path.parse
- Node.js course
- Beginner
- Lesson 108/116
- 5 min
Learn to parse paths with path.parse.
What is path.parse?
path.parse splits a path into its components: root, dir, base, ext and name. The returned object has these five fields.
import path from 'path';
const parsed = path.parse('/a/b/c.txt');
// { root: '/', dir: '/a/b', base: 'c.txt', ext: '.txt', name: 'c' }Here the path is split into root, directory, file name with extension, extension, and name without extension. base gives the file name with its extension; name is just the name without the extension. parse is useful when you need to work with the path in detail.
parse components
The object returned by path.parse has five fields: root is the root directory, dir is the file's directory, base is the file name with extension, ext is the extension, and name is the name without extension.
const { name, ext } = path.parse('report.pdf');
// name: 'report', ext: '.pdf'Here the object is destructured into two; only the wanted fields are taken. ext includes the dot ('.pdf'). This is useful when you branch by file extension.
Practice Your turn: components with path.parse
Start with import path from 'path'. Write const parsed = path.parse('/a/b/c.txt'). Log console.log(parsed.name).
Starter code
// Import the path module
// Split with path.parse, log the name fieldSample solution
import path from 'path';
const parsed = path.parse('/a/b/c.txt');
console.log(parsed.name);Expected output
c
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 What does the base field return in path.parse('/a/b/c.txt')?
- 'c.txt' Correct answer
- '/a/b'
- '.txt'
- 'c'
Explanation: base gives the file name with its extension.
2 Fill in the blank: path.parse
import path from 'path';
const parsed = path.____('/a/b/c.txt');
console.log(parsed.name);import path from 'path';
const parsed = path.parse('/a/b/c.txt');
console.log(parsed.name);Explanation: path.parse splits a path into components.
3 Match the parse components
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
root |
root directory |
dir |
file directory |
base |
name and ext |
ext |
extension |