PERROR(3) Library Functions Manual PERROR(3)
NAME
perror, strerror - system error messages
SYNOPSIS
perror(s)
char *s;
#include <string.h>
char *
strerror(errnum)
int errnum;
DESCRIPTION
The strerror() and perror() functions look up the error message string corresponding to an error number.
The strerror() function accepts an error number argument errnum and returns a pointer to the corresponding message string.
The perror() function finds the error message corresponding to the current value of the global variable errno (intro(2)) and writes it,
followed by a newline, to the standard error file descriptor. If the argument string is non-NULL, it is prepended to the message string
and separated from it by a colon and space (`: '). If string is NULL, only the error message string is printed.
If errnum is not a recognized error number, the error message string will contain ``Unknown error: '' followed by the error number in deci-
mal.
The error messages are stored in a data file now rather than an in memory array. See syserror(5).
SEE ALSO
mkerrlst(1), intro(2), psignal(3), strerror(3), syserror(3), syserror(5)
BUGS
The strerror() function returns its result in a static buffer which may be overwritten by subsequent calls.
The array sys_errlist[] and the global sys_nerr are obsolete and should not be used. They have, for the time being, been placed in an
object library liberrlst.a.
4th Berkeley Distribution March 21, 1996 PERROR(3)
