fpathconf - Linux

Overview

fpathconf returns the value of a configurable variable for the pathname given as its argument. These variables are used by the system to optimize file access and are not required to be consistent across filesystems.

Syntax

fpathconf pathname variable

Options/Flags

• pathname: Specifies the path to the file for which variable information should be returned.

• variable: Specifies the variable name for which to retrieve the value. Valid variables are:

  • F_OK: True if pathname exists.
  • R_OK: True if pathname can be read by the caller.
  • W_OK: True if pathname can be written to by the caller.
  • X_OK: True if pathname can be executed by the caller.

Examples

# Check if /tmp/myfile is accessible for reading
fpathconf /tmp/myfile R_OK

# Get the limit on symbolic link length for the root filesystem
fpathconf / F_MAXSYMLINKS

Common Issues

• Ensure that the pathname argument refers to an existing file or directory.
• Check that the specified variable is a valid configuration variable.

Integration

fpathconf can be used with other commands to perform advanced file-related tasks, such as:

• ls -l with fpathconf to display file permissions and other configuration variables:

  ls -l | xargs -n1 fpathconf {} F_OK
  

Related Commands

• pathconf: Identical to fpathconf, except that it applies to the current working directory if pathname is omitted.
• stat: Provides detailed information about a file, including file permissions and other attributes.
• access: Checks file permissions and access rights.