chdir (2) Linux Manual Page
chdir, fchdir – change working directory
Synopsis
#include <unistd.h> int chdir(const char *path);
int fchdir(int fd);
Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
fchdir():
- _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 500
|| /* Since glibc 2.12: */ _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200809L
|| /* Glibc up to and including 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE
Description
chdir() changes the current working directory of the calling process to the directory specified in path. fchdir() is identical to chdir(); the only difference is that the directory is given as an open file descriptor.
Return Value
On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set appropriately.Errors
Depending on the filesystem, other errors can be returned. The more general errors for chdir() are listed below:- EACCES
- Search permission is denied for one of the components of path. (See also path_resolution(7).)
- EFAULT
- path points outside your accessible address space.
- EIO
- An I/O error occurred.
- ELOOP
- Too many symbolic links were encountered in resolving path.
- ENAMETOOLONG
- path is too long.
- ENOENT
- The directory specified in path does not exist.
- ENOMEM
- Insufficient kernel memory was available.
- ENOTDIR
- A component of path is not a directory.
The general errors for fchdir() are listed below:
- EACCES
- Search permission was denied on the directory open on fd.
- EBADF
- fd is not a valid file descriptor.
- ENOTDIR
- fd does not refer to a directory.
Conforming To
POSIX.1-2001, POSIX.1-2008, SVr4, 4.4BSD.Notes
The current working directory is the starting point for interpreting relative pathnames (those not starting with ‘/’). A child process created via fork(2) inherits its parent’s current working directory. The current working directory is left unchanged by execve(2).