SYMLINK(2) System Calls SYMLINK(2)

NAME

symlink - make a symbolic link to a file

SYNOPSIS

#include <unistd.h>

int symlink(const char *name1, const char *name2);

int symlinkat(const char *name1, int fd, const char *name2);

DESCRIPTION

The symlink() function creates a symbolic link name2 to the file
name1. Either name may be an arbitrary pathname, the files need not
be on the same file system, and name1 may be nonexistent.


The file to which the symbolic link points is used when an open(2)
operation is performed on the link. A stat() operation performed on a
symbolic link returns the linked-to file, while an lstat() operation
returns information about the link itself. See stat(2). Unexpected
results may occur when a symbolic link is made to a directory. To
avoid confusion in applications, the readlink(2) call can be used to
read the contents of a symbolic link.


The symlinkat() function behaves similarly to symlink(); however,
when path2 is a relative path, then it will be looked up relative to
the directory specified by the file descriptor fd. To look up
something in the current working directory, the special value
AT_FDCWD may be passed into fd.

RETURN VALUES

Upon successful completion, 0 is returned. Otherwise, -1 is
returned, errno is set to indicate the error, and the symbolic link
is not made.

ERRORS

The symlink() and symlinkat() functions will fail if:

EACCES
Search permission is denied for a component of the
path prefix of name2.


EDQUOT
The directory where the entry for the new symbolic
link is being placed cannot be extended because the
user's quota of disk blocks on that file system has
been exhausted; the new symbolic link cannot be
created because the user's quota of disk blocks on
that file system has been exhausted; or the user's
quota of inodes on the file system where the file is
being created has been exhausted.


EEXIST
The file referred to by name2 already exists.


EFAULT
The name1 or name2 argument points to an illegal
address.


EILSEQ
The path argument includes non-UTF8 characters and
the file system accepts only file names where all
characters are part of the UTF-8 character codeset.


EIO
An I/O error occurs while reading from or writing to
the file system.


ELOOP
Too many symbolic links are encountered in
translating name2.


ENAMETOOLONG
The length of the name2 argument exceeds PATH_MAX, or
the length of a name2 component exceeds NAME_MAX
while _POSIX_NO_TRUNC is in effect.


ENOENT
A component of the path prefix of name2 does not
exist.


ENOSPC
The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
link is being placed cannot be extended because no
space is left on the file system containing the
directory; the new symbolic link cannot be created
because no space is left on the file system which
will contain the link; or there are no free inodes on
the file system on which the file is being created.


ENOSYS
The file system does not support symbolic links.


ENOTDIR
A component of the path prefix of name2 is not a
directory. For symlinkat(), if path2 refers to a
relative path and fd is a valid file descriptor that
is not a directory.


EROFS
The file name2 would reside on a read-only file
system.


The symlinkat() function will fail if:

EBADF
The path2 argument is a relative path, and fd is not
a valid, open file descriptor or the special value
AT_FDCWD.

ATTRIBUTES

See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:


+--------------------+-----------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+--------------------+-----------------+
|Interface Stability | Standard |
+--------------------+-----------------+

SEE ALSO

cp(1), link(2), open(2), readlink(2), stat(2), unlink(2),
attributes(7)

May 18, 2007 SYMLINK(2)