NAME
getwd - get working directory pathname
SYNOPSIS
#include <stdio.h>
char *getcwd(buf, size)
char *buf;
size_t size;
char *getwd(buf)
char *buf;
DESCRIPTION
The getcwd function copies the absolute pathname of the
current
working directory into the memory referenced by buf and
returns a
pointer to buf. The size argument is the size, in bytes, of
the
array referenced by buf.
If buf is NULL, space is
allocated as necessary to store the
pathname. This space may later be free’d.
The function getwd is a
compatibility routine which calls getcwd
with its buf argument and a size of MAXPATHLEN (as defined
in the
include file <sys/param.h>). Obviously, buf should be
at least
MAXPATHLEN bytes in length.
These routines have
traditionally been used by programs to save the
name of a working directory for the purpose of returning to
it. A
much faster and less error-prone method of accomplishing
this is to
open the current directory (‘.’) and use the
fchdir(2) function to
return.
RETURN VALUES
Upon successful completion, a pointer to the pathname is
returned.
Otherwise a NULL pointer is returned and the global variable
errno
is set to indicate the error. In addition, getwd copies the
error
message associated with errno into the memory referenced by
buf.
ERRORS
The getcwd function will fail if:
[EACCESS]
Read or search permission was denied for a component of the
pathname.
[EINVAL]
The size argument is zero.
[ENOENT]
A component of the pathname no longer exists.
[ENOMEM]
Insufficient memory is available.
[ERANGE]
The size argument is greater than zero but smaller than the
length of the pathname plus 1.
SEE ALSO
chdir(2), fchdir(2), malloc(3), strerror(3)
STANDARDS
The getcwd function conforms to ANSI X33.159-1989. The
ability to
specify a NULL pointer and have getcwd allocate memory as
necessary
is an extension.
BUGS
The getwd function does not do sufficient error checking and
is not
able to return very long, but valid, paths. It is provided
for
compatibility.