unlink() -- System Call (libc)

Remove a file
#include <unistd.h>
int unlink(name) char *name;

unlink()  removes the  directory entry  for the given  file name,  which in
effect erases name  from the disk.  name cannot be  opened once it has been
unlink()'d. If  name is the last  link, unlink() frees the  i-node and data
blocks.  Deallocation is  delayed if the file is open.   Other links to the
file remain intact.

Example

This example removes the files named on the command line.

#include <unistd.h>
main(argc, argv)
int argc; char *argv[];
{
    int i;

    for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
        if (unlink(argv[i]) == -1) {
            printf("Cannot unlink \"%s\"\n", argv[i]);
            exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
        }
    }
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}

See Also

libc,
link(),
ln,
remove(),
rm,
rmdir,
unistd.h
POSIX Standard, §5.5.1

Diagnostics

unlink()  returns zero  when successful.   It returns -1  if file  does not
exist,  if the  user  does not  have  write and  search  permission in  the
directory containing file, or if file is a directory and the invoker is not
the superuser.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness