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



NAME
       remove - remove a file or directory

SYNOPSIS
       #include <stdio.h>

       int remove(const char *pathname);

DESCRIPTION
       remove()  deletes a name from the file system.  It calls unlink(2) for files, and rmdir(2)
       for directories.

       If the removed name was the last link to a file and no processes have the file  open,  the
       file is deleted and the space it was using is made available for reuse.

       If  the  name was the last link to a file, but any processes still have the file open, the
       file will remain in existence until the last file descriptor referring to it is closed.

       If the name referred to a symbolic link, the link is removed.

       If the name referred to a socket, FIFO, or device, the  name  is  removed,  but  processes
       which have the object open may continue to use it.

RETURN VALUE
       On success, zero is returned.  On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set appropriately.

ERRORS
       The errors that occur are those for unlink(2) and rmdir(2).

CONFORMING TO
       C89, C99, 4.3BSD, POSIX.1-2001.

NOTES
       Under  libc4  and  libc5,  remove() was an alias for unlink(2) (and hence would not remove
       directories).

BUGS
       Infelicities in the protocol underlying NFS can  cause  the  unexpected  disappearance  of
       files which are still being used.

SEE ALSO
       rm(1),  unlink(1),  link(2), mknod(2), open(2), rename(2), rmdir(2), unlink(2), mkfifo(3),
       symlink(7)

COLOPHON
       This page is part of release 3.53 of the Linux man-pages project.  A  description  of  the
       project,     and    information    about    reporting    bugs,    can    be    found    at
       http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



GNU                                         2008-12-03                                  REMOVE(3)