SETMODE(3)                386BSD Programmer's Manual                SETMODE(3)

NAME
     getmode, setmode - modify mode bits

SYNOPSIS
     mode_t
     getmode(const void *set, mode_t mode)

     void
     setmode(const char *mode_str)

DESCRIPTION
     The getmode() function returns a copy of the file permission bits mode as
     altered by the values pointed to by set. While only the mode bits are
     altered, other parts of the file mode may be examined.

     The setmode() function takes an absolute (octal) or symbolic value, as
     described in chmod(1),  as an argument and returns a pointer to mode
     values to be supplied to getmode().  Because some of the symbolic values
     are relative to the file creation mask, setmode() may call umask(2).  If
     this occurs, the file creation mask will be restored before setmode()
     returns.  If the calling program changes the value of its file creation
     mask after calling setmode(), setmode() must be called again if getmode()
     is to modify future file modes correctly.

     If the mode passed to setmode() is invalid, setmode() returns NULL.

ERRORS
     The setmode() function may fail and set errno for any of the errors
     specified for the library routine malloc(3).

SEE ALSO
     chmod(1),  stat(2),  umask(2),  malloc(3)

HISTORY
     The getmode() and setmode() functions are currently under development.

BSD Experimental                April 19, 1991                               1