CODEWITHSUNDEEP
bashunix
KyleCrowley
KyleCrowley

Reputation: 930

Getting the full name in Unix

So I am editing my .bashrc file (the one used when I log in) and I want to have it so it outputs "Hello FIRSTNAME LASTNAME (USER)."

I know how to access the user using $USER and get that part. Currently I have the FIRSTNAME and LASTNAME stored in variables but I wondering if there was any way to retrieve my actual first and last name.

I've tried getent passwd USER but that gives me more than I want.

So, is there a simple way to get the firstname and lastname or will I have to resort to manually entering it in?

Thanks.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 2415

Answers (1)

wich
wich

Reputation: 17157

FULLNAME=$(getent passwd $USER | cut -d : -f 5)

By the way, splitting full name into first and last name is a very bad idea, there are many people in this world where their full name doesn't split into those two categories.

Upvotes: 4

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