"No such file or directory" on simple bash redirection -

here code of mine:

gzip -c $path > /var/www/wiki/backup/$now/$file.gz 

i'm gzipping contents of $path (the path directory), , sending compressed file /var/www/wiki/backup/$now/$file.gz. $now contains directory name, $file name want write compressed file to.

however, on running program, error:

backup.sh: line 20: /var/www/wiki/backup/sunday/extensions.gz: no such file or directory                                          ^$now    ^$file 

(line 20 line given above)

why program breaking? know sunday/extensions.gz doesn't exist (although sunday does), that's why i'm asking write it!

full program code:

 #!/bin/bash  now=$(date +"%a") mkdir -p /var/www/wiki/backups/$now  databases=(bmshared brickimedia_meta brickimedia_en brickimedia_customs) locations=("/var/www/wiki/skins" "/var/www/wiki/images" "/var/www/wiki/")  db in ${databases[*]} #command passwords , shoodle : done  path in ${locations[*]} #echo "" > var/www/wiki/backup/$now/$file.gz file=`echo $path | cut -d/ -f5` echo $path gzip -c $path > /var/www/wiki/backup/$now/$file.gz done 

the directory created backups, gzip backup.

mkdir -p /var/www/wiki/backups/$now  gzip -c $path > /var/www/wiki/backup/$now/$file.gz