NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     setproctitle - set process title

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <stdlib.h>

     void
     setproctitle(const char *fmt, ...);

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The setproctitle() function sets the invoking process's  title.  The process
 title is set to the last component of the program name,
followed by
     a colon, a single space, and the formatted string  specified
by fmt.  If
     fmt  is  NULL,  the  colon and formatted string are omitted.
The length of a
     process title is limited to 2048 bytes.

EXAMPLES    [Toc]    [Back]

     Set the process title to the program name, with  no  further
information:

           setproctitle(NULL);

     Set  the process title to the program name, an informational
string, and
     the process ID:

           setproctitle("foo! (%d)", getpid());

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     ps(1), w(1), printf(3)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The setproctitle() function first appeared in NetBSD 0.9A.

CAVEATS    [Toc]    [Back]

     It is important never to pass a  string  with  user-supplied
data as a format
  without  using `%s'.  An attacker can put format specifiers in the
     string to mangle your stack, leading to a possible  security
hole.  This
     holds true even if you have built the string ``by hand'' using a function
     like snprintf(), as the resulting string may  still  contain
user-supplied
     conversion    specifiers    for   later   interpolation   by
setproctitle().

     Always be sure to use the proper secure idiom:

           setproctitle("%s", string);

OpenBSD     3.6                          April      13,      1994