xref: /netbsd-src/lib/libc/gen/scandir.3 (revision 2a399c6883d870daece976daec6ffa7bb7f934ce)
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34.\"     @(#)scandir.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
35.\"
36.Dd June 4, 1993
37.Dt SCANDIR 3
38.Os BSD 4.2
39.Sh NAME
40.Nm scandir ,
41.Nm alphasort
42.Nd scan a directory
43.Sh SYNOPSIS
44.Fd #include <sys/types.h>
45.Fd #include <dirent.h>
46.Ft int
47.Fn scandir "const char *dirname" "struct dirent ***namelist" "int \\*(lp*select\\*(rp\\*(lpstruct dirent *\\*(rp" "int \\*(lp*compar\\*(rp\\*(lpconst void *, const void *\\*(rp"
48.Ft int
49.Fn alphasort "const void *d1" "const void *d2"
50.Sh DESCRIPTION
51The
52.Fn scandir
53function
54reads the directory
55.Fa dirname
56and builds an array of pointers to directory
57entries using
58.Xr malloc 3 .
59It returns the number of entries in the array.
60A pointer to the array of directory entries is stored in the location
61referenced by
62.Fa namelist .
63.Pp
64The
65.Fa select
66parameter is a pointer to a user supplied subroutine which is called by
67.Fn scandir
68to select which entries are to be included in the array.
69The select routine is passed a
70pointer to a directory entry and should return a non-zero
71value if the directory entry is to be included in the array.
72If
73.Fa select
74is null, then all the directory entries will be included.
75.Pp
76The
77.Fa compar
78parameter is a pointer to a user supplied subroutine which is passed to
79.Xr qsort 3
80to sort the completed array.
81If this pointer is null, the array is not sorted.
82.Pp
83The
84.Fn alphasort
85function
86is a routine which can be used for the
87.Fa compar
88parameter to sort the array alphabetically.
89.Pp
90The memory allocated for the array can be deallocated with
91.Xr free 3 ,
92by freeing each pointer in the array and then the array itself.
93.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
94Returns \-1 if the directory cannot be opened for reading or if
95.Xr malloc 3
96cannot allocate enough memory to hold all the data structures.
97.Sh SEE ALSO
98.Xr directory 3 ,
99.Xr malloc 3 ,
100.Xr qsort 3 ,
101.Xr dir 5
102.Sh HISTORY
103The
104.Fn scandir
105and
106.Fn alphasort
107functions appeared in
108.Bx 4.2 .
109