inotify_add_watch

INOTIFY_ADD_WATCH(2)       Linux Programmer's Manual      INOTIFY_ADD_WATCH(2)

NAME
       inotify_add_watch - add a watch to an initialized inotify instance

SYNOPSIS
       #include <sys/inotify.h>

       int inotify_add_watch(int fd, const char *pathname, uint32_t mask);

DESCRIPTION
       inotify_add_watch()  adds  a  new watch, or modifies an existing watch,
       for the file whose location is specified in pathname; the  caller  must
       have read permission for this file.  The fd argument is a file descrip-
       tor referring to the inotify instance whose watch list is to  be  modi-
       fied.   The  events  to  be monitored for pathname are specified in the
       mask bit-mask argument.  See inotify(7) for a description of  the  bits
       that can be set in mask.

       A  successful  call  to  inotify_add_watch() returns a unique watch de-
       scriptor for this inotify instance, for the filesystem  object  (inode)
       that  corresponds to pathname.  If the filesystem object was not previ-
       ously being watched by this inotify instance, then the watch descriptor
       is newly allocated.  If the filesystem object was already being watched
       (perhaps via a different link to the same object), then the  descriptor
       for the existing watch is returned.

       The  watch  descriptor  is  returned by later read(2)s from the inotify
       file descriptor.  These reads fetch inotify_event structures (see  ino-
       tify(7)) indicating filesystem events; the watch descriptor inside this
       structure identifies the object for which the event occurred.

RETURN VALUE
       On success, inotify_add_watch() returns a nonnegative watch descriptor.
       On error, -1 is returned and errno is set appropriately.

ERRORS
       EACCES Read access to the given file is not permitted.

       EBADF  The given file descriptor is not valid.

       EEXIST mask  contains  IN_MASK_CREATE and pathname refers to a file al-
              ready being watched by the same fd.

       EFAULT pathname points outside  of  the  process's  accessible  address
              space.

       EINVAL The  given event mask contains no valid events; or mask contains
              both IN_MASK_ADD and IN_MASK_CREATE; or fd  is  not  an  inotify
              file descriptor.

       ENAMETOOLONG
              pathname is too long.

       ENOENT A  directory  component  in pathname does not exist or is a dan-
              gling symbolic link.

       ENOMEM Insufficient kernel memory was available.

       ENOSPC The user limit on  the  total  number  of  inotify  watches  was
              reached or the kernel failed to allocate a needed resource.

       ENOTDIR
              mask contains IN_ONLYDIR and pathname is not a directory.

VERSIONS
       Inotify was merged into the 2.6.13 Linux kernel.

CONFORMING TO
       This system call is Linux-specific.

SEE ALSO
       inotify_init(2), inotify_rm_watch(2), inotify(7)

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 5.05 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/.

Linux                             2019-10-10              INOTIFY_ADD_WATCH(2)