargs noargs.c pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ noargs showargs.c Begins argc == 0 showargs.c Ends pitchl@srdscs05:~/code/argv0$ Here, showargs ran, but it didn't even get garbage as argv[0]. Instead, it got nothing at all, no arg[0] whatsoever. Again, perfectly legal in Unix, but bad breakage for a program that thinks that MSWindows rules apply. - -- Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group (Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (MingW32) iD8DBQFCrwisagVFX4UWr64RAncqAKCaxtXPVUnz5NZHa8uM1j21NrvNTQCg7Hq8 /h6V9p+SEne5KODio3nb39U= =Oyii -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

"Torsten Mueller" <dev-null@shared-files.de> wrote in message news:uoea9vwb2.fsf@fastmail.fm... > Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > >> > I have to determine the path of an executable. >> >> Why? > > (This question seems to be always the first question ...) > >> In my experience, when someone says that they have to determine the >> path of an executable, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. >> Perhaps we can help you solve the right problem. > > Yeah, it's just to implement the same algorithm that is used under > Windows. I port a software component and it has a config file located > near the executable. > > By the while I read somewhere UNIX programmers should use just a fixed > path for config files of an application, /var/opt/PACKAGE or > /usr/local/etc or something like this. I can do this and this would > indeed be a simple solution for the problem. But it's different than > under Windows and then I have to manage such differences. Other people > must know them to avoid confusion. > > OK, thanks. > > T.M. Encapsulate the differences. I have "ConfigSettings" library code that supports global and local settings. Local setting are per user. On Windows the code uses the registry and uses current user for local and current machine for global. On Unix systems the settings are saved in text files. Local settings are in a hidden directory in the users home directory and global settings are in /opt. The config settings take a company name as a parameter. On Windows this is the registry directory and on unix a file directory. For example the Unix global setting directory would be /opt/Saperion. The Unix local directory would be $HOME/.Saperion/. Norman Saperion Inc.

TJB replied to: > In general, no. Why do you need this information? I'm -shocked- that this answer is no. In Windows land you would use this to figure where your installation directory is. At start up I do something like this: void layout_window_type::cd_to_self() { wchar_t buffer[ 16384 ]; GetModuleFileName( NULL, buffer, DIM(buffer) ); wchar_t *last_slash, *p; last_slash = buffer; p = buffer; while (*p) { p++; if (*p == '\\') { last_slash = p; } } if (*last_slash == '\\') { *last_slash = 0; SetCurrentDirectory( buffer ); } } Then, I can hang configuration information off of the application's directory So, regardless of the current directory of an application, it can find its own root directory. Then, you can have configuration stuff inside of that directory, and you don't need the registry any more.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005, stork wrote: > I'm -shocked- that this answer is no. Welcopme to proper programming! > In Windows land you would use this to figure where your installation > directory is. At start up I do something like this: UNIX is not Windoze (thankfully). > Then, I can hang configuration information off of the application's > directory So, regardless of the current directory of an application, > it can find its own root directory. Then, you can have configuration > stuff inside of that directory, and you don't need the registry any > more. UNIX doesn't have a registry. And its designed to be multiuser from the outset. -- Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA, OpenSolaris CAB member President, Rite Online Inc. Voice: +1 (250) 979-1638 URL: http://www.rite-group.com/rich

Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > argv[0] == "showargs" > argv[0] == "*&&%##/##@$@@\... this is not my path at all :-( " Sure. I know this. It depends on several conditions and on the OS itself. In Windows it's always the same value containing an absolute path. T.M.

Torsten Mueller <dev-null@shared-files.de> writes: > Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > >> argv[0] == "showargs" >> argv[0] == "*&&%##/##@$@@\... this is not my path at all :-( " > > Sure. I know this. It depends on several conditions and on the OS > itself. It has nothing to do with OS. The OS just passes on whatever value was given to the exec() call. > In Windows it's always the same value containing an absolute path. So let it be that way in Windows. Whatever OS you're writing for, you have to play by the rules it sets. One of the rules in Unix is that argv[0] can be anything or nothing. -- M�ns Rullg�rd mru@inprovide.com

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Torsten Mueller wrote: > Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > > >> argv[0] == "showargs" >> argv[0] == "*&&%##/##@$@@\... this is not my path at all :-( " > > > Sure. I know this. It depends on several conditions and on the OS > itself. In Windows it's always the same value containing an absolute > path. P'haps an analogy will help. I live in Canada, where we drive on the right side of the road. I want to move to Britain, where they drive on the left side of the road. However, I /insist/ that I always be permitted to drive on the right side of the road in Britain, because the side of the road that traffic drives on depends on several conditions, and in Canada, those conditions lead to driving on the right side. Since I can do it in Canada, I should be able to do it in Britain. Now, tell me what the consequences of my decision (and my disregard for the traffic laws of Britain) will be. By analogy, something that works in Windows is not guaranteed to work /anywhere else/. And, when you are using Unix, you are using Unix, not Microsoft Windows. Different rules of the road apply, and you have to change your plans accordingly. My little demo just shows that there /are/ different road rules between Unix and Windows, and /why/ you should be mindfull of them. - -- Lew Pitcher, IT Specialist, Enterprise Data Systems Enterprise Technology Solutions, TD Bank Financial Group (Opinions expressed here are my own, not my employer's) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (MingW32) iD8DBQFCsCSOagVFX4UWr64RAsgmAJ9s56RpMGtAwEuIjZXwxXZU4trFhwCfcjQL IS/lin7ocVnR9cRTLqbxJcE= =7XMv -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Lew Pitcher <Lew.Pitcher@td.com> schrieb: > I live in Canada, where we drive on the right side of the road. > > I want to move to Britain, where they drive on the left side of the s/left/wrong/ ;-) > By analogy, something that works in Windows is not guaranteed to work > /anywhere else/. And, when you are using Unix, you are using Unix, not Most of the time, something that works in Windows is even guaranteed not to work anywhere else. Markus

"stork" <tbandrow@mightyware.com> writes: > TJB replied to: > >> In general, no. Why do you need this information? > > I'm -shocked- that this answer is no. > > In Windows land you would use this to figure where your installation > directory is. At start up I do something like this: [...{blah blah blah ... more windows code}...] ;-) If you need to locate the installation directory, you can easily do it in unix: ----(install-script)---------------------------------------------------- #!/bin/bash # installation script TARBALL="$1" installdir="$2" [ -z "$installdir" ] && read -p 'Where do you want to install?' installdir mkdir -p "$installdir" tar -C "$installdir" -zxf "$TARBALL" sed -e "s/installdir/$installdir/g" > "$installdir/pgm" <<EOF #!/bin/bash export RESOURCES="installdir" exec "$RESOURCES/bin/pgm" "$@" EOF chmod 755 "$installdir/pgm" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, you install your program pgm with: ./install-script pgm.tar.gz /opt/pgm and instead of launching the program with: /opt/pgm/bin/pgm, you launch it with /opt/pgm/pgm Since most probably you'll have other installation specific stuff to do, configure and pass to the program, these trampoline scripts are quite useful. -- __Pascal Bourguignon__ http://www.informatimago.com/ There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. -- Robert Heinlein

It seems to me that the success of Unix rests mightily on how directory structures are used and enforced. If you take any Linux or Solaris installation, the directory tree is absolutely beautiful compared to the wretched mess that is Win32. But, as someone who flirts with Unix but has yet to seal the deal, that beautiful tree is daunting in that I have no global way of understanding what all of those conventions are. Is there somewhere out there a global map of Unix that just explains what each of the directories is for and how the structure is organized?

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005, stork wrote: > It seems to me that the success of Unix rests mightily on how directory > structures are used and enforced. If you take any Linux or Solaris > installation, the directory tree is absolutely beautiful compared to > the wretched mess that is Win32. But, as someone who flirts with Unix > but has yet to seal the deal, that beautiful tree is daunting in that I > have no global way of understanding what all of those conventions are. > Is there somewhere out there a global map of Unix that just explains > what each of the directories is for and how the structure is organized? On Solaris, type man filesystem . HTH, -- Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA, OpenSolaris CAB member President, Rite Online Inc. Voice: +1 (250) 979-1638 URL: http://www.rite-group.com/rich

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Rich Teer wrote: > On Thu, 16 Jun 2005, stork wrote: > > >>It seems to me that the success of Unix rests mightily on how directory >>structures are used and enforced. If you take any Linux or Solaris >>installation, the directory tree is absolutely beautiful compared to >>the wretched mess that is Win32. But, as someone who flirts with Unix >>but has yet to seal the deal, that beautiful tree is daunting in that I >>have no global way of understanding what all of those conventions are. >>Is there somewhere out there a global map of Unix that just explains >>what each of the directories is for and how the structure is organized? > > > On Solaris, type man filesystem . On Linux, type "man hier" And, of course, read the "Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard" http://www.pathname.com/fhs/ - -- Lew Pitcher Master Codewright & JOAT-in-training | GPG public key available on request Registered Linux User #112576 (http://counter.li.org/) Slackware - Because I know what I'm doing. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFCsiIHagVFX4UWr64RAs6aAJoC90lHsaYQj4+KxEP0akxopcgzvgCfSykC o3EoBdJEB7Uh2EfLhFzd9Jk= =gMOx -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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