# std::filesystem::directory_entry::status, std::filesystem::directory_entry::symlink_status

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< cpp‎ | filesystem‎ | directory entry

std::filesystem::file_status status() const; std::filesystem::file_status status( std::error_code& ec ) const noexcept; | (1) | (since C++17)
std::filesystem::file_status symlink_status() const; std::filesystem::file_status symlink_status( std::error_code& ec ) const noexcept; | (2) | (since C++17)

1) Returns status of the entry, as if determined by a filesystem::status call (symlinks are followed to their targets).
2) Returns status of the entry, as if determined by a filesystem::symlink_status call (symlinks are not followed).

### Parameters

ec | - | out-parameter for error reporting in the non-throwing overload

### Return value

The status of the file referred to by the entry.

### Exceptions

The overload that does not take a std::error_code& parameter throws `filesystem::filesystem_error` on underlying OS API errors, constructed with `p` as the first path argument and the OS error code as the error code argument. The overload taking a std::error_code& parameter sets it to the OS API error code if an OS API call fails, and executes ec.clear() if no errors occur. Any overload not marked `noexcept` may throw std::bad_alloc if memory allocation fails.

### Notes

Many low-level OS APIs for directory traversal retrieve file attributes along with the next directory entry. The constructors and the non-const member functions of std::filesystem::directory_iterator store these attributes, if any, in the pointed-to std::filesystem::directory_entry without calling `directory_entry::refresh`, which makes it possible to examine the attributes of the directory entries as they are being iterated over, without making additional system calls.

### Example

Run this code

    #include <iostream>
    #include <fstream>
    #include <cstdio>
    #include <cstring>
    #include <filesystem>
    #include <unistd.h>
    #include <sys/socket.h>
    #include <sys/un.h>
    #include <sys/stat.h>

    namespace fs = std::filesystem;

    void demo_status(const fs::path& p, fs::file_status s)
    {
        std::cout << p;
        // alternative: switch(s.type()) { case fs::file_type::regular: ...}
        if(fs::is_regular_file(s)) std::cout << " is a regular file\n";
        if(fs::is_directory(s)) std::cout << " is a directory\n";
        if(fs::is_block_file(s)) std::cout << " is a block device\n";
        if(fs::is_character_file(s)) std::cout << " is a character device\n";
        if(fs::is_fifo(s)) std::cout << " is a named IPC pipe\n";
        if(fs::is_socket(s)) std::cout << " is a named IPC socket\n";
        if(fs::is_symlink(s)) std::cout << " is a symlink\n";
        if(!fs::exists(s)) std::cout << " does not exist\n";
    }

    int main()
    {
        // create files of different kinds
        fs::create_directory("sandbox");
        std::ofstream("sandbox/file"); // create regular file
        fs::create_directory("sandbox/dir");
        mkfifo("sandbox/pipe", 0644);
        sockaddr_un addr;
        addr.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
        std::strcpy(addr.sun_path, "sandbox/sock");
        int fd = socket(PF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
        bind(fd, reinterpret_cast<sockaddr*>(&addr), sizeof addr);
        fs::create_symlink("file", "sandbox/symlink");

        // demo different status accessors
        for(auto it = fs::directory_iterator("sandbox"); it != fs::directory_iterator(); ++it)
            demo_status(*it, it->symlink_status()); // use cached status from directory entry
        demo_status("/dev/null", fs::status("/dev/null")); // direct calls to status
        demo_status("/dev/sda", fs::status("/dev/sda"));
        demo_status("sandbox/no", fs::status("/sandbox/no"));

        // cleanup
        close(fd);
        fs::remove_all("sandbox");
    }

Possible output:

    "sandbox/file" is a regular file
    "sandbox/dir" is a directory
    "sandbox/pipe" is a named IPC pipe
    "sandbox/sock" is a named IPC socket
    "sandbox/symlink" is a symlink
    "/dev/null" is a character device
    "/dev/sda" is a block device
    "sandbox/no" does not exist

### See also

refresh | updates the cached file attributes (public member function)
exists | checks whether directory entry refers to existing file system object (public member function)
is_block_file | checks whether the directory entry refers to block device (public member function)
is_character_file | checks whether the directory entry refers to a character device (public member function)
is_directory | checks whether the directory entry refers to a directory (public member function)
is_fifo | checks whether the directory entry refers to a named pipe (public member function)
is_other | checks whether the directory entry refers to an other file (public member function)
is_regular_file | checks whether the directory entry refers to a regular file (public member function)
is_socket | checks whether the directory entry refers to a named IPC socket (public member function)
is_symlink | checks whether the directory entry refers to a symbolic link (public member function)
file_size | returns the size of the file to which the directory entry refers (public member function)
hard_link_count | returns the number of hard links referring to the file to which the directory entry refers (public member function)
last_write_time | gets or sets the time of the last data modification of the file to which the directory entry refers (public member function)

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