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Name

chdir, fchdir - change working directory

Synopsis

#include <unistd.h>

int chdir(const char *path);

int fchdir(int fildes);

MT-Level

chdir() is Async-Signal-Safe

Description

chdir() and fchdir() cause a directory pointed to by path or fildes to become the current working directory. The starting point for path searches for path names not beginning with /. path points to the path name of a directory. The fildes argument to fchdir() is an open file descriptor of a directory.

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 zero 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 to an illegal address.
EINTR
A signal was caught during the execution of the chdir() function.
EIO
An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the file system.
ELOOP
Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating path.
ENAMETOOLONG
The length of the path argument exceeds {PATH_MAX}, or the length of a path component exceeds {NAME_MAX} while {_POSIX_NO_TRUNC} is in effect.
ENOENT
Either a component of the path prefix or the directory named by path does not exist or is a null pathname.
ENOLINK
path points to a remote machine and the link to that machine is no longer active.
ENOTDIR
A component of the path name is not a directory.
EMULTIHOP
Components of path require hopping to multiple remote machines and file system type does not allow it.

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 fildes.
EBADF
fildes is not an open file descriptor.
EINTR
A signal was caught during the execution of the fchdir() function.
EIO
An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the file system.
ENOLINK
fildes points to a remote machine and the link to that machine is no longer active.
ENOTDIR
The open file descriptor fildes does not refer to a directory.

See Also

chroot(2)

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