NAME

readlink − read value of a symbolic link

SYNOPSIS

cc = readlink(path, buf, bufsiz)
int cc;
char ∗path, ∗buf;
int bufsiz;

DESCRIPTION

readlink places the contents of the symbolic link name in the buffer buf, which has size bufsiz. The contents of the link are not null terminated when returned.

RETURN VALUE

The call returns the count of characters placed in the buffer if it succeeds, or a −1 if an error occurs, placing the error code in the global variable errno. 

ERRORS

readlink fails and the file mode is not changed if:

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

[ENOENT] The named file does not exist. 

[EACCES] Search permission is denied for a component of the path prefix. 

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

[EINVAL] The named file is not a symbolic link. 

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

[EFAULT] buf extends outside the process’s allocated address space. 

SEE ALSO

stat(2), lstat(2), symlink(2)

September 02, 1992