REALPATH(3)               OpenBSD Programmer's Manual              REALPATH(3)

NAME
     realpath - returns the canonicalized absolute pathname



SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/param.h>
     #include <stdlib.h>

     char *
     realpath(const char *pathname, char resolvedname[MAXPATHLEN]);

DESCRIPTION
     The realpath() function resolves all symbolic links, extra ``/'' charac-
     ters and references to /./ and /../ in pathname, and copies the resulting
     absolute pathname into the memory referenced by resolvedname. The
     resolvedname argument must refer to a buffer capable of storing at least
     MAXPATHLEN characters.

     The realpath() function will resolve both absolute and relative paths and
     return the absolute pathname corresponding to pathname. All but the last
     component of pathname must exist when realpath() is called.

RETURN VALUES
     The realpath() function returns resolved_name on success.  If an error
     occurs, realpath() returns NULL, and resolved_name contains the pathname
     which caused the problem.

ERRORS
     The function realpath() may fail and set the external variable errno for
     any of the errors specified for the library functions chdir(2),
     close(2),  fchdir(2),  lstat(2),  open(2),  readlink(2) and getcwd(3).

CAVEATS
     This implementation of realpath() differs slightly from the Solaris im-
     plementation.  The 4.4BSD version always returns absolute pathnames,
     whereas the Solaris implementation will, under certain circumstances, re-
     turn a relative resolved_path when given a relative pathname.

SEE ALSO
     getcwd(3)

HISTORY
     The realpath() function call first appeared in 4.4BSD.

OpenBSD 2.6                    February 16, 1994                             1