CHDIR

Section: Linux Programmer's Manual (2)
Updated: 2019-08-02
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NAME

chdir, fchdir - change working directory

SYNOPSIS

#include <unistd.h>

int chdir(const char *path);
int fchdir(int fd);

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

fchdir():

: _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 500
|| /* Since glibc 2.12: */ _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200809L
|| /* Glibc up to and including 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE

DESCRIPTION

chdir() changes the current working directory of the calling process to the directory specified in path.

fchdir() is identical to chdir(); the only difference is that the directory is given as an open file descriptor.

RETURN VALUE

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

ERRORS

Depending on the filesystem, other errors can be returned. The more general errors for chdir() are listed below:

EACCES: Search permission is denied for one of the components of path. (See also path_resolution(7).)
EFAULT: path points outside your accessible address space.
EIO: An I/O error occurred.
ELOOP: Too many symbolic links were encountered in resolving path.
ENAMETOOLONG: path is too long.
ENOENT: The directory specified in path does not exist.
ENOMEM: Insufficient kernel memory was available.
ENOTDIR: A component of path is not a directory.

The general errors for fchdir() are listed below:

EACCES: Search permission was denied on the directory open on fd.
EBADF: fd is not a valid file descriptor.
ENOTDIR: fd does not refer to a directory.

CONFORMING TO

POSIX.1-2001, POSIX.1-2008, SVr4, 4.4BSD.

NOTES

The current working directory is the starting point for interpreting relative pathnames (those not starting with '/').

A child process created via fork(2) inherits its parent's current working directory. The current working directory is left unchanged by execve(2).

COLOPHON

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