READLINK(2)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual	      READLINK(2)



NAME
     readlink - read value of a symbolic link

SYNOPSIS
     cc = readlink(path, buf, bufsiz)
     int cc;
     char *path, *buf;
     int bufsiz;

DESCRIPTION
     _R_e_a_d_l_i_n_k places the contents of the symbolic link _n_a_m_e in
     the buffer _b_u_f, which has size _b_u_f_s_i_z.  The contents of the
     link are not null terminated when returned.

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 the global variable _e_r_r_n_o.

ERRORS
     _R_e_a_d_l_i_n_k will fail and the file mode will be unchanged if:

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

     [EINVAL]	    The pathname contains a character with the
		    high-order bit set.

     [ENAMETOOLONG] A component of a pathname exceeded 255 char-
		    acters, or an entire path name exceeded 1023
		    characters.

     [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
		    translating the pathname.

     [EINVAL]	    The named file is not a symbolic link.

     [EIO]	    An I/O error occurred while reading from the
		    file system.

     [EFAULT]	    _B_u_f extends outside the process's allocated
		    address space.

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





Printed 11/26/99	 August 26, 1985			1