path: root/lib/libc/stdio/tmpnam.3

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.Dd November 17, 1993
.Dt TMPFILE 3
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm tempnam ,
.Nm tmpfile ,
.Nm tmpnam
.Nd temporary file routines
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Fd #include <stdio.h>
.Ft FILE *
.Fn tmpfile void
.Ft char *
.Fn tmpnam "char *str"
.Ft char *
.Fn tempnam "const char *tmpdir" "const char *prefix"
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Fn tmpfile
function returns a pointer to a stream associated with a file descriptor
returned by the routine
.Xr mkstemp 3 .
The created file is unlinked before
.Fn tmpfile
returns, causing the file to be automatically deleted when the last
reference to it is closed.
Since
.Xr mkstemp 3
creates the file with mode
.Dv S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR ,
after the unlink
.Xr fchown 2
and
.Xr umask 2
are used to set the file mode to the expected value.
The file is opened with the access value
.Ql w+ .
.Pp
The
.Fn tmpnam
function returns a pointer to a file name, in the
.Dv P_tmpdir
directory, which did not reference an existing file at some
indeterminate point in the past.
.Dv P_tmpdir
is defined in the include file
.Aq Pa stdio.h .
If the argument
.Fa str
is non-null, the file name is copied to the buffer it references.
Otherwise, the file name is copied to a static buffer.
In either case,
.Fn tmpnam
returns a pointer to the file name.
.Pp
The buffer referenced by
.Fa str
is expected to be at least
.Dv L_tmpnam
bytes in length.
.Dv L_tmpnam
is defined in the include file
.Aq Pa stdio.h .
.Pp
The
.Fn tempnam
function is similar to
.Fn tmpnam ,
but provides the ability to specify the directory which will
contain the temporary file and the file name prefix.
.Pp
The environment variable
.Ev TMPDIR
(if set), the argument
.Fa tmpdir
(if non-null),
the directory
.Dv P_tmpdir ,
and the directory
.Pa /tmp
are tried, in the listed order, as directories in which to store the
temporary file.
.Pp
The argument
.Fa prefix ,
if non-null, is used to specify a file name prefix, which will be the
first part of the created file name.
.Fn tempnam
allocates memory in which to store the file name; the returned pointer
may be used as a subsequent argument to
.Xr free 3 .
.Sh RETURN VALUES
The
.Fn tmpfile
function returns a pointer to an open file stream on success, and a null
pointer on error.
.Pp
The
.Fn tmpnam
and
.Fn tempnam
functions return a pointer to a file name on success, and a null pointer
on error.
.Sh ERRORS
The
.Fn tmpfile
function may fail and set the global variable
.Va errno
for any of the errors specified for the library functions
.Xr fdopen 3
or
.Xr mkstemp 3 .
.Pp
The
.Fn tmpnam
function may fail and set
.Va errno
for any of the errors specified for the library function
.Xr mktemp 3 .
.Pp
The
.Fn tempnam
function may fail and set
.Va errno
for any of the errors specified for the library functions
.Xr malloc 3
or
.Xr mktemp 3 .
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr mkstemp 3 ,
.Xr mktemp 3
.Sh STANDARDS
The
.Fn tmpfile
and
.Fn tmpnam
functions conform to
.St -ansiC .
.Sh BUGS
.Fn tmpnam
and
.Fn tempnam
are provided for System V and
.Tn ANSI
compatibility only.
These interfaces are typically not used in safe ways.
The
.Xr mkstemp 3
interface is strongly preferred.
.Pp
There are four important problems with these interfaces (as well as
with the historic
.Xr mktemp 3
interface).
First, there is an obvious race between file name selection and file
creation and deletion: the program is typically written to call
.Fn tmpnam Ns ,
.Fn tmpname Ns , or
.Xr mktemp 3 .
Subsequently, the program calls
.Xr open 2
or
.Xr fopen 3
and erroneously opens a file (or symbolic link, or FIFO or other
device) that the attacker has placed in the expected file location.
Hence
.Xr mkstemp 3
is recommended, since it atomically creates the file.
.Pp
Second, most historic implementations provide only a limited number
of possible temporary file names (usually 26) before file names will
start being recycled.
Third, the System V implementations of these functions (and of
.Xr mktemp )
use the
.Xr access 2
function to determine whether or not the temporary file may be created.
This has obvious ramifications for daemons or setuid/setgid programs,
complicating the portable use of these interfaces in such programs.
Finally, there is no specification of the permissions with which the
temporary files are created.
.Pp
This implementation does not have these flaws, but portable software
cannot depend on that.
.Pp
For these reasons,
.Xr ld 1
will output a warning message whenever it links code that uses the functions
.Fn tmpnam
or
.Fn tempnam .