PTSNAME(3POSIX)

💖 PTSNAME 💖 — like, the POSIX Programmer's Manual girlies know

okay bestie so this one is PTSNAME(3POSIX) from the POSIX Programmer's Manual and I'm gonna walk you through it like we're texting at 2am, no cap 🫶

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✨ PROLOG ✨

okay real talk before anything else: this manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual. The Linux implementation of this interface may differ — so if you're on Linux, go consult the corresponding Linux manual page for the deets on Linux behavior. Or, plot twist, the interface might just not be implemented on Linux at all. 💀 check before you commit, bestie.

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🌸 NAME 🌸

ptsname — get the name of the slave pseudo-terminal device. that's it, that's the whole vibe. 👑

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <stdlib.h>

char *ptsname(int fildes);

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so the ptsname() function shall return the name of the slave pseudo-terminal device that's associated with a master pseudo-terminal device. iconic behavior honestly.

the fildes argument is a file descriptor that refers to the master device.

and then ptsname() shall return a pointer to a string containing the pathname of the corresponding slave device. so it's giving "you have the master, here's your slave's name, you're welcome." 💅

lowkey important: the ptsname() function need not be thread-safe. so like... don't be out here assuming it's gonna play nice with all your threads at once, because it's not promising you that. 🙈

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💜 RETURN VALUE 💜

upon successful completion, ptsname() shall return a pointer to a string which is the name of the pseudo-terminal slave device. slay. ✨

upon failure, ptsname() shall return a null pointer and may set errno. This could occur if:

• fildes is an invalid file descriptor, or
• the slave device name does not exist in the file system.

and now the big one, bestie, listen up:

The application shall not modify the string returned. The returned pointer might be invalidated or the string content might be overwritten by a subsequent call to ptsname(). The returned pointer and the string content might also be invalidated if the calling thread is terminated.

so like — do not touch it, do not keep it around forever, do not assume it's yours. it is borrowed. main character energy but make it temporary. 😭

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🔥 ERRORS 🔥

The ptsname() function may fail if:

• EBADF — The fildes argument is not a valid file descriptor.
• ENOTTY — The file associated with the fildes argument is not a master pseudo-terminal device.

and btw the following sections are informative. 🧚

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

None.

like... none. nothing. empty. the void. 💀

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⭐ APPLICATION USAGE ⭐

None.

also nothing!! two in a row, we love a minimalist king. 🎀

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💅 RATIONALE 💅

See the RATIONALE section for posix_openpt(). go read that one, bestie, the lore is over there. 📖

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🍓 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 🍓

None.

(again!! three for three. the silence is deafening. 🫶)

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• grantpt()
• open()
• posix_openpt()
• ttyname()
• unlockpt()

and from The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017: <stdlib.h> 🌸

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💖 COPYRIGHT 💖

Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group.

In the event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. (so if there's beef, the original wins, periodt.)

The original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source files to man page format. To report such errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .

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okay that's the whole page bestie, love that for us 🥰 this was IEEE/The Open Group, 2017, page PTSNAME(3POSIX) — mwah, bye, go read posix_openpt() next 💋✨