NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     confstr - get string-valued configurable variables

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <unistd.h>

     size_t
     confstr(int name, char *buf, size_t len);

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     This interface is obsoleted by sysctl(3).

     The confstr() function provides a method for applications to
get configuration
 defined string values.

     The  name  argument  specifies  the  system  variable  to be
queried.  Symbolic
     constants for each name value are found in the include  file
<unistd.h>.
     The len argument specifies the size of the buffer referenced
by the argument
 buf.  If len is non-zero, buf is  a  non-null  pointer,
and name has a
     value;  up to len - 1 bytes of the value are copied into the
buffer buf.
     The copied value is always null terminated.

     The available values are as follows:

     _CS_PATH
             Return a value for  the  PATH  environment  variable
that finds all
             the standard utilities.

RETURN VALUES    [Toc]    [Back]

     If the call to confstr is not successful, -1 is returned and
errno is set
     appropriately.  Otherwise, if the variable does not  have  a
configuration
     defined  value,  0  is  returned  and errno is not modified.
Otherwise, the
     buffer size needed to hold the entire  configuration-defined
value is returned.
   If this size is greater than the argument len, the
string in buf
     was truncated.

ERRORS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The confstr function may fail and set errno for any  of  the
errors specified
 for the library functions malloc(3) and sysctl(3).

     In addition, the following errors may be reported:

     [EINVAL]      The value of the name argument is invalid.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     sysctl(3)

STANDARDS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The  confstr  function  conforms  to  IEEE  Std  1003.2-1992
(``POSIX.2'').

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The confstr function first appeared in 4.4BSD.

OpenBSD      3.6                           June      4,      1993