CONFSTR(3)                OpenBSD Programmer's Manual               CONFSTR(3)

NAME
     confstr - get string-valued configurable variables



SYNOPSIS
     #include <unistd.h>

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

DESCRIPTION
     This interface is obsoleted by sysctl(3).

     The confstr() function provides a method for applications to get configu-
     ration 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 argu-
     ment 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
     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 re-
     turned.  If this size is greater than the argument len, the string in buf
     was truncated.

ERRORS
     The confstr function may fail and set errno for any of the errors speci-
     fied 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
     sysctl(3)

HISTORY
     The confstr function first appeared in 4.4BSD.

STANDARDS
     The confstr function conforms to IEEE Std1003.2-1992 (``POSIX.2'').

OpenBSD 2.6                      June 4, 1993                                1