INVOCATION_NAME(3)                  Linux Programmer's Manual                  INVOCATION_NAME(3)



NAME
       program_invocation_name,  program_invocation_short_name - obtain name used to invoke call‐
       ing program

SYNOPSIS
       #define _GNU_SOURCE         /* See feature_test_macros(7) */
       #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 por‐
       table.

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

SEE ALSO
       proc(5)

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 3.74 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



GNU                                         2006-04-29                         INVOCATION_NAME(3)