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NAME

       symlink - make a new name for a file

SYNOPSIS

       #include <unistd.h>

       int symlink(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);

   Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):

       symlink(): _BSD_SOURCE || _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 500 ||
       _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200112L

DESCRIPTION

       symlink() creates a symbolic link  named  newpath  which  contains  the
       string oldpath.

       Symbolic  links  are  interpreted at run time as if the contents of the
       link had been substituted into the path being followed to find  a  file
       or directory.

       Symbolic  links  may contain ..  path components, which (if used at the
       start of the link) refer to the parent directories of that in which the
       link resides.

       A  symbolic  link  (also known as a soft link) may point to an existing
       file or to a nonexistent one; the latter case is known  as  a  dangling
       link.

       The  permissions  of  a  symbolic link are irrelevant; the ownership is
       ignored when following  the  link,  but  is  checked  when  removal  or
       renaming  of  the link is requested and the link is in a directory with
       the sticky bit (S_ISVTX) set.

       If newpath exists it will not be overwritten.

RETURN VALUE

       On success, zero is returned.  On error, -1 is returned, and  errno  is
       set appropriately.

ERRORS

       EACCES Write  access  to the directory containing newpath is denied, or
              one of the directories in the path prefix  of  newpath  did  not
              allow search permission.  (See also path_resolution(7).)

       EEXIST newpath already exists.

       EFAULT oldpath or newpath points outside your accessible address space.

       EIO    An I/O error occurred.

       ELOOP  Too many symbolic links were encountered in resolving newpath.

       ENAMETOOLONG
              oldpath or newpath was too long.

       ENOENT A directory component in newpath does not exist or is a dangling
              symbolic link, or oldpath is the empty string.

       ENOMEM Insufficient kernel memory was available.

       ENOSPC The device containing the file has no room for the new directory
              entry.

       ENOTDIR
              A component used as a directory in newpath is not,  in  fact,  a
              directory.

       EPERM  The file system containing newpath does not support the creation
              of symbolic links.

       EROFS  newpath is on a read-only file system.

CONFORMING TO

       SVr4, 4.3BSD, POSIX.1-2001.

NOTES

       No checking of oldpath is done.

       Deleting the name referred to by a symlink  will  actually  delete  the
       file  (unless  it  also has other hard links).  If this behavior is not
       desired, use link(2).

SEE ALSO

       ln(1), lchown(2), link(2), lstat(2), open(2),  readlink(2),  rename(2),
       symlinkat(2), unlink(2), path_resolution(7), symlink(7)

COLOPHON

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       description of the project, and information about reporting  bugs,  can
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