symlink(2)symlink(2)Namesymlink - make symbolic link to a file
Syntax
symlink(name1, name2)
char *name1, *name2;
Description
A symbolic link name2 is created to name1 (name2 is the name of the
file created, name1 is the string used in creating the symbolic link).
Either name can be an arbitrary path name. The files need not be on
the same file system.
Return Values
Upon successful completion, a zero (0) value is returned. If an error
occurs, the error code is stored in errno, and a -1 value is returned.
Diagnostics
The symbolic link is made, unless one or more of the following are
true:
[ENOTDIR] A component of the name2 prefix is not a directory.
[EEXIST] The name2 already exists.
[EACCES] A component of the name2 path prefix denies search per‐
mission.
[EROFS] The file name2 would reside on a read-only file system.
[EFAULT] The name1 or name2 points outside the process's allo‐
cated address space.
[ELOOP] Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating
the pathname.
[ENAMETOOLONG] A component of either pathname exceeded MAXNAMELEN char‐
acters, or the entire length of either pathname exceeded
MAXPATHNAME characters.
[ENOENT] The named file does not exist.
[EIO] An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
for name2, or allocating the inode for name2, or writing
out the link contents of name2.
[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.
[ENOSPC] The new symbolic link cannot be created, because there
is no space left on the file system that will contain
the symbolic link.
[ENOSPC] There are no free inodes on the file system on which the
symbolic link is being created.
[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 contain‐
ing the directory has been exhausted.
[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.
[EDQUOT] The user's quota of inodes on the file system on which
the user's symbolic link is being created has been
exhausted.
[EIO] An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
or allocating the inode.
[ETIMEDOUT] A connect request or remote file operation failed,
because the connected party did not properly respond
after a period of time that is dependent on the communi‐
cations protocol.
See Alsoln(1), link(2), readlink(2), stat(2), unlink(2)symlink(2)
