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+ln(P) ln(P)
+
+
+
+
+
+NAME
+ ln - link files
+
+SYNOPSIS
+ ln [-fs] source_file target_file
+
+ ln [-fs] source_file ... target_dir
+
+
+DESCRIPTION
+ In the first synopsis form, the ln utility shall create
+ a new directory entry (link) at the destination path
+ specified by the target_file operand. If the -s option
+ is specified, a symbolic link shall be created for the
+ file specified by the source_file operand. This first
+ synopsis form shall be assumed when the final operand
+ does not name an existing directory; if more than two
+ operands are specified and the final is not an existing
+ directory, an error shall result.
+
+ In the second synopsis form, the ln utility shall create
+ a new directory entry (link), or if the -s option is
+ specified a symbolic link, for each file specified by a
+ source_file operand, at a destination path in the exist-
+ ing directory named by target_dir.
+
+ If the last operand specifies an existing file of a type
+ not specified by the System Interfaces volume of
+ IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, the behavior is implementation-
+ defined.
+
+ The corresponding destination path for each source_file
+ shall be the concatenation of the target directory path-
+ name, a slash character, and the last pathname component
+ of the source_file. The second synopsis form shall be
+ assumed when the final operand names an existing direc-
+ tory.
+
+ For each source_file:
+
+ If the destination path exists: <ol type="a">
+
+ If the -f option is not specified, ln shall write a
+ diagnostic message to standard error, do nothing more
+ with the current source_file, and go on to any remaining
+ source_files.
+
+ Actions shall be performed equivalent to the unlink()
+ function defined in the System Interfaces volume of
+ IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, called using destination as the
+ path argument. If this fails for any reason, ln shall
+ write a diagnostic message to standard error, do nothing
+ more with the current source_file, and go on to any
+ remaining source_files.
+
+ If the -s option is specified, ln shall create a sym-
+ bolic link named by the destination path and containing
+ as its pathname source_file. The ln utility shall do
+ nothing more with source_file and shall go on to any
+ remaining files.
+
+ If source_file is a symbolic link, actions shall be per-
+ formed equivalent to the link() function using the
+ object that source_file references as the path1 argument
+ and the destination path as the path2 argument. The ln
+ utility shall do nothing more with source_file and shall
+ go on to any remaining files.
+
+ Actions shall be performed equivalent to the link()
+ function defined in the System Interfaces volume of
+ IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 using source_file as the path1
+ argument, and the destination path as the path2 argu-
+ ment.
+
+OPTIONS
+ The ln utility shall conform to the Base Definitions
+ volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, Section 12.2, Utility
+ Syntax Guidelines.
+
+ The following option shall be supported:
+
+ -f Force existing destination pathnames to be
+ removed to allow the link.
+
+ -s Create symbolic links instead of hard links.
+
+
+OPERANDS
+ The following operands shall be supported:
+
+ source_file
+ A pathname of a file to be linked. If the -s
+ option is specified, no restrictions on the type
+ of file or on its existence shall be made. If the
+ -s option is not specified, whether a directory
+ can be linked is implementation-defined.
+
+ target_file
+ The pathname of the new directory entry to be
+ created.
+
+ target_dir
+ A pathname of an existing directory in which the
+ new directory entries are created.
+
+
+STDIN
+ Not used.
+
+INPUT FILES
+ None.
+
+ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
+ The following environment variables shall affect the
+ execution of ln:
+
+ LANG Provide a default value for the internationaliza-
+ tion variables that are unset or null. (See the
+ Base Definitions volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001,
+ Section 8.2, Internationalization Variables for
+ the precedence of internationalization variables
+ used to determine the values of locale cate-
+ gories.)
+
+ LC_ALL If set to a non-empty string value, override the
+ values of all the other internationalization
+ variables.
+
+ LC_CTYPE
+ Determine the locale for the interpretation of
+ sequences of bytes of text data as characters
+ (for example, single-byte as opposed to multi-
+ byte characters in arguments).
+
+ LC_MESSAGES
+ Determine the locale that should be used to
+ affect the format and contents of diagnostic mes-
+ sages written to standard error.
+
+ NLSPATH
+ Determine the location of message catalogs for
+ the processing of LC_MESSAGES .
+
+
+ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS
+ Default.
+
+STDOUT
+ Not used.
+
+STDERR
+ The standard error shall be used only for diagnostic
+ messages.
+
+OUTPUT FILES
+ None.
+
+EXTENDED DESCRIPTION
+ None.
+
+EXIT STATUS
+ The following exit values shall be returned:
+
+ 0 All the specified files were linked successfully.
+
+ >0 An error occurred.
+
+
+CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS
+ Default.
+
+ The following sections are informative.
+
+APPLICATION USAGE
+ None.
+
+EXAMPLES
+ None.
+
+RATIONALE
+ Some historic versions of ln (including the one speci-
+ fied by the SVID) unlink the destination file, if it
+ exists, by default. If the mode does not permit writing,
+ these versions prompt for confirmation before attempting
+ the unlink. In these versions the -f option causes ln
+ not to attempt to prompt for confirmation.
+
+ This allows ln to succeed in creating links when the
+ target file already exists, even if the file itself is
+ not writable (although the directory must be). Early
+ proposals specified this functionality.
+
+ This volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 does not allow the
+ ln utility to unlink existing destination paths by
+ default for the following reasons:
+
+ The ln utility has historically been used to pro-
+ vide locking for shell applications, a usage that
+ is incompatible with ln unlinking the destination
+ path by default. There was no corresponding tech-
+ nical advantage to adding this functionality.
+
+ This functionality gave ln the ability to destroy
+ the link structure of files, which changes the
+ historical behavior of ln.
+
+ This functionality is easily replicated with a
+ combination of rm and ln.
+
+ It is not historical practice in many systems;
+ BSD and BSD-derived systems do not support this
+ behavior. Unfortunately, whichever behavior is
+ selected can cause scripts written expecting the
+ other behavior to fail.
+
+ It is preferable that ln perform in the same man-
+ ner as the link() function, which does not permit
+ the target to exist already.
+
+ This volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 retains the -f
+ option to provide support for shell scripts depending on
+ the SVID semantics. It seems likely that shell scripts
+ would not be written to handle prompting by ln and would
+ therefore have specified the -f option.
+
+ The -f option is an undocumented feature of many histor-
+ ical versions of the ln utility, allowing linking to
+ directories. These versions require modification.
+
+ Early proposals of this volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001
+ also required a -i option, which behaved like the -i
+ options in cp and mv, prompting for confirmation before
+ unlinking existing files. This was not historical prac-
+ tice for the ln utility and has been omitted.
+
+FUTURE DIRECTIONS
+ None.
+
+SEE ALSO
+ chmod() , find , pax , rm , the System Interfaces volume
+ of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, link(), unlink()
+
+COPYRIGHT
+ Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in
+ electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1, 2003 Edition,
+ Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operat-
+ ing System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Speci-
+ fications Issue 6, Copyright (C) 2001-2003 by the Insti-
+ tute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and
+ The Open Group. In the event of any discrepancy between
+ this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group
+ Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard
+ is the referee document. The original Standard can be
+ obtained online at http://www.open-
+ group.org/unix/online.html .
+
+
+
+POSIX 2003 ln(P)