Subject: Re: mkdir with trailing / (patch proposed)
To: NetBSD Userlevel Technical Discussion List <tech-userlevel@netbsd.org>
From: Olaf Seibert <rhialto@polderland.nl>
List: tech-kern
Date: 04/29/2002 15:49:56
On Sun 28 Apr 2002 at 19:17:35 -0400, Greg A. Woods wrote:
> I can quote draft 11.2 of IEEE POSIX-1003.2, which says much the same:
> 
>  2.2.2.102  pathname:  A string that is used to identify a file.
> 
>  A pathname consists of, at most, {PATH_MAX} bytes, including the
>  terminating null character.  It has an optional beginning slash, followed
>  by zero or more filenames separated by slashes.  IF THE PATHNAME REFERS
>  TO A DIRECTORY, IT MAY ALSO HAVE ONE OR MORE TRAILING SLASHES.
(emphasis added by Rhialto)

[...]
>   That goes for mkdir(2),
> opendir() or any other system call accepting a pathname and which allows
> directory names, as well as of course any standard user-level utility.

There is one very important difference between mkdir(2) and opendir():
the path name handed to mkdir(2) DOES NOT refer to a directory! This for
the very simple reason that it does not exist yet.

> 								Greg A. Woods
-Olaf.
-- 
___ Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert - rhialto@polder    -- Ah only did well at school
\X/ land.nl       -- tae git intae an O level class tae git away fae Begbie.