GETNETPATH(3NSL)    Networking Services Library Functions   GETNETPATH(3NSL)
NAME
       getnetpath, setnetpath, endnetpath - get /etc/netconfig entry
       corresponding to NETPATH component
SYNOPSIS
       #include <netconfig.h>       
struct netconfig *getnetpath(
void *handlep);       
void *setnetpath(
void);       
int endnetpath(
void *handlep);
DESCRIPTION
       The routines described on this page are part of the Network Selection
       component. They provide the application access to the system network
       configuration database, 
/etc/netconfig, as it is "filtered" by the       
NETPATH environment variable. See 
environ(7). See 
getnetconfig(3NSL)       for other routines that also access the network configuration
       database directly. The 
NETPATH variable is a list of colon-separated
       network identifiers.       
getnetpath() returns a pointer to the  
netconfig database entry
       corresponding to the first  valid 
NETPATH component. The 
netconfig       entry is formatted as a 
struct netconfig. On each subsequent call,       
getnetpath() returns a pointer to the  
netconfig entry that
       corresponds to the next valid 
NETPATH component. 
getnetpath() can
       thus be used to search the 
netconfig database for all networks
       included in the 
NETPATH variable. When 
NETPATH has been exhausted,       
getnetpath() returns NULL.
       A call to 
setnetpath() "binds" to or "rewinds" 
NETPATH.  
setnetpath()       must be called before the first call to 
getnetpath() and may be
       called at any other time. It returns a handle that is used by       
getnetpath().       
getnetpath() silently ignores invalid  
NETPATH components. A 
NETPATH       component is invalid if there is no corresponding entry in the       
netconfig database.
       If the 
NETPATH variable is 
unset, 
getnetpath() behaves as if 
NETPATH       were set to the sequence of "default" or "visible" networks in the       
netconfig database, in the order in which they are listed.       
endnetpath() may be called to "unbind" from 
NETPATH when processing
       is complete, releasing resources for reuse. Programmers should be
       aware, however, that 
endnetpath() frees all memory allocated by       
getnetpath() for the 
struct netconfig data structure.  
endnetpath()       returns 
0 on success and 
-1 on failure (for example, if 
setnetpath()       was not called previously).
RETURN VALUES
       setnetpath() returns a handle that is used by 
getnetpath(). In case
       of an error, 
setnetpath() returns 
NULL. nc_perror() or 
nc_sperror()       can be used to print out the reason for failure. See       
getnetconfig(3NSL).
       When first called, 
getnetpath() returns a pointer to the 
netconfig       database entry corresponding to the first valid 
NETPATH component.
       When 
NETPATH has been exhausted, 
getnetpath() returns NULL.       
endnetpath() returns 
0 on success and 
-1 on failure (for example, if       
setnetpath() was not called previously).
ATTRIBUTES
       See 
attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:
       +---------------+-----------------+
       |ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
       +---------------+-----------------+
       |MT-Level       | MT-Safe         |
       +---------------+-----------------+
SEE ALSO
       getnetconfig(3NSL), 
netconfig(5), 
attributes(7), 
environ(7)                              December 30, 1996             GETNETPATH(3NSL)