endpwent, getpwent, setpwent --- user database functions
#include <pwd.h> void endpwent(void); struct passwd *getpwent(void); void setpwent(void);
These functions shall retrieve information about users. The getpwent() function shall return a pointer to a structure containing the broken-out fields of an entry in the user database. Each entry in the user database contains a passwd structure. When first called, getpwent() shall return a pointer to a passwd structure containing the first entry in the user database. Thereafter, it shall return a pointer to a passwd structure containing the next entry in the user database. Successive calls can be used to search the entire user database. If an end-of-file or an error is encountered on reading, getpwent() shall return a null pointer. An implementation that provides extended security controls may impose further implementation-defined restrictions on accessing the user database. In particular, the system may deny the existence of some or all of the user database entries associated with users other than the caller. The setpwent() function effectively rewinds the user database to allow repeated searches. The endpwent() function may be called to close the user database when processing is complete. These functions need not be thread-safe.
The getpwent() function shall return a null pointer on end-of-file or error. The application shall not modify the structure to which the return value points, nor any storage areas pointed to by pointers within the structure. The returned pointer, and pointers within the structure, might be invalidated or the structure or the storage areas might be overwritten by a subsequent call to getpwuid(), getpwnam(), or getpwent().
These functions may fail if: EIO An I/O error has occurred. In addition, getpwent() and setpwent() may fail if: EMFILE All file descriptors available to the process are currently open. ENFILE The maximum allowable number of files is currently open in the system. The following sections are informative.
Searching the User Database The following example uses the getpwent() function to get successive entries in the user database, returning a pointer to a passwd structure that contains information about each user. The call to endpwent() closes the user database and cleans up. #include <pwd.h> #include <stdio.h> void printname(uid_t uid) { struct passwd *pwd; setpwent(); while((pwd = getpwent()) != NULL) { if (pwd->pw_uid == uid) { printf("name=%s\n",pwd->pw_name); break; } } endpwent(); }
These functions are provided due to their historical usage. Applications should avoid dependencies on fields in the password database, whether the database is a single file, or where in the file system name space the database resides. Applications should use getpwuid() whenever possible because it avoids these dependencies.
None.
None.
endgrent(), getlogin(), getpwnam(), getpwuid() The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.12008, <pwd.h>
Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1, 2013 Edition, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, Copyright (C) 2013 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. (This is POSIX.1-2008 with the 2013 Technical Corrigendum 1 applied.) 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.unix.org/online.html . Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source files to man page format. To report such errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .
Personal Opportunity - Free software gives you access to billions of dollars of software at no cost. Use this software for your business, personal use or to develop a profitable skill. Access to source code provides access to a level of capabilities/information that companies protect though copyrights. Open source is a core component of the Internet and it is available to you. Leverage the billions of dollars in resources and capabilities to build a career, establish a business or change the world. The potential is endless for those who understand the opportunity.
Business Opportunity - Goldman Sachs, IBM and countless large corporations are leveraging open source to reduce costs, develop products and increase their bottom lines. Learn what these companies know about open source and how open source can give you the advantage.
Free Software provides computer programs and capabilities at no cost but more importantly, it provides the freedom to run, edit, contribute to, and share the software. The importance of free software is a matter of access, not price. Software at no cost is a benefit but ownership rights to the software and source code is far more significant.
Free Office Software - The Libre Office suite provides top desktop productivity tools for free. This includes, a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation engine, drawing and flowcharting, database and math applications. Libre Office is available for Linux or Windows.
The Free Books Library is a collection of thousands of the most popular public domain books in an online readable format. The collection includes great classical literature and more recent works where the U.S. copyright has expired. These books are yours to read and use without restrictions.
Source Code - Want to change a program or know how it works? Open Source provides the source code for its programs so that anyone can use, modify or learn how to write those programs themselves. Visit the GNU source code repositories to download the source.
Study at Harvard, Stanford or MIT - Open edX provides free online courses from Harvard, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley and other top Universities. Hundreds of courses for almost all major subjects and course levels. Open edx also offers some paid courses and selected certifications.
Linux Manual Pages - A man or manual page is a form of software documentation found on Linux/Unix operating systems. Topics covered include computer programs (including library and system calls), formal standards and conventions, and even abstract concepts.