

CREAT(2)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		 CREAT(2)


NAME
     creat - create a new file

SYNOPSIS
     creat(name, mode)
     char *name;

DESCRIPTION
     This interface is made obsolete by open(2).

     _C_r_e_a_t creates a new file or prepares to rewrite an existing
     file called _n_a_m_e, given as the address of a null-terminated
     string.  If the file did not exist, it is given mode _m_o_d_e,
     as modified by the process's mode mask (see _u_m_a_s_k(2)).  Also
     see _c_h_m_o_d(2) for the construction of the _m_o_d_e argument.

     If the file did exist, its mode and owner remain unchanged
     but it is truncated to 0 length.

     The file is also opened for writing, and its file descriptor
     is returned.

NOTES
     The _m_o_d_e given is arbitrary; it need not allow writing.
     This feature has been used in the past by programs to con-
     struct a simple, exclusive locking mechanism.  It is
     replaced by the O_EXCL open mode, or _f_l_o_c_k(2) facility.

RETURN VALUE
     The value -1 is returned if an error occurs.  Otherwise, the
     call returns a non-negative descriptor that only permits
     writing.

ERRORS
     _C_r_e_a_t will fail and the file will not be created or trun-
     cated if one of the following occur:

     [ENOTDIR]	    A component of the path prefix is not a
		    directory.

     [EINVAL]	    The pathname contains a character with the
		    high-order bit set.

     [ENAMETOOLONG] A component of a pathname exceeded 255 char-
		    acters, or an entire path name exceeded 1023
		    characters.

     [ENOENT]	    The named file does not exist.

     [ELOOP]	    Too many symbolic links were encountered in
		    translating the pathname.


Printed 11/26/99	  May 22, 1986				1


CREAT(2)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		 CREAT(2)


     [EACCES]	    Search permission is denied for a component
		    of the path prefix.

     [EACCES]	    The file does not exist and the directory in
		    which it is to be created is not writable.

     [EACCES]	    The file exists, but it is unwritable.

     [EISDIR]	    The file is a directory.

     [EMFILE]	    There are already too many files open.

     [ENFILE]	    The system file table is full.

     [ENOSPC]	    The directory in which the entry for the new
		    file is being placed cannot be extended
		    because there is no space left on the file
		    system containing the directory.

     [ENOSPC]	    There are no free inodes on the file system
		    on which the file is being created.

     [EDQUOT]	    The directory in which the entry for the new
		    file is being placed cannot be extended
		    because the user's quota of disk blocks on
		    the file system containing the directory has
		    been exhausted.

     [EDQUOT]	    The user's quota of inodes on the file system
		    on which the file is being created has been
		    exhausted.

     [EROFS]	    The named file resides on a read-only file
		    system.

     [ENXIO]	    The file is a character special or block spe-
		    cial file, and the associated device does not
		    exist.

     [ETXTBSY]	    The file is a pure procedure (shared text)
		    file that is being executed.

     [EIO]	    An I/O error occurred while making the direc-
		    tory entry or allocating the inode.

     [EFAULT]	    _N_a_m_e points outside the process's allocated
		    address space.

     [EOPNOTSUPP]   The file was a socket (not currently imple-
		    mented).


Printed 11/26/99	  May 22, 1986				2


CREAT(2)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		 CREAT(2)


SEE ALSO
     open(2), write(2), close(2), chmod(2), umask(2)


Printed 11/26/99	  May 22, 1986				3