'\" et
.TH STRCPY "3P" 2017 "IEEE/The Open Group" "POSIX Programmer's Manual"
.\"
.SH PROLOG
This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual.
The Linux implementation of this interface may differ (consult
the corresponding Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior),
or the interface may not be implemented on Linux.
.\"
.SH NAME
stpcpy, strcpy
\(em copy a string and return a pointer to the end of the result
.SH SYNOPSIS
.LP
.nf
#include <string.h>
.P
char *stpcpy(char *restrict \fIs1\fP, const char *restrict \fIs2\fP);
char *strcpy(char *restrict \fIs1\fP, const char *restrict \fIs2\fP);
.fi
.SH DESCRIPTION
For
\fIstrcpy\fR():
The functionality described on this reference page is aligned with the
ISO\ C standard. Any conflict between the requirements described here and the
ISO\ C standard is unintentional. This volume of POSIX.1\(hy2017 defers to the ISO\ C standard.
.P
The
\fIstpcpy\fR()
and
\fIstrcpy\fR()
functions shall copy the string pointed to by
.IR s2
(including the terminating NUL character) into the array pointed to by
.IR s1 .
.P
If copying takes place between objects that overlap, the behavior is
undefined.
.SH "RETURN VALUE"
The
\fIstpcpy\fR()
function shall return a pointer to the terminating NUL character copied
into the
.IR s1
buffer.
.P
The
\fIstrcpy\fR()
function shall return
.IR s1 .
.P
No return values are reserved to indicate an error.
.SH ERRORS
No errors are defined.
.LP
.IR "The following sections are informative."
.SH EXAMPLES
.SS "Construction of a Multi-Part Message in a Single Buffer"
.sp
.RS 4
.nf

#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
.P
int
main (void)
{
    char buffer [10];
    char *name = buffer;
.P
    name = stpcpy (stpcpy (stpcpy (name, "ice"),"-"), "cream");
    puts (buffer);
    return 0;
}
.fi
.P
.RE
.SS "Initializing a String"
.P
The following example copies the string
.BR \(dq----------\(dq 
into the
.IR permstring
variable.
.sp
.RS 4
.nf

#include <string.h>
\&...
static char permstring[11];
\&...
strcpy(permstring, "----------");
\&...
.fi
.P
.RE
.SS "Storing a Key and Data"
.P
The following example allocates space for a key using
\fImalloc\fR()
then uses
\fIstrcpy\fR()
to place the key there. Then it allocates space for data using
\fImalloc\fR(),
and uses
\fIstrcpy\fR()
to place data there. (The user-defined function
\fIdbfree\fR()
frees memory previously allocated to an array of type
.BR "struct element *" .)
.sp
.RS 4
.nf

#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
\&...
/* Structure used to read data and store it. */
struct element {
    char *key;
    char *data;
};
.P
struct element *tbl, *curtbl;
char *key, *data;
int count;
\&...
void dbfree(struct element *, int);
\&...
if ((curtbl->key = malloc(strlen(key) + 1)) == NULL) {
    perror("malloc"); dbfree(tbl, count); return NULL;
}
strcpy(curtbl->key, key);
.P
if ((curtbl->data = malloc(strlen(data) + 1)) == NULL) {
    perror("malloc"); free(curtbl->key); dbfree(tbl, count); return NULL;
}
strcpy(curtbl->data, data);
\&...
.fi
.P
.RE
.SH "APPLICATION USAGE"
Character movement is performed differently in different
implementations. Thus, overlapping moves may yield surprises.
.P
This version is aligned with the ISO\ C standard; this does not affect
compatibility with XPG3 applications. Reliable error detection by this
function was never guaranteed.
.SH RATIONALE
None.
.SH "FUTURE DIRECTIONS"
None.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.IR "\fIstrncpy\fR\^(\|)",
.IR "\fIwcscpy\fR\^(\|)"
.P
The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1\(hy2017,
.IR "\fB<string.h>\fP"
.\"
.SH COPYRIGHT
Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form
from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology
-- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base
Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition,
Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group.
In the event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and
The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard
is the referee document. The original Standard can be obtained online at
http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .
.PP
Any typographical or formatting errors that appear
in this page are most likely
to have been introduced during the conversion of the source files to
man page format. To report such errors, see
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .