Name

mkdir - create a directory

Synopsis

1
2
3
4

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

int mkdir(const char *pathname, mode_t mode);

Description

The mkdir() function attempts to create a directory named pathname.

The argument mode specifies the mode for the new directory. In this course, you will only need to use 0777 (see example below). Directories will not be created recursively by this function!

Example

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <assert.h>

void main(void) {
    mode_t mode = 0777;
    assert(mkdir("directory", mode) == 0);
}

Return Value

Returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred (in which case, errno is set appropriately).

Errors

EACCES

The parent directory does not allow write permission to the process, or one of the directories in pathname did not allow search permission. (See also path_resolution(7).)

EDQUOT

The user's quota of disk blocks or inodes on the filesystem has been exhausted.

EEXIST

pathname already exists (not necessarily as a directory). This includes the case where pathname is a symbolic link, dangling or not.

EFAULT

pathname points outside your accessible address space.

EINVAL

The final component ("basename") of the new directory's pathname is invalid (e.g., it contains characters not permitted by the underlying filesystem).

ELOOP

Too many symbolic links were encountered in resolving pathname.

EMLINK

The number of links to the parent directory would exceed LINK_MAX.

ENAMETOOLONG

pathname was too long.

ENOENT

A directory component in pathname does not exist or is a dangling symbolic link.

ENOMEM

Insufficient kernel memory was available.

ENOSPC

The device containing pathname has no room for the new directory.

ENOSPC

The new directory cannot be created because the user's disk quota is exhausted.

ENOTDIR

A component used as a directory in pathname is not, in fact, a directory.

EPERM

The filesystem containing pathname does not support the creation of directories.

EROFS

pathname refers to a file on a read-only filesystem.