file(3Tcl)							    file(3Tcl)

NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     file - Manipulate file names and attributes

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     file option name ?arg arg ...?

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     This command provides several operations on a file's name or attributes.
     Name is the name of a file; if it starts with a tilde, then tilde
     substitution is done before executing the command (see the	manual entry
     for Tcl_TildeSubst	for details).  Option indicates	what to	do with	the
     file name.	 Any unique abbreviation for option is acceptable.  The	valid
     options are:

     file atime	name
	  Returns a decimal string giving the time at which file name was last
	  accessed.  The time is measured in the standard POSIX	fashion	as
	  seconds from a fixed starting	time (often January 1, 1970).  If the
	  file doesn't exist or	its access time	cannot be queried then an
	  error	is generated.

     file dirname name
	  Returns all of the characters	in name	up to but not including	the
	  last slash character.	 If there are no slashes in name then returns
	  ``.''.  If the last slash in name is its first character, then
	  return ``/''.

     file executable name
	  Returns 1 if file name is executable by the current user, 0
	  otherwise.

     file exists name
	  Returns 1 if file name exists	and the	current	user has search
	  privileges for the directories leading to it,	0 otherwise.

     file extension name
	  Returns all of the characters	in name	after and including the	last
	  dot in the last element of name.  If there is	no dot in the last
	  element of name then returns the empty string.

     file isdirectory name
	  Returns 1 if file name is a directory, 0 otherwise.

     file isfile name
	  Returns 1 if file name is a regular file, 0 otherwise.

     file lstat	name varName
	  Same as stat option (see below) except uses the lstat	kernel call
	  instead of stat.  This means that if name refers to a	symbolic link
	  the information returned in varName is for the link rather than the
	  file it refers to.  On systems that don't support symbolic links



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file(3Tcl)							    file(3Tcl)



	  this option behaves exactly the same as the stat option.

     file mtime	name
	  Returns a decimal string giving the time at which file name was last
	  modified.  The time is measured in the standard POSIX	fashion	as
	  seconds from a fixed starting	time (often January 1, 1970).  If the
	  file doesn't exist or	its modified time cannot be queried then an
	  error	is generated.

     file owned	name
	  Returns 1 if file name is owned by the current user, 0 otherwise.

     file readable name
	  Returns 1 if file name is readable by	the current user, 0 otherwise.

     file readlink name
	  Returns the value of the symbolic link given by name (i.e. the name
	  of the file it points	to).  If name isn't a symbolic link or its
	  value	cannot be read,	then an	error is returned.  On systems that
	  don't	support	symbolic links this option is undefined.

     file rootname name
	  Returns all of the characters	in name	up to but not including	the
	  last ``.'' character in the name.  If	name doesn't contain a dot,
	  then returns name.

     file size name
	  Returns a decimal string giving the size of file name	in bytes.  If
	  the file doesn't exist or its	size cannot be queried then an error
	  is generated.

     file stat	name varName
	  Invokes the stat kernel call on name,	and uses the variable given by
	  varName to hold information returned from the	kernel call.  VarName
	  is treated as	an array variable, and the following elements of that
	  variable are set: atime, ctime, dev, gid, ino, mode, mtime, nlink,
	  size,	type, uid.  Each element except	type is	a decimal string with
	  the value of the corresponding field from the	stat return structure;
	  see the manual entry for stat	for details on the meanings of the
	  values.  The type element gives the type of the file in the same
	  form returned	by the command file type.  This	command	returns	an
	  empty	string.

     file tail name
	  Returns all of the characters	in name	after the last slash.  If name
	  contains no slashes then returns name.

     file type name
	  Returns a string giving the type of file name, which will be one of
	  file,	directory, characterSpecial, blockSpecial, fifo, link, or
	  socket.




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file(3Tcl)							    file(3Tcl)



     file writable name
	  Returns 1 if file name is writable by	the current user, 0 otherwise.

KEYWORDS    [Toc]    [Back]

     attributes, directory, file, name,	stat


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