chdir(2) System Calls Manual chdir(2) NAME chdir, fchdir - change working directory SYNOPSIS DESCRIPTION and cause a directory pointed to by path or fildes to become the current working directory, the starting point for path searches of path names not beginning with path points to the path name of a directory. fildes is an open file descriptor of a directory. For a directory to become the current working directory, a process must have execute (search) access to the directory. RETURN VALUE Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned. Otherwise, a value of -1 is returned and is set to indicate the error. ERRORS fails and the current working directory remains unchanged if one or more of the following are true: A component of the path name is not a directory. The named directory does not exist. Search permission is denied for any component of the path name. path points outside the allocated address space of the process. The reliable detection of this error is implemen- tation dependent. path is null. The length of the specified path name exceeds bytes, or the length of a component of the path name exceeds bytes while is in effect. Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the path name. fails and the current working directory remains unchanged if one or more of the following are true: Search permission is denied for fildes. fildes is not an open file descriptor. The open file descriptor fildes does not refer to a directory. AUTHOR and were developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories and HP. SEE ALSO cd(1), chroot(2), privileges(5). STANDARDS CONFORMANCE chdir(2)