readlink(2)

NAME

       readlink - read value of a symbolic link

SYNOPSIS

       #include <unistd.h>

       int readlink(const char *path, char *buf, size_t 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.  It will truncate the con­
       tents (to a length of  bufsiz  characters),  in  case  the
       buffer is too small to hold all of the contents.

RETURN VALUE

       The  call  returns  the  count of characters placed in the
       buffer if it succeeds, or a -1 if an error occurs, placing
       the error code in errno.

ERRORS

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

       EINVAL bufsiz is not positive.

       ENAMETOOLONG
              A pathname, or a component of a pathname,  was  too
              long.

       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  trans­
              lating 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.

       ENOMEM Insufficient kernel memory was available.

CONFORMING TO

       X/OPEN,  4.4BSD  (the  readlink  function call appeared in
       4.2BSD).

SEE ALSO

       stat(2), lstat(2), symlink(2)