wordexp(5)

wordexp -- word-expansion utilities

Synopsis

   #include <wordexp.h>

Description

The wordexp header declares the type wordexp_t which includes the following members:

size_t we_wordc

The number of words that have been matched by words.

char **we_wordv

This is a pointer to a list of expanded words.

size_t we_offs

Slots to be reserved. These are found at the beginning of

we_wordv .

wordexp takes the argument flags. This argument is the bitwise inclusive OR of the flags that are listed below:

WRDE_APPEND

To words previously obtained,append new words.

WRDE_DOOFFS

A count of the null-pointers that should prepend to we_wordv.

WRDE_NOCMD

If there is a request for command substitution then fail.

WRDE_REUSE

Due to a successful call to wordexp, the pwordexp

argument has been passed to it but has not been passed to

wordfree. The result would be the same if a call had first

been made by the application to wordfree and then to

wordexp without using WRDE_REUSE.

WRDE_SHOWERR

The redirection of stderr to /dev/null should not occur.

WRDE_UNDEF

If the expansion of a shell variable that has not been defined is

attempted then an error is reported.

Error return values have the following constants defined:

WRDE_BADCHAR

One of the unquoted characters below is found in words

in an irrelevant context:

<newline> | & ; < > ( ) {}

WRDE_BADVAL

Attempting to reference shell variables that haven't been

defined when WRDE_UNDEF is set in flags.

WRDE_CMDSUB

Requesting command substitution when WRDE_NOCMD was set

in flags

WRDE_NOSPACE

Memory allocation attempt failure

WRDE_NOSYS

Function not supported by this implementation.

WRDE_SYNTAX

This is a syntax error in the shell such as an odd number of

brackets or strings that are unterminated.

The following functions are declared:

   int wordexp(const char *words,wordexp_t *pwordexp,int flags);
   
   void wordfree(wordexp_t *pwordexp);