Question: Using Perl, if I have a string that includes the full path to a file (i.e., it includes both the full path of the directory and the filename), how do I split the string into its directory and filename components?

Answer: Use the basename and dirname methods of the Perl File::Basename module.

The following example shows how to break this string '/Users/al/work/file1.pdf' into its directory and filename components:

use File::Basename;

$fullpath = '/Users/al/work/file1.pdf';

$file = basename($fullpath);
$dir = dirname($fullpath);

print "file = $file\n";
print "dir = $dir\n";

If you save this Perl code to a file and then run it you'll see this output:

file = file1.pdf
dir = /Users/al/work