symlink(2) — 4 BSD

NAME

symlink − make symbolic link to a file

SYNOPSIS

int symlink (name1, name2)
char ∗name1, ∗name2;

DESCRIPTION

A symbolic link name2 is created to name1 (name2 is the name of the file created, name1 is the string used in creating the symbolic link). Either name may be an arbitrary path name; the files need not be on the same file system.

A special type of symbolic link, called a conditional symbolic link, is created if name1 contains the character sequence ‘{}’. At pathname translation time the braces are replaced by the name of the current universe. For example, if the current universe is att and a symbolic link contains the pathname ‘.{}lib’, then references using the symbolic link will translate to ‘.attlib’.

RETURN VALUE

Upon successful completion, a zero value is returned. If an error occurs, the error code is stored in errno and a −1 value is returned.

ERRORS

The symbolic link is made unless on or more of the following are true:

[EPERM] Either name1 or name2 contains a character with the high-order bit set.

[ENOENT] One of the pathnames specified was too long.

[ENOTDIR] A component of the name2 prefix is not a directory.

[EEXIST] Name2 already exists.

[EACCES] A component of the name2 path prefix denies search permission.

[EROFS] The file name2 would reside on a read-only file system.

[EFAULT] Name1 or name2 points outside the process’s allocated address space.

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

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