symlink(2) make symbolic link to a file

Other Alias

symlinkat

LIBRARY

Lb libc

SYNOPSIS

In unistd.h Ft int Fn symlink const char *name1 const char *name2 Ft int Fn symlinkat const char *name1 int fd const char *name2

DESCRIPTION

A symbolic link Fa name2 is created to Fa name1 Fa ( name2 is the name of the file created, Fa name1 is the string used in creating the symbolic link). Either name may be an arbitrary path name; the files need not be on the same file system.

The Fn symlinkat system call is equivalent to Fn symlink except in the case where Fa name2 specifies a relative path. In this case the symbolic link is created relative to the directory associated with the file descriptor Fa fd instead of the current working directory. If Fn symlinkat is passed the special value AT_FDCWD in the Fa fd parameter, the current working directory is used and the behavior is identical to a call to Fn symlink .

RETURN VALUES

Rv -std symlink

ERRORS

The symbolic link succeeds unless:

Bq Er ENOTDIR
A component of the Fa name2 path prefix is not a directory.
Bq Er ENAMETOOLONG
A component of the Fa name2 pathname exceeded 255 characters, or the entire length of either path name exceeded 1023 characters.
Bq Er ENOENT
A component of the Fa name2 path prefix does not exist.
Bq Er EACCES
A component of the Fa name2 path prefix denies search permission, or write permission is denied on the parent directory of the file to be created.
Bq Er ELOOP
Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the Fa name2 path name.
Bq Er EEXIST
The path name pointed at by the Fa name2 argument already exists.
Bq Er EPERM
The parent directory of the file named by Fa name2 has its immutable flag set, see the chflags(2) manual page for more information.
Bq Er EIO
An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry for Fa name2 , or allocating the inode for Fa name2 , or writing out the link contents of Fa name2 .
Bq Er EROFS
The file Fa name2 would reside on a read-only file system.
Bq Er 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.
Bq Er ENOSPC
The new symbolic link cannot be created because there is no space left on the file system that will contain the symbolic link.
Bq Er ENOSPC
There are no free inodes on the file system on which the symbolic link is being created.
Bq Er 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.
Bq Er 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.
Bq Er EDQUOT
The user's quota of inodes on the file system on which the symbolic link is being created has been exhausted.
Bq Er EIO
An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry or allocating the inode.
Bq Er EFAULT
The Fa name1 or Fa name2 argument points outside the process's allocated address space.

In addition to the errors returned by the Fn symlink , the Fn symlinkat may fail if:

Bq Er EBADF
The Fa name2 argument does not specify an absolute path and the Fa fd argument is neither AT_FDCWD nor a valid file descriptor open for searching.
Bq Er ENOTDIR
The Fa name2 argument is not an absolute path and Fa fd is neither AT_FDCWD nor a file descriptor associated with a directory.

STANDARDS

The Fn symlinkat system call follows The Open Group Extended API Set 2 specification.

HISTORY

The Fn symlink system call appeared in BSD 4.2 The Fn symlinkat system call appeared in Fx 8.0 .