FLOCKFILE(3)		   Linux Programmer's Manual		  FLOCKFILE(3)



NAME
       flockfile, ftrylockfile, funlockfile - lock FILE for stdio

SYNOPSIS
       #include <stdio.h>

       void flockfile(FILE *filehandle);
       int ftrylockfile(FILE *filehandle);
       void funlockfile(FILE *filehandle);

   Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):

       All functions shown above:
	   _POSIX_C_SOURCE
	       || /* Glibc versions <= 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE

DESCRIPTION
       The  stdio functions are thread-safe.  This is achieved by assigning to
       each FILE object a lockcount and (if the lockcount is nonzero) an  own-
       ing thread.  For each library call, these functions wait until the FILE
       object is no longer locked by a different thread, then lock it, do  the
       requested I/O, and unlock the object again.

       (Note:  this  locking  has  nothing to do with the file locking done by
       functions like flock(2) and lockf(3).)

       All this is invisible to the C-programmer, but there may be two reasons
       to  wish for more detailed control.  On the one hand, maybe a series of
       I/O actions by one thread belongs together, and should  not  be	inter-
       rupted  by  the I/O of some other thread.  On the other hand, maybe the
       locking overhead should be avoided for greater efficiency.

       To this end, a thread can explicitly lock the FILE object, then do  its
       series  of  I/O actions, then unlock.  This prevents other threads from
       coming in between.  If the reason for doing this was to achieve greater
       efficiency,  one does the I/O with the nonlocking versions of the stdio
       functions:  with	 getc_unlocked(3)  and	putc_unlocked(3)  instead   of
       getc(3) and putc(3).

       The  flockfile()	 function waits for *filehandle to be no longer locked
       by a different thread, then makes the current thread owner of *filehan-
       dle, and increments the lockcount.

       The funlockfile() function decrements the lock count.

       The  ftrylockfile()  function  is a nonblocking version of flockfile().
       It does nothing in case some other  thread  owns	 *filehandle,  and  it
       obtains ownership and increments the lockcount otherwise.

RETURN VALUE
       The  ftrylockfile()  function  returns  zero  for success (the lock was
       obtained), and nonzero for failure.

ERRORS
       None.

ATTRIBUTES
       For  an	explanation  of	 the  terms  used   in	 this	section,   see
       attributes(7).

       +------------------------------+---------------+---------+
       |Interface		      | Attribute     | Value	|
       +------------------------------+---------------+---------+
       |flockfile(),  ftrylockfile(), | Thread safety | MT-Safe |
       |funlockfile()		      |		      |		|
       +------------------------------+---------------+---------+
CONFORMING TO
       POSIX.1-2001, POSIX.1-2008.

AVAILABILITY
       These functions	are  available	when  _POSIX_THREAD_SAFE_FUNCTIONS  is
       defined.

SEE ALSO
       unlocked_stdio(3)

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 4.10 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
       description of the project, information about reporting bugs,  and  the
       latest	  version     of     this    page,    can    be	   found    at
       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



				  2016-03-15			  FLOCKFILE(3)