NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     scandir, alphasort - scan a directory

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <dirent.h>

     int
     scandir(const char *dirname, struct dirent ***namelist,
             int (*select)(struct dirent *),
             int (*compar)(const void *, const void *));

     int
     alphasort(const void *d1, const void *d2);

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The scandir()  function  reads  the  directory  dirname  and
builds an array of
     pointers  to  directory entries using malloc(3).  It returns
the number of
     entries in the array.  A pointer to the array  of  directory
entries is
     stored in the location referenced by namelist.

     The select parameter is a pointer to a user-supplied subroutine which is
     called by scandir() to select which entries are  to  be  included in the array.
   The select routine is passed a pointer to a directory
entry and
     should return a non-zero value if the directory entry is  to
be included
     in the array.  If select is NULL, then all directory entries
will be included.


     The compar parameter is a pointer to a user-supplied subroutine which is
     passed  to  qsort(3)  to  sort the completed array.  If this
pointer is NULL,
     the array is not sorted.

     The alphasort() function is a routine which can be used  for
the compar
     parameter to sort the array alphabetically.

     The  memory  allocated for the array can be deallocated with
free(3), by
     freeing each pointer in the array and then the array itself.

DIAGNOSTICS    [Toc]    [Back]

     Returns  -1 if the directory cannot be opened for reading or
if malloc(3)
     cannot allocate enough memory to hold all  the  data  structures.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     directory(3), malloc(3), qsort(3), dir(5)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The  scandir() and alphasort() functions appeared in 4.2BSD.

OpenBSD      3.6                           June      4,      1993