How can you distinct between link and file when using readdir

TruongAn · 09-01-2005, 05:42 PM

Hello everyone

I am writing a program which will read a directory
and call rm to delete any file it encourage but spare
the directory, And it will dive into subdirectory until
all file is deleted

But when I use readdir I see that it can open symbolic
and file also. Because this program is dangerous, I don't
want it to follow the link to another folder, It may earase
all my hardisk in this way.

Do you know any way to recognize a link when anything
you have is a name??

itsme86 · 09-01-2005, 05:49 PM

You can stat() the file/dir and then use S_ISDIR() or whatever to find out what it is. Those macros are all explained in the man page for stat.

primo · 09-01-2005, 06:25 PM

You'd want to use lstat(2) instead because it doesn't follow symlinks.