NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     symlink - make symbolic link to a file

LIBRARY    [Toc]    [Back]

     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     symlink(const char *name1, const char *name2);

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     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 neither to be on the
     same file system nor to exist.

RETURN VALUES    [Toc]    [Back]

     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    [Toc]    [Back]

     The symbolic link succeeds unless:

     [ENOTDIR]          A component of the name2 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]           A component of the name2 path does not exist.

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

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

     [EEXIST]           name2 already exists.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
                        for name2, or allocating the inode for name2, or writing
 out the link contents of name2.

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


     [ENOSPC]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because there
                        is no space left on the file system containing the
                        directory.

     [ENOSPC]           The new symbolic link cannot be created because there
                        there is no space left on the file system that will
                        contain the symbolic link.

     [ENOSPC]           There are no free inodes on the file system on which
                        the symbolic link is being created.

     [EDQUOT]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because the
                        user's quota of disk blocks on the file system containing
 the directory has been exhausted.

     [EDQUOT]           The new symbolic link cannot be created because the
                        user's quota of disk blocks on the file system that
                        will contain the symbolic link has been exhausted.

     [EDQUOT]           The user's quota of inodes on the file system on which
                        the symbolic link is being created has been exhausted.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
                        or allocating the inode.

     [EFAULT]           name1 or name2 points outside the process's allocated
                        address space.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     ln(1), link(2), readlink(2), unlink(2), symlink(7)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The symlink() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

BSD                              June 4, 1993                              BSD