---
name: "FindBin"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/FindBin"
---

# FindBin(3p)

Locate directory of original Perl script

## NAME

FindBin - Locate directory of original Perl script

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use FindBin;
 use lib "$FindBin::Bin/../lib";
 use FindBin qw($Bin);
 use lib "$Bin/../lib";
```

## DESCRIPTION

Locates the full path to the script bin directory to allow the use of paths relative to the bin directory.

This allows a user to setup a directory tree for some software with directories `"<root>/bin"` and `"<root>/lib"`, and then the above example will allow the use of modules in the lib directory without knowing where the software tree is installed.

If `"perl"` is invoked using the `"-e"` option or the Perl script is read from `"STDIN"`, then `"FindBin"` sets both `$Bin` and `$RealBin` to the current directory.

## EXPORTABLE VARIABLES

- $Bin or $Dir

  Path to the bin **directory** from where script was invoked

- $Script

  **Basename** of the script from which `"perl"` was invoked

- $RealBin or $RealDir

  `$Bin` with all links resolved

- $RealScript

  `$Script` with all links resolved

You can also use the `"ALL"` tag to export all of the above variables together:

```
  use FindBin ':ALL';
```

## KNOWN ISSUES

If there are two modules using `"FindBin"` from different directories under the same interpreter, this won't work. Since `"FindBin"` uses a `"BEGIN"` block, it'll be executed only once, and only the first caller will get it right. This is a problem under `"mod_perl"` and other persistent Perl environments, where you shouldn't use this module. Which also means that you should avoid using `"FindBin"` in modules that you plan to put on CPAN. Call the `"again"` function to make sure that `"FindBin"` will work:

```
  use FindBin;
  FindBin::again(); # or FindBin->again;
```

In former versions of `"FindBin"` there was no `"again"` function. The workaround was to force the `"BEGIN"` block to be executed again:

```
  delete $INC{'FindBin.pm'};
  require FindBin;
```

## AUTHORS

`"FindBin"` is supported as part of the core perl distribution.  Please submit bug reports at \<https://github.com/Perl/perl5/issues\>.

Graham Barr \<*gbarr@pobox.com*\> Nick Ing-Simmons \<*nik@tiuk.ti.com*\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 1995 Graham Barr & Nick Ing-Simmons. All rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.