NAME
       file - Manipulate file names and attributes

SYNOPSIS
       file option name ?arg arg ...?


DESCRIPTION
       This   command   provides  several  operations  on  a  file's  name  or
       attributes.  Name is the name of a file; if it  starts  with  a  tilde,
       then  tilde  substitution is done before executing the command (see the
       manual entry for filename for details).  Option indicates  what  to  do
       with  the file name.  Any unique abbreviation for option is acceptable.
       The valid options are:

       file atime name ?time?
              Returns a decimal string giving the time at which file name  was
              last  accessed.   If  time is specified, it is an access time to
              set for the file.  The time is measured in  the  standard  POSIX
              fashion  as seconds from a fixed starting time (often January 1,
              1970).  If the file doesn't exist or its access time  cannot  be
              queried or set then an error is generated.  On Windows, FAT file
              systems do not support access time.

       file attributes name
              file attributes name ?option?
              file attributes name ?option value option value...?
              This subcommand returns or sets platform specific values associ-
              ated  with a file. The first form returns a list of the platform
              specific flags and their values. The  second  form  returns  the
              value  for  the specific option. The third form sets one or more
              of the values. The values are as follows:

              On Unix, -group gets or sets the group  name  for  the  file.  A
              group  id  can  be  given to the command, but it returns a group
              name. -owner gets or sets the user name  of  the  owner  of  the
              file.  The  command returns the owner name, but the numerical id
              can be passed when  setting  the  owner.  -permissions  sets  or
              retrieves  the octal code that chmod(1) uses.  This command does
              also  has  limited  support  for  setting  using  the   symbolic
              attributes for chmod(1), of the form [ugo]?[[+-=][rwxst],[...]],
              where multiple symbolic attributes can be  separated  by  commas
              (example:  u+s,go-rw  add  sticky  bit for user, remove read and
              write permissions for group and other).  A simplified  ls  style
              string,  of  the  form rwxrwxrwx (must be 9 characters), is also
              supported (example: rwxr-xr-t is equivalent to 01755).

              On Windows, -archive gives the  value  or  sets  or  clears  the
              archive  attribute  of the file. -hidden gives the value or sets
              or clears the hidden  attribute  of  the  file.  -longname  will
              expand  each  path  element  to its long version. This attribute
              cannot be set. -readonly gives the value or sets or  clears  the
              readonly  attribute of the file. -shortname gives a string where
              every path element is replaced with its short (8.3)  version  of
              the name. This attribute cannot be set. -system gives or sets or
              clears the value of the system attribute of the file.

              On Macintosh, -creator gives or sets the Finder creator type  of
              the  file.  -hidden gives or sets or clears the hidden attribute
              of the file. -readonly gives or  sets  or  clears  the  readonly
              attribute  of the file. Note that directories can only be locked
              if File Sharing is turned on. -type gives  or  sets  the  Finder
              file type for the file.

       file channels ?pattern?
              If  pattern isn't specified, returns a list of names of all reg-
              istered open channels in this interpreter.  If pattern is speci-
              fied,  only those names matching pattern are returned.  Matching
              is determined using the same rules as for string match.

       file copy ?-force? ?--? source target
              file copy ?-force? ?--? source ?source ...? targetDir
              The first form makes a copy of  the  file  or  directory  source
              under  the pathname target.  If target is an existing directory,
              then the second form is used.  The  second  form  makes  a  copy
              inside  targetDir of each source file listed.  If a directory is
              specified as a source, then the contents of the  directory  will
              be  recursively  copied into targetDir.  Existing files will not
              be overwritten unless the -force option is specified.  Trying to
              overwrite  a  non-empty  directory, overwrite a directory with a
              file, or a file with a directory will all result in errors  even
              if  -force  was specified.  Arguments are processed in the order
              specified, halting at the first error, if any.  A --  marks  the
              end  of  switches; the argument following the -- will be treated
              as a source even if it starts with a -.

       file delete ?-force? ?--? pathname ?pathname ... ?
              Removes the file or directory specified by each  pathname  argu-
              ment.   Non-empty directories will be removed only if the -force
              option is specified.  Trying to delete a  non-existant  file  is
              not considered an error.  Trying to delete a read-only file will
              cause the file to be deleted, even if the -force  flags  is  not
              specified.   Arguments  are  processed  in  the order specified,
              halting at the first error, if any.   A  --  marks  the  end  of
              switches;  the  argument  following  the -- will be treated as a
              pathname even if it starts with a -.

       file dirname name
              Returns a name comprised of all of the path components  in  name
              excluding the last element.  If name is a relative file name and
              only contains one path element, then returns ``.'' (or ``:''  on
              the  Macintosh).   If  name refers to a root directory, then the
              root directory is returned.  For example,
                     file dirname c:/
              returns c:/.

              Note that tilde substitution will only be  performed  if  it  is
              necessary to complete the command. For example,
                     file dirname ~/src/foo.c
              returns ~/src, whereas
                     file dirname ~
              returns /home (or something similar).

       file executable name
              Returns 1 if file name is executable by the current user, 0 oth-
              erwise.

       file exists name
              Returns 1 if file name exists and the current  user  has  search
              privileges for the directories leading to it, 0 otherwise.

       file extension name
              Returns  all  of  the characters in name after and including the
              last dot in the last element of name.  If there is no dot in the
              last element of name then returns the empty string.

       file isdirectory name
              Returns 1 if file name is a directory, 0 otherwise.

       file isfile name
              Returns 1 if file name is a regular file, 0 otherwise.

       file join name ?name ...?
              Takes  one  or more file names and combines them, using the cor-
              rect path separator for the current platform.  If  a  particular
              name  is  relative,  then it will be joined to the previous file
              name argument.  Otherwise, any earlier arguments  will  be  dis-
              carded, and joining will proceed from the current argument.  For
              example,
                     file join a b /foo bar
              returns /foo/bar.

              Note that any of the names can contain separators, and that  the
              result  is always canonical for the current platform: / for Unix
              and Windows, and : for Macintosh.

       file lstat name varName
              Same as stat option (see below) except  uses  the  lstat  kernel
              call  instead of stat.  This means that if name refers to a sym-
              bolic link the information returned in varName is for  the  link
              rather  than  the file it refers to.  On systems that don't sup-
              port symbolic links this option behaves exactly the same as  the
              stat option.

       file mkdir dir ?dir ...?
              Creates  each directory specified.  For each pathname dir speci-
              fied, this command will create all non-existing parent  directo-
              ries  as well as dir itself.  If an existing directory is speci-
              fied, then no action is taken and no error is returned.   Trying
              to overwrite an existing file with a directory will result in an
              error.  Arguments are processed in the order specified,  halting
              at the first error, if any.

       file mtime name ?time?
              Returns  a decimal string giving the time at which file name was
              last modified.  If time is specified, it is a modification  time
              to  set  for  the  file (equivalent to Unix touch).  The time is
              measured in the standard POSIX fashion as seconds from  a  fixed
              starting  time  (often  January  1,  1970).  If the file doesn't
              exist or its modified time cannot be  queried  or  set  then  an
              error is generated.

       file nativename name
              Returns  the  platform-specific name of the file. This is useful
              if the filename is needed to pass to a  platform-specific  call,
              such as exec under Windows or AppleScript on the Macintosh.

       file owned name
              Returns  1  if  file name is owned by the current user, 0 other-
              wise.

       file pathtype name
              Returns one of  absolute,  relative,  volumerelative.   If  name
              refers  to  a  specific file on a specific volume, the path type
              will be absolute.  If name refers to a file relative to the cur-
              rent working directory, then the path type will be relative.  If
              name refers to a file relative to the current working  directory
              on  a  specified  volume,  or  to a specific file on the current
              working volume, then the file type is volumerelative.

       file readable name
              Returns 1 if file name is readable by the current user, 0 other-
              wise.

       file readlink name
              Returns  the  value of the symbolic link given by name (i.e. the
              name of the file it points to).  If name isn't a  symbolic  link
              or its value cannot be read, then an error is returned.  On sys-
              tems that don't support symbolic links this option is undefined.

       file rename ?-force? ?--? source target

       file rename ?-force? ?--? source ?source ...? targetDir
              The first form takes the file or directory specified by pathname
              source and renames it to target, moving the file if the pathname
              target  specifies a name in a different directory.  If target is
              an existing directory, then the second form is used.  The second
              form moves each source file or directory into the directory tar-
              getDir.  Existing files  will  not  be  overwritten  unless  the
              -force  option  is  specified.   Trying to overwrite a non-empty
              directory, overwrite a directory with a file, or a file  with  a
              directory will all result in errors.  Arguments are processed in
              the order specified, halting at the first error, if any.   A  --
              marks the end of switches; the argument following the -- will be
              treated as a source even if it starts with a -.

       file rootname name
              Returns all of the characters in name up to  but  not  including
              the  last ``.'' character in the last component of name.  If the
              last component of name doesn't contain a dot, then returns name.

       file size name
              Returns  a decimal string giving the size of file name in bytes.
              If the file doesn't exist or its size cannot be queried then  an
              error is generated.

       file split name
              Returns  a  list whose elements are the path components in name.
              The first element of the list will have the same  path  type  as
              name.   All  other  elements  will be relative.  Path separators
              will be discarded unless they are needed ensure that an  element
              is unambiguously relative.  For example, under Unix
                     file split /foo/~bar/baz
              returns  /  foo  ./~bar  baz  to ensure that later commands that
              use the third component do not attempt to perform tilde  substi-
              tution.

       file stat  name varName
              Invokes  the  stat  kernel  call  on name, and uses the variable
              given by varName to hold information returned  from  the  kernel
              call.   VarName is treated as an array variable, and the follow-
              ing elements of that variable are set: atime, ctime,  dev,  gid,
              ino,  mode,  mtime, nlink, size, type, uid.  Each element except
              type is a decimal string with the  value  of  the  corresponding
              field  from  the stat return structure; see the manual entry for
              stat for details on the meanings of the values.  The  type  ele-
              ment gives the type of the file in the same form returned by the
              command file type.  This command returns an empty string.

       file tail name
              Returns all of the characters in name after the  last  directory
              separator.  If name contains no separators then returns name.

       file type name
              Returns a string giving the type of file name, which will be one
              of file, directory, characterSpecial, blockSpecial, fifo,  link,
              or socket.

       file volume
              Returns the absolute paths to the volumes mounted on the system,
              as a proper Tcl list.  On the Macintosh, this will be a list  of
              the  mounted drives, both local and network.  N.B. if two drives
              have the same name, they will both appear on  the  volume  list,
              but  there  is currently no way, from Tcl, to access any but the
              first of these drives.  On UNIX, the command will always  return
              "/",  since all filesystems are locally mounted.  On Windows, it
              will return a list of the  available  local  drives  (e.g.  {a:/
              c:/}).

       file writable name
              Returns 1 if file name is writable by the current user, 0 other-
              wise.

PORTABILITY ISSUES
       Unix
              These commands always operate using  the  real  user  and  group
              identifiers, not the effective ones.


SEE ALSO
       filename


KEYWORDS
       attributes,  copy  files,  delete  files,  directory, file, move files,
