mkstemp(3BSD)        (BSD System Compatibility)        mkstemp(3BSD)


       NAME
             mkstemp - (BSD) make a unique file name

       SYNOPSIS
             /usr/ucb/cc [flag . . . ] file . . .
             mkstemp(char *template);

       DESCRIPTION
             mkstemp creates a unique file name, typically in a temporary
             filesystem, by replacing template with a unique file name, and
             returns a file descriptor for the template file open for
             reading and writing.  The string in template should contain a
             file name with six trailing Xs; mkstemp replaces the Xs with a
             letter and the current process ID.  The letter will be chosen
             so that the resulting name does not duplicate an existing
             file.  mkstemp avoids the race between testing whether the
             file exists and opening it for use.

          Return Values
             mkstemp returns -1 if no suitable file could be created.

       REFERENCES
             getpid(2), open(2), tmpfile(3S), tmpnam(3S)

       NOTICES
             It is possible to run out of letters.

             mkstemp actually changes the template string which you pass;
             this means that you cannot use the same template string more
             than once - you need a fresh template for every unique file
             you want to open.

             When mkstemp is creating a new unique filename it checks for
             the prior existence of a file with that name.  This means that
             if you are creating more than one unique filename, it is bad
             practice to use the same root template for multiple
             invocations of mkstemp.











                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1