<TITLE>stat</TITLE>
<body bgcolor="#ffffcc">
<hr>
<pre>
<h3>STAT(2) Linux Programmer's Manual STAT(2)
</h3>
<h3>NAME
</h3> stat, fstat, lstat - get file status
<h3>SYNOPSIS
</h3> #include <sys/stat.h>
#include <unistd.h>
int stat(const char *file_name, struct stat *buf);
int fstat(int filedes, struct stat *buf);
int lstat(const char *file_name, struct stat *buf);
<h3>DESCRIPTION
</h3> These functions return information about the specified
file. You do not need any access rights to the file to
get this information but you need search rights to all
directories named in the path leading to the file.
stat stats the file pointed to by file_name and fills in
buf.
lstat is identical to stat, only the link itself is
stated, not the file that is obtained by tracing the
links.
fstat is identical to stat, only the open file pointed to
by filedes (as returned by fopen(3) ) is stated in place
of file_name.
They all return a stat structure, which is declared as
follows:
struct stat
{
dev_t st_dev; /* device */
ino_t st_ino; /* inode */
umode_t st_mode; /* protection */
nlink_t st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
uid_t st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
gid_t st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
dev_t st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
off_t st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
};
Note that st_blocks may not always be in terms of blocks
of size st_blksize, and that st_blksize may instead pro-
vide a notion of the "preferred" blocksize for efficient
file system I/O.
<h3>Linux 1.1.75 1 January 1995 1
</h3>
<h3>STAT(2) Linux Programmer's Manual STAT(2)
</h3>
Not all of the Linux filesystems implement all of the time
fields. Traditionally, st_atime is changed by mknod(2),
utime(2), read(2), write(2), and truncate(2).
Traditionally, st_mtime is changed by mknod(2), utime(2),
and write(2). The st_mtime is not changed for changes in
owner, group, hard link count, or mode.
Traditionally, st_ctime is changed by writing or by set-
ting inode information (i.e., owner, group, link count,
mode, etc.).
The following macros are defined to check the file type:
S_ISLNK(m) is it a symbolic link
S_ISREG(m) regular file
S_ISDIR(m) directory
S_ISCHR(m) character device
S_ISBLK(m) block device
S_ISFIFO(m) fifo
S_ISSOCK(m) socket
The following flags are defined for the st_mode field:
S_IFMT 00170000 bitmask for the file type bit-
fields
S_IFSOCK 0140000 socket
S_IFLNK 0120000 symbolic link
S_IFREG 0100000 regular file
S_IFBLK 0060000 block device
S_IFDIR 0040000 directory
S_IFCHR 0020000 character device
S_IFIFO 0010000 fifo
S_ISUID 0004000 set UID bit
S_ISGID 0002000 set GID bit
S_ISVTX 0001000 sticky bit
S_IRWXU 00700 user (file owner) has read, write
<h3>Linux 1.1.75 1 January 1995 2
</h3>
<h3>STAT(2) Linux Programmer's Manual STAT(2)
</h3>
and execute permission
S_IRUSR (S_IREAD)
00400 user has read permission
S_IWUSR (S_IWRITE)
00200 user has write permission
S_IXUSR (S_IEXEC)
00100 user has execute permission
S_IRWXG 00070 group has read, write and execute
permission
S_IRGRP 00040 group has read permission
S_IWGRP 00020 group has write permission
S_IXGRP 00010 group has execute permission
S_IRWXO 00007 others have read, write and execute
permission
S_IROTH 00004 others have read permission
S_IWOTH 00002 others have write permisson
S_IXOTH 00001 others have execute permission
<h3>RETURN VALUE
</h3> On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned,
and errno is set appropriately.
<h3>ERRORS
</h3> EBADF filedes is bad.
ENOENT File does not exist.
<h3>CONFORMING TO
</h3> SVID (not lstat()), AT&T (not lstat()), POSIX (not
lstat()), X/OPEN (not lstat()), BSD 4.3
</pre>
<hr>
<h3>SEE ALSO
</h3><p>
<a href=chmod.htm>chmod</a>,
<a href=chown.htm>chown</a>,
<a href=readlink.htm>readlink</a>,
<a href=utime.htm>utime</a>,
<pre>
<h3>Linux 1.1.75 1 January 1995 3
</h3>
</pre>
<P>
<hr>
<p>
<center>
<table border=2 width=80%>
<tr align=center>
<td width=25%>
<a href=../index.htm>Top</a>
</td><td width=25%>
<a href=../master_index.html>Master Index</a>
</td><td width=25%>
<a href=../SYNTAX/keywords.html>Keywords</a>
</td><td width=25%>
<a href=../FUNCTIONS/index.htm>Functions</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<hr>
This manual page was brought to you by <i>mjl_man V-2.0</i>
.