HP C/iX Library Reference Manual (30026-90004)

368 Chapter5

HP C/iX Library Function Descriptions

tmpnam

Creates a name for a temporary ﬁle.

Syntax

#include <stdio.h>

char *tmpnam (char *

);

Parameters

Either NULL or a pointer to an array of at least L_tmpnam bytes, where

L_tmpnam is a constant deﬁned in stdio.h>.

Return Values

xIf

is NULL, a pointer to a static buffer which contains a ﬁle name. If

not NULL, the value of the argument

Description

The tmpnam function generates a ﬁle name that can safely be used as a temporary ﬁle. This

function generates a different ﬁle name each time it is called.

is null, tmpnam() leaves its result in an internal static area and returns a pointer to

that area. The next call to tmpnam() destroys the contents of the area. If

is not null, it is

assumed to be the address of an array of at least L_tmpnam bytes, where L_tmpnam is a

constant deﬁned in <stdio.h>; tmpnam places its result in that array and returns

A ﬁle created using tmpnam() and fopen() is temporary only in the sense that it is

intended for temporary use. It is your responsibility to remove the ﬁle when it is no longer

needed.

Between the time a ﬁle name is created and the ﬁle is opened, it is possible for some other

process to create a ﬁle with the same name. This is extremely unlikely if the other process

is using this function or mktemp() because these functions choose ﬁle names in a way that

minimizes duplication.