Functions defined by the POSIX standards for manipulating and querying the file system. Names of underlying POSIX functions are indicated whenever possible. A more complete documentation of the POSIX functions together with a more detailed description of different error conditions are usually available in the system's manual pages or from http://www.unix.org/version3/online.html (free registration required).

When a function that calls an underlying POSIX function fails, the errno code is converted to an IOError using errnoToIOError. For a list of which errno codes may be generated, consult the POSIX documentation for the underlying function.

setFileMode path mode changes permission of the file given by path to mode. This operation may fail with throwErrnoPathIfMinus1_ if path doesn't exist or if the effective user ID of the current process is not that of the file's owner.

Note: calls chmod.

setFdMode fd mode acts like setFileMode but uses a file descriptor fd instead of a FilePath.

Note: calls fchmod.

setFileCreationMask mode sets the file mode creation mask to mode. Modes set by this operation are subtracted from files and directories upon creation. The previous file creation mask is returned.

Note: calls umask.

fileAccess name read write exec checks if the file (or other file system object) name can be accessed for reading, writing and/or executing. To check a permission set the corresponding argument to True.

Note: calls access.

Checks for the existence of the file.

Note: calls access.

getFileStatus path calls gets the FileStatus information (user ID, size, access times, etc.) for the file path.

Note: calls stat.

getFdStatus fd acts as getFileStatus but uses a file descriptor fd.

Note: calls fstat.

Acts as getFileStatus except when the FilePath refers to a symbolic link. In that case the FileStatus information of the symbolic link itself is returned instead of that of the file it points to.

Note: calls lstat.

createNamedPipe fifo mode creates a new named pipe, fifo, with permissions based on mode. May fail with throwErrnoPathIfMinus1_ if a file named name already exists or if the effective user ID of the current process doesn't have permission to create the pipe.

Note: calls mkfifo.

createDevice path mode dev creates either a regular or a special file depending on the value of mode (and dev). mode will normally be either blockSpecialMode or characterSpecialMode. May fail with throwErrnoPathIfMinus1_ if a file named name already exists or if the effective user ID of the current process doesn't have permission to create the file.

Note: calls mknod.

createLink old new creates a new path, new, linked to an existing file, old.

Note: calls link.

removeLink path removes the link named path.

Note: calls unlink.

createSymbolicLink file1 file2 creates a symbolic link named file2 which points to the file file1.

Symbolic links are interpreted at run-time as if the contents of the link had been substituted into the path being followed to find a file or directory.

Note: calls symlink.

Reads the FilePath pointed to by the symbolic link and returns it.

Note: calls readlink.

rename old new renames a file or directory from old to new.

Note: calls rename.

setOwnerAndGroup path uid gid changes the owner and group of path to uid and gid, respectively.

If uid or gid is specified as -1, then that ID is not changed.

Note: calls chown.

Acts as setOwnerAndGroup but uses a file descriptor instead of a FilePath.

Note: calls fchown.

Acts as setOwnerAndGroup but does not follow symlinks (and thus changes permissions on the link itself).

Note: calls lchown.

setFileTimes path atime mtime sets the access and modification times associated with file path to atime and mtime, respectively.

Note: calls utime.

touchFile path sets the access and modification times associated with file path to the current time.

Note: calls utime.

Truncates the file down to the specified length. If the file was larger than the given length before this operation was performed the extra is lost.

Note: calls truncate.

Acts as setFileSize but uses a file descriptor instead of a FilePath.

Note: calls ftruncate.

getPathVar var path obtains the dynamic value of the requested configurable file limit or option associated with file or directory path. For defined file limits, getPathVar returns the associated value. For defined file options, the result of getPathVar is undefined, but not failure.

Note: calls pathconf.

getFdPathVar var fd obtains the dynamic value of the requested configurable file limit or option associated with the file or directory attached to the open channel fd. For defined file limits, getFdPathVar returns the associated value. For defined file options, the result of getFdPathVar is undefined, but not failure.

Note: calls fpathconf.