scandir(3)						     Library Functions Manual							scandir(3)

NAME

       scandir, alphasort - Scans or sorts directory contents

LIBRARY

       Standard C Library (libc.a)

SYNOPSIS

       #include <sys/types.h> #include <sys/dir.h>
       int scandir (	  char *dir_name,      struct dirent * (*name_list[ ]),      int  (*select) ( struct dirent *dir ),	 int  (*compare) (
       struct dirent **dir1, struct dirent **dir2 ) );
       int alphasort (	    struct dirent **dir1,      struct dirent **dir2 );

PARAMETERS

       Points to the directory name.  Points to the array of pointers to directory entries.  Points to a user-supplied function that is called	by
       the   scandir()	function  to  select  which  entries to include in the array.  Points to a user-supplied function that sorts the completed
       array.  Points to a dirent structure.  Points to a dirent structure.

DESCRIPTION

       The scandir() function reads the directory pointed to by the dir_name parameter.  It then uses the malloc() function to create an array	of
       pointers  to  directory entries.  The scandir() function returns the number of entries in the array and, through the name_list parameter, a
       pointer to the array.

       The select parameter points to a user-supplied function that the scandir() function calls to select which entries to include in the  array.
       The  selection  routine	is passed a pointer to a directory entry and returns a nonzero value for a directory entry that is included in the
       array. If the select parameter is a null value, all directory entries are included.

       The compare parameter points to a user-supplied function that is passed to the qsort() function to sort the completed array. If the compare
       parameter is a null value, the array is not sorted.

       The memory allocated to the array can be deallocated by freeing each pointer in the array, and the array itself, with the free() function.

       The alphasort() function alphabetically compares the two dirent structures pointed to by the dir1 and dir2 parameters. This function can be
       passed as the compare parameter to either the scandir() function or the qsort() function.  A user-supplied subroutine may also be used.

RETURN VALUES

       The scandir() function returns -1 if the directory cannot be opened for reading or if the malloc() function cannot allocate  enough  memory
       to hold all the data structures. If successful, the scandir() function returns the number of entries found.

       The  alphasort()  function returns the following values: Less than 0 (zero): The dirent structure pointed to by the dir1 parameter is lexi-
       cally less than the dirent structure pointed to by the dir2 parameter.  0 (zero): The dirent structures pointed to by  the  dir1  parameter
       and  the  dir2 parameter are equal.  Greater than 0 (zero): The dirent structure pointed to by the dir1 parameter is lexically greater than
       the dirent structure pointed to by the dir2 parameter.

RELATED INFORMATION

       Functions: malloc(3), opendir(3), qsort(3) delim off

																	scandir(3)