CHDIR(2)

CHDIR(2) | System Calls Manual | CHDIR(2)

# NAME

`chdir`, `fchdir` — change current working directory

# LIBRARY

Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

# SYNOPSIS

`#include <unistd.h>`

int
`chdir`(const char *path);

int
`fchdir`(int fd);

# DESCRIPTION

The path argument points to the pathname of a directory. The `chdir`() function causes the named directory to become the current working directory, that is, the starting point for path searches of pathnames not beginning with a slash, ‘`/`’.

The `fchdir`() function causes the directory referenced by fd to become the current working directory, the starting point for path searches of pathnames not beginning with a slash, ‘`/`’.

In order for a directory to become the current directory, a process must have execute (search) access to the directory.

# RETURN VALUES

Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned. Otherwise, a value of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.

# ERRORS

`chdir`() will fail and the current working directory will be unchanged if one or more of the following are true:

[`EACCES`]
  Search permission is denied for any component of the path name.
[`EFAULT`]
  path points outside the process's allocated address space.
[`EIO`]
  An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the file system.
[`ELOOP`]
  Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the pathname.
[`ENAMETOOLONG`]
  A component of a pathname exceeded {`NAME_MAX`} characters, or an entire path name exceeded {`PATH_MAX`} characters.
[`ENOENT`]
  The named directory does not exist.
[`ENOTDIR`]
  A component of the path prefix is not a directory.

`fchdir`() will fail and the current working directory will be unchanged if one or more of the following are true:

[`EACCES`]
  Search permission is denied for the directory referenced by the file descriptor.
[`EBADF`]
  The argument fd is not a valid file descriptor.
[`ENOTDIR`]
  The file descriptor does not reference a directory.
[`EPERM`]
  The argument fd references a directory which is not at or below the current process's root directory.

# SEE ALSO

chroot(2), getcwd(3)

# STANDARDS

The `chdir`() function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 (“POSIX.1”).

# HISTORY

A `chdir`() function call appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX. The `fchdir`() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

September 1, 2019 | NetBSD 11.0