rename, _wrename

Rename a file or directory.

int rename( const char *oldname, const char *newname );

int _wrename( const wchar_t *oldname, const wchar_t *newname );

Routine Required Header Compatibility
rename <io.h> or <stdio.h> ANSI, Win 95, Win NT
_wrename <stdio.h> or <wchar.h> Win NT

For additional compatibility information, see Compatibility in the Introduction.

Libraries

LIBC.LIB Single thread static library, retail version
LIBCMT.LIB Multithread static library, retail version
MSVCRT.LIB Import library for MSVCRT.DLL, retail version

Return Value

Each of these functions returns 0 if it is successful. On an error, the function  returns a nonzero value and sets errno to one of the following values:

EACCES

File or directory specified by newname already exists or could not be created (invalid path); or oldname is a directory and newname specifies a different path.

ENOENT

File or path specified by oldname not found.

EINVAL

Name contains invalid characters.

For other possible return values, see _doserrno, _errno, syserrlist, and _sys_nerr.

Parameters

oldname

Pointer to old name

newname

Pointer to new name

Remarks

The rename function renames the file or directory specified by oldname to the name given by newname. The old name must be the path of an existing file or directory. The new name must not be the name of an existing file or directory. You can use rename to move a file from one directory or device to another by giving a different path in the newname argument. However, you cannot use rename to move a directory. Directories can be renamed, but not moved.

_wrename is a wide-character version of _rename; the arguments to _wrename are wide-character strings. _wrename and _rename behave identically otherwise.

Generic-Text Routine Mappings

TCHAR.H Routine _UNICODE & _MBCS Not Defined _MBCS Defined _UNICODE Defined
_trename rename rename _wrename

Example

/* RENAMER.C: This program attempts to rename a file
 * named RENAMER.OBJ to RENAMER.JBO. For this operation
 * to succeed, a file named RENAMER.OBJ must exist and
 * a file named RENAMER.JBO must not exist.
 */

#include <stdio.h>

void main( void )
{
   int  result;
   char old[] = "RENAMER.OBJ", new[] = "RENAMER.JBO";

   /* Attempt to rename file: */
   result = rename( old, new );
   if( result != 0 )
      printf( "Could not rename '%s'\n", old );
   else
      printf( "File '%s' renamed to '%s'\n", old, new );
}

Output

File 'RENAMER.OBJ' renamed to 'RENAMER.JBO'

File Handling Routines