std::filesystem::read_symlink
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< cpp | filesystem
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Filesystem library
filesystem::read_symlink
Defined in header
<filesystem>
std::filesystem::path read_symlink( const std::filesystem::path & p );
(1)
(since C++17)
std::filesystem::path read_symlink( const std::filesystem::path & p,
std::error_code & ec );
(2)
(since C++17)
std::error_code & ec );
If the path p refers to a symbolic link, returns a new path object which refers to the target of that symbolic link.
It is an error if p does not refer to a symbolic link.
The non-throwing overload returns an empty path on errors.
[edit] Parameters
p
-
path to a symlink
ec
-
out-parameter for error reporting in the non-throwing overload
[edit] Return value
The target of the symlink (which may not necessarily exist).
[edit] Exceptions
Any overload not marked noexcept may throw std::bad_alloc if memory allocation fails.
1) Throws std::filesystem::filesystem_error on underlying OS API errors, constructed with p as the first path argument and the OS error code as the error code argument.
2) Sets a std::error_code & parameter to the OS API error code if an OS API call fails, and executes ec.clear () if no errors occur.
[edit] Example
Run this code
#include <filesystem> #include <iostream> namespace fs = std::filesystem; int main() { for (fs::path p : {"/usr/bin/gcc", "/bin/cat", "/bin/mouse"}) { std::cout << p; fs::exists(p) ? fs::is_symlink(p) ? std::cout << " -> " << fs::read_symlink(p) << '\n' : std::cout << " exists but it is not a symlink\n" : std::cout << " does not exist\n"; } }
Possible output:
"/usr/bin/gcc" -> "gcc-5" "/bin/cat" exists but it is not a symlink "/bin/mouse" does not exist
[edit] See also
(C++17)(C++17)
determines file attributes, checking the symlink target
(function) [edit]