NAME

       gd_close, gd_discard — close a dirfile and free associated memory.

SYNOPSIS

       #include <getdata.h>

       int gd_close(DIRFILE *dirfile);

       int gd_discard(DIRFILE *dirfile);

DESCRIPTION

       The  gd_close()  function  first  calls  gd_flush(3)  (with field_code set to NULL) to flush all metadata
       changes to disk and to close all file handles associated with dirfile.  It then frees  memory  associated
       with the DIRFILE object.  If dirfile is NULL, nothing happens, and the call succeeds.

       The  gd_discard() function behaves similarly, except modified metadata is not written to disk, but simply
       discarded.  In order to ensure that modified data files associated with RAW fields are properly terminat‐
       ed, changes to RAW data files are still flushed to disk by this function.  If dirfile was opened in read-
       only mode, gd_discard() and gd_close() behave identically.

       One of these functions should be called on all pointers returned by gd_cbopen(3), gd_open(3), and  gd_in‐
       valid_dirfile(3),  even  if  the call to those function failed.  After gd_close() or gd_discard() returns
       successfully, the pointer dirfile should be considered invalid.

       Metadata is written to disk using the current Standards Version as stored in  the  dirfile  object.   See
       gd_dirfile_standards(3)  to change or report the current Standards Version.  If the dirfile metadata con‐
       forms to no known Standards Version, Standards non-compliant metadata will be written.

RETURN VALUE

       gd_close() and gd_discard() return zero on success.  On error, they do not de-allocate  dirfile  and  set
       the dirfile error to a non-zero error value.  Possible error values are:

       GD_E_FLUSH
               A  temporary  file could not be opened into which to write the modified metadata, or renaming the
               temporary file over the original fragment failed.

       GD_E_RAW_IO
               An error occurred while trying to flush or close one or more open raw files.  In this  case,  an‐
               other call to gd_close() or gd_discard() may be attempted.

       The dirfile error may be retrieved by calling gd_error(3).  A descriptive error string for the last error
       encountered can be obtained from a call to gd_error_string(3).

SEE ALSO

       gd_cbopen(3),    gd_dirfile_standards(3),    gd_error(3),    gd_error_string(3),    gd_flush(3),   gd_in‐
       valid_dirfile(3), gd_open(3)

Version 0.7.0                                    20 October 2010                                     gd_close(3)