SYMLINK(2) BSD System Calls Manual SYMLINK(2)NAMEsymlink — make symbolic link to a file
SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
int
symlink(const char *name1, const char *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 may be an arbitrary path name; the files need not be on the same
file system.
RETURN VALUES
Upon successful completion, a zero value is returned. If an error
occurs, the error code is stored in errno and a -1 value is returned.
ERRORS
The symbolic link succeeds unless:
[ENOTDIR] A component of the name2 prefix is not a directory.
[ENAMETOOLONG] A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX} charac‐
ters, or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX} char‐
acters.
[ENOENT] The named file does not exist.
[EACCES] A component of the name2 path prefix denies search
permission.
[ELOOP] Too many symbolic links were encountered in translat‐
ing the pathname.
[EEXIST] Name2 already exists.
[EIO] An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
for name2, or allocating the inode for name2, or writ‐
ing out the link contents of name2.
[EROFS] The file name2 would reside on a read-only file sys‐
tem.
[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
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 con‐
taining 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 symbolic link is being created has been exhausted.
[EIO] An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
or allocating the inode.
[EFAULT] Name1 or name2 points outside the process's allocated
address space.
SEE ALSOln(1), link(2), unlink(2)symlink(7),
HISTORY
The symlink() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.
4.2 Berkeley Distribution June 4, 1993 4.2 Berkeley Distribution