chdir(2) - NetBSD Manual Pages

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CHDIR(2)                  NetBSD Programmer's Manual                  CHDIR(2)


NAME

     chdir, fchdir - change current working directory


SYNOPSIS

     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     chdir(const char *path);

     int
     fchdir(int fd);


DESCRIPTION

     The path argument points to the pathname of a directory.  The chdir()
     function causes the named directory to become the current working direc-
     tory, that is, the starting point for path searches of pathnames not be-
     ginning with a slash, `/'.

     The fchdir() function causes the directory referenced by fd to become the
     current working directory, the starting point for path searches of path-
     names not beginning with a slash, `/'.

     In order for a directory to become the current directory, a process must
     have execute (search) access to the directory.


RETURN VALUES

     Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned.  Otherwise, a value
     of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.


ERRORS

     chdir() will fail and the current working directory will be unchanged if
     one or more of the following are true:

     [ENOTDIR]     A component of the path prefix is not a directory.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]
                   A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX} characters,
                   or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX} characters.

     [ENOENT]      The named directory does not exist.

     [ELOOP]       Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the
                   pathname.

     [EACCES]      Search permission is denied for any component of the path
                   name.

     [EFAULT]      path points outside the process's allocated address space.

     [EIO]         An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the
                   file system.

     fchdir() will fail and the current working directory will be unchanged if
     one or more of the following are true:

     [EACCES]      Search permission is denied for the directory referenced by
                   the file descriptor.

     [ENOTDIR]     The file descriptor does not reference a directory.

     [EBADF]       The argument fd is not a valid file descriptor.

     [EPERM]       The argument fd references a directory which is not at or
                   below the current process's root directory.


SEE ALSO

     chroot(2)


STANDARDS

     The chdir() function conforms to IEEE Std1003.1-1990 (``POSIX'').


HISTORY

     The fchdir() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.


NetBSD 1.4                     December 11, 1993                             2