xref: /freebsd/lib/libc/stdio/fgetln.3 (revision daf1cffce2e07931f27c6c6998652e90df6ba87e)
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32.\"     @(#)fgetln.3	8.3 (Berkeley) 4/19/94
33.\" $FreeBSD$
34.\"
35.Dd April 19, 1994
36.Dt FGETLN 3
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm fgetln
40.Nd get a line from a stream
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.Fd #include <stdio.h>
43.Ft char *
44.Fn fgetln "FILE *stream" "size_t *len"
45.Sh DESCRIPTION
46The
47.Fn fgetln
48function
49returns a pointer to the next line from the stream referenced by
50.Fa stream .
51This line is
52.Em not
53a C string as it does not end with a terminating
54.Dv NUL
55character.
56The length of the line, including the final newline,
57is stored in the memory location to which
58.Fa len
59points.
60(Note, however, that if the line is the last
61in a file that does not end in a newline,
62the returned text will not contain a newline.)
63.Sh RETURN VALUES
64Upon successful completion a pointer is returned;
65this pointer becomes invalid after the next
66.Tn I/O
67operation on
68.Fa stream
69(whether successful or not)
70or as soon as the stream is closed.
71Otherwise,
72.Dv NULL
73is returned.
74The
75.Fn fgetln
76function
77does not distinguish between end-of-file and error; the routines
78.Xr feof 3
79and
80.Xr ferror 3
81must be used
82to determine which occurred.
83If an error occurs, the global variable
84.Va errno
85is set to indicate the error.
86The end-of-file condition is remembered, even on a terminal, and all
87subsequent attempts to read will return
88.Dv NULL
89until the condition is
90cleared with
91.Xr clearerr 3 .
92.Pp
93The text to which the returned pointer points may be modified,
94provided that no changes are made beyond the returned size.
95These changes are lost as soon as the pointer becomes invalid.
96.Sh ERRORS
97.Bl -tag -width [EBADF]
98.It Bq Er EBADF
99The argument
100.Fa stream
101is not a stream open for reading.
102.El
103.Pp
104The
105.Fn fgetln
106function
107may also fail and set
108.Va errno
109for any of the errors specified for the routines
110.Xr fflush 3 ,
111.Xr malloc 3 ,
112.Xr read 2 ,
113.Xr stat 2 ,
114or
115.Xr realloc 3 .
116.Sh SEE ALSO
117.Xr ferror 3 ,
118.Xr fgets 3 ,
119.Xr fopen 3 ,
120.Xr putc 3
121.Sh HISTORY
122The
123.Fn fgetln
124function first appeared in
125.Bx 4.4 .
126