Changing the current directory in Linux using C++

Question

I have the following code:

#include 
#include 
#include 

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    // Variables
          


        

Answer 1

if (chdir(sDirectory.c_str()) == -1) {
    // handle the wonderful error by checking errno.
    // you might want to #include <cerrno> to access the errno global variable.
}

Answer 2

int chdir(sDirectory); isn't the correct syntax to call the chdir function. It is a declaration of an int called chdir with an invalid string initializer (`sDirectory).

To call the function you just have to do:

chdir(sDirectory.c_str());

Note that chdir takes a const char*, not a std::string so you have to use .c_str().

If you want to preserve the return value you can declare an integer and use a chdir call to initialize it but you have to give the int a name:

int chdir_return_value = chdir(sDirectory.c_str());

Finally, note that in most operating system the current or working directory can only be set for the process itself and any children it creates. It (almost) never affects the process that spawned the process changing its current directory.

If you expect to find the working directory of your shell to be changed once your program terminates you are likely to be disappointed.

Answer 3

The issue is that you are string to pass an STL string to chdir(). chdir() requires a C Style string, which is just an array of characters terminated with a NUL byte.

What you need to be doing is chdir(sDirectory.c_str()) which will convert it to a C Style string. And also the int on int chdir(sDirectory); isn't necessary.