readlink(2)                       SDK R4.11                      readlink(2)


NAME
       readlink - read the contents of a symbolic link

SYNOPSIS
       #include <unistd.h>

       int  readlink (path, buffer, nbyte)
       constant char * path;
       char * buffer;
       int  nbyte;

   where:
       path      Address of a pathname naming a symbolic link

       buffer    User data buffer

       nbyte     Size (in bytes) of the user data buffer

DESCRIPTION
       Readlink reads at most the first nbytes of the symbolic link file
       into the buffer pointed to by buffer.  The last component of path is
       a symbolic link file, and the pathname resolution does not follow the
       symbolic link.

       A terminating null character is not added to the end of the link
       contents (or to the end of the buffer, should the buffer size be less
       than the size of the symbolic link file).  Hence, readlink's return
       value, the number of characters placed in the buffer, is the only
       clue the process has to how much of buffer contains valid data.

       If readlink fails, the contents of the buffer are undefined.

ACCESS CONTROL
       The calling process must have permission to resolve path.

RETURN VALUE
       nbyte          Completed successfully.  The number of characters
                      placed in the buffer is returned.  No determination
                      can be made as to whether the entire contents of the
                      symbolic link file have been read.

       0..nbyte-1     Completed successfully.  The number of characters
                      placed in the buffer is returned.

       -1             An error occurred.  errno is set to indicate the
                      error.

DIAGNOSTICS
       Errno may be set to one of the following error codes:

       EFAULT         Buffer extends outside the process's allocated address
                      space.

       ENOENT         The named file does not exist.

       EINVAL         The named file is not a symbolic link.

       EPERM          Permission to read the symbolic link is denied to the
                      calling process.

       ENOENT         The file the pathname resolved to does not exist.

       ENOENT         A non-terminal component of the pathname does not
                      exist.

       ENOTDIR        A non-terminal component of the pathname was not a
                      directory or symbolic link.

       ENAMETOOLONG   The pathname exceeds the length limit for pathnames.

       ENAMETOOLONG   A component of the pathname exceeds the length limit
                      for filenames.

       ENOMEM         There are not enough system resources to resolve the
                      pathname or to expand a symbolic link.

       ELOOP          The number of symbolic links encountered during
                      pathname resolution exceeded MAXSYMLINKS.  A symbolic
                      link cycle is suspected.

       EPERM          The pathname contains a character not in the allowed
                      character set.

SEE ALSO
       lstat(2), stat(2), symlink(2).


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