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MKSTEMP(3) Linux Programmer's Manual MKSTEMP(3)

NAME

mkstemp - create a unique temporary file

SYNOPSIS

#include <stdlib.h>

int mkstemp(char *template);

DESCRIPTION

The mkstemp() function generates a unique temporary file name from template. The last six characters of template must be XXXXXX and these are replaced with a string that makes the filename unique. The file is then created with mode read/write and permissions 0666 (glibc 2.0.6 and earlier), 0600 (glibc 2.0.7 and later). Since it will be modified, template must not be a string constant, but should be declared as a character array. The file is opened with the O_EXCL flag, guaranteeing that when mkstemp returns successfully we are the only user.

RETURN VALUE

The mkstemp() function returns the file descriptor fd of the temporary file or -1 on error.

ERRORS

EINVAL
The last six characters of template were not XXXXXX. Now template is unchanged.
EEXIST
Could not create a unique temporary filename. Now the contents of template are undefined.

BUGS

The old behaviour (creating a file with mode 0666) may be a security risk, especially since other Unix flavours use 0600, and somebody might overlook this detail when porting programs.

CONFORMING TO

BSD 4.3

NOTE

The prototype is in <unistd.h> for libc4, libc5, glibc1; glibc2 follows the Single Unix Specification and has the prototype in <stdlib.h>.

SEE ALSO

mktemp(3), tmpnam(3), tempnam(3), tmpfile(3)
April 3, 1993 GNU