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(libc.info)File Position Primitive

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Setting the File Position of a Descriptor
=========================================

   Just as you can set the file position of a stream with `fseek', you
can set the file position of a descriptor with `lseek'.  This specifies
the position in the file for the next `read' or `write' operation.
Note: File Positioning, for more information on the file position and
what it means.

   To read the current file position value from a descriptor, use
`lseek (DESC, 0, SEEK_CUR)'.

 - Function: off_t lseek (int FILEDES, off_t OFFSET, int WHENCE)
     The `lseek' function is used to change the file position of the
     file with descriptor FILEDES.

     The WHENCE argument specifies how the OFFSET should be
     interpreted, in the same way as for the `fseek' function, and it
     must be one of the symbolic constants `SEEK_SET', `SEEK_CUR', or
     `SEEK_END'.

    `SEEK_SET'
          Specifies that WHENCE is a count of characters from the
          beginning of the file.

    `SEEK_CUR'
          Specifies that WHENCE is a count of characters from the
          current file position.  This count may be positive or
          negative.

    `SEEK_END'
          Specifies that WHENCE is a count of characters from the end of
          the file.  A negative count specifies a position within the
          current extent of the file; a positive count specifies a
          position past the current end.  If you set the position past
          the current end, and actually write data, you will extend the
          file with zeros up to that position.

     The return value from `lseek' is normally the resulting file
     position, measured in bytes from the beginning of the file.  You
     can use this feature together with `SEEK_CUR' to read the current
     file position.

     If you want to append to the file, setting the file position to the
     current end of file with `SEEK_END' is not sufficient.  Another
     process may write more data after you seek but before you write,
     extending the file so the position you write onto clobbers their
     data.  Instead, use the `O_APPEND' operating mode; Note: Operating
     Modes.

     You can set the file position past the current end of the file.
     This does not by itself make the file longer; `lseek' never
     changes the file.  But subsequent output at that position will
     extend the file.  Characters between the previous end of file and
     the new position are filled with zeros.  Extending the file in
     this way can create a "hole": the blocks of zeros are not actually
     allocated on disk, so the file takes up less space than it appears
     to; it is then called a "sparse file".

     If the file position cannot be changed, or the operation is in
     some way invalid, `lseek' returns a value of -1.  The following
     `errno' error conditions are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES is not a valid file descriptor.

    `EINVAL'
          The WHENCE argument value is not valid, or the resulting file
          offset is not valid.  A file offset is invalid.

    `ESPIPE'
          The FILEDES corresponds to an object that cannot be
          positioned, such as a pipe, FIFO or terminal device.
          (POSIX.1 specifies this error only for pipes and FIFOs, but
          in the GNU system, you always get `ESPIPE' if the object is
          not seekable.)

     When the source file is compiled with `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS == 64' the
     `lseek' function is in fact `lseek64' and the type `off_t' has 64
     bits which makes it possible to handle files up to 2^63 bytes in
     length.

     This function is a cancellation point in multi-threaded programs.
     This is a problem if the thread allocates some resources (like
     memory, file descriptors, semaphores or whatever) at the time
     `lseek' is called.  If the thread gets canceled these resources
     stay allocated until the program ends.  To avoid this calls to
     `lseek' should be protected using cancellation handlers.

     The `lseek' function is the underlying primitive for the `fseek',
     `fseeko', `ftell', `ftello' and `rewind' functions, which operate
     on streams instead of file descriptors.

 - Function: off64_t lseek64 (int FILEDES, off64_t OFFSET, int WHENCE)
     This function is similar to the `lseek' function.  The difference
     is that the OFFSET parameter is of type `off64_t' instead of
     `off_t' which makes it possible on 32 bit machines to address
     files larger than 2^31 bytes and up to 2^63 bytes.  The file
     descriptor `filedes' must be opened using `open64' since otherwise
     the large offsets possible with `off64_t' will lead to errors with
     a descriptor in small file mode.

     When the source file is compiled with `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS == 64' on
     a 32 bits machine this function is actually available under the
     name `lseek' and so transparently replaces the 32 bit interface.

   You can have multiple descriptors for the same file if you open the
file more than once, or if you duplicate a descriptor with `dup'.
Descriptors that come from separate calls to `open' have independent
file positions; using `lseek' on one descriptor has no effect on the
other.  For example,

     {
       int d1, d2;
       char buf[4];
       d1 = open ("foo", O_RDONLY);
       d2 = open ("foo", O_RDONLY);
       lseek (d1, 1024, SEEK_SET);
       read (d2, buf, 4);
     }

will read the first four characters of the file `foo'.  (The
error-checking code necessary for a real program has been omitted here
for brevity.)

   By contrast, descriptors made by duplication share a common file
position with the original descriptor that was duplicated.  Anything
which alters the file position of one of the duplicates, including
reading or writing data, affects all of them alike.  Thus, for example,

     {
       int d1, d2, d3;
       char buf1[4], buf2[4];
       d1 = open ("foo", O_RDONLY);
       d2 = dup (d1);
       d3 = dup (d2);
       lseek (d3, 1024, SEEK_SET);
       read (d1, buf1, 4);
       read (d2, buf2, 4);
     }

will read four characters starting with the 1024'th character of `foo',
and then four more characters starting with the 1028'th character.

 - Data Type: off_t
     This is an arithmetic data type used to represent file sizes.  In
     the GNU system, this is equivalent to `fpos_t' or `long int'.

     If the source is compiled with `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS == 64' this type
     is transparently replaced by `off64_t'.

 - Data Type: off64_t
     This type is used similar to `off_t'.  The difference is that even
     on 32 bit machines, where the `off_t' type would have 32 bits,
     `off64_t' has 64 bits and so is able to address files up to 2^63
     bytes in length.

     When compiling with `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS == 64' this type is
     available under the name `off_t'.

   These aliases for the `SEEK_...' constants exist for the sake of
compatibility with older BSD systems.  They are defined in two
different header files: `fcntl.h' and `sys/file.h'.

`L_SET'
     An alias for `SEEK_SET'.

`L_INCR'
     An alias for `SEEK_CUR'.

`L_XTND'
     An alias for `SEEK_END'.