READLINK(2)                 BSD Programmer's Manual                READLINK(2)

NAME
     readlink - read value of a symbolic link

SYNOPSIS
     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     readlink(const char *path, char *buf, int bufsiz)

DESCRIPTION
     Readlink() places the contents of the symbolic link path in the buffer
     buf, which has size bufsiz. Readlink does not append a NUL character to
     buf.

RETURN VALUES
     The call returns the count of characters placed in the buffer if it suc-
     ceeds, or a -1 if an error occurs, placing the error code in the global
     variable errno.

ERRORS
     Readlink() will fail if:

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

     [EINVAL]      The pathname contains a character with the high-order bit
                   set.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]
                   A component of a pathname exceeded 255 characters, or an
                   entire path name exceeded 1023 characters.

     [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)

HISTORY
     The readlink function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

4.2 Berkeley Distribution       March 26, 1993                               1