---
name: "archive_entry_perms"
section: "3"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/archive_entry_copy_fflags_text"
---

# archive\_entry\_perms(3)

functions for manipulating ownership and permissions in archive entry descriptions

Part of [archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text(3)](/archive_entry_copy_fflags_text/3.md).

## NAME

**archive\_entry\_gid**, **archive\_entry\_set\_gid**, **archive\_entry\_uid**, **archive\_entry\_set\_uid**, **archive\_entry\_perm**, **archive\_entry\_set\_perm**, **archive\_entry\_strmode**, **archive\_entry\_uname**, **archive\_entry\_uname\_w**, **archive\_entry\_set\_uname**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_uname**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_uname\_w**, **archive\_entry\_update\_uname\_utf8**, **archive\_entry\_gname**, **archive\_entry\_gname\_w**, **archive\_entry\_set\_gname**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_gname**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_gname\_w**, **archive\_entry\_update\_gname\_utf8**, **archive\_entry\_fflags**, **archive\_entry\_fflags\_text**, **archive\_entry\_set\_fflags**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text**, **archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text\_w** – functions for manipulating ownership and permissions in archive entry descriptions

## LIBRARY

Streaming Archive Library (libarchive, -larchive)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<archive\_entry.h\>**

*gid\_t*\

**archive\_entry\_gid**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_gid**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *gid\_t gid*);

*uid\_t*\

**archive\_entry\_uid**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_uid**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *uid\_t uid*);

*mode\_t*\

**archive\_entry\_perm**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_perm**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *mode\_t mode*);

*const* *char* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_strmode**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*const* *char* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_gname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*const* *wchar\_t* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_gname\_w**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_gname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_gname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*name*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_gname\_w**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const wchar\_t \*name*);

*int*\

**archive\_entry\_update\_gname\_utf8**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*name*);

*const* *char* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_uname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*const* *wchar\_t* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_uname\_w**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_uname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*name*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_uname**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*name*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_uname\_w**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const wchar\_t \*name*);

*int*\

**archive\_entry\_update\_uname\_utf8**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*name*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_fflags**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *unsigned long \*set\_bits*, *unsigned long \*clear\_bits*);

*const* *char* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_fflags\_text**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*);

*void*\

**archive\_entry\_set\_fflags**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *unsigned long set\_bits*, *unsigned long clear\_bits*);

*const* *char* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const char \*text*);

*const* *wchar\_t* *\**\

**archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text\_w**(*struct archive\_entry \*a*, *const wchar\_t \*text*);

## DESCRIPTION

### User id, group id and mode

The functions **archive\_entry\_uid**(), **archive\_entry\_gid**(), and **archive\_entry\_perm**() can be used to extract the user id, group id and permission from the given entry. The corresponding functions **archive\_entry\_set\_uid**(), **archive\_entry\_set\_gid**(), and **archive\_entry\_set\_perm**() store the given user id, group id and permission in the entry. The permission is also set as a side effect of calling **archive\_entry\_set\_mode**().

**archive\_entry\_strmode**() returns a string representation of the permission as used by the long mode of [ls(1)](/ls/1.md).

### User and group name

User and group names can be provided in one of three different ways:

- char \*

  Multibyte strings in the current locale.

- wchar\_t \*

  Wide character strings in the current locale. The accessor functions are named **XXX\_w**().

- UTF-8

  Unicode strings encoded as UTF-8. These are convenience functions to update both the multibyte and wide character strings at the same time.

**archive\_entry\_set\_XXX**() is an alias for **archive\_entry\_copy\_XXX**(). The strings are copied, and don't need to outlive the call.

### File Flags

File flags are transparently converted between a bitmap representation and a textual format. For example, if you set the bitmap and ask for text, the library will build a canonical text format. However, if you set a text format and request a text format, you will get back the same text, even if it is ill-formed. If you need to canonicalize a textual flags string, you should first set the text form, then request the bitmap form, then use that to set the bitmap form. Setting the bitmap format will clear the internal text representation and force it to be reconstructed when you next request the text form.

The bitmap format consists of two integers, one containing bits that should be set, the other specifying bits that should be cleared. Bits not mentioned in either bitmap will be ignored. Usually, the bitmap of bits to be cleared will be set to zero. In unusual circumstances, you can force a fully-specified set of file flags by setting the bitmap of flags to clear to the complement of the bitmap of flags to set. (This differs from [fflagstostr(3)](/fflagstostr/3.md), which only includes names for set bits.) Converting a bitmap to a textual string is a platform-specific operation; bits that are not meaningful on the current platform will be ignored.

The canonical text format is a comma-separated list of flag names. The **archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text**() and **archive\_entry\_copy\_fflags\_text\_w**() functions parse the provided text and set the internal bitmap values. This is a platform-specific operation; names that are not meaningful on the current platform will be ignored. The function returns a pointer to the start of the first name that was not recognized, or NULL if every name was recognized. Note that every name — including names that follow an unrecognized name — will be evaluated, and the bitmaps will be set to reflect every name that is recognized. (In particular, this differs from [strtofflags(3)](/strtofflags/3.md), which stops parsing at the first unrecognized name.)

## SEE ALSO

[archive\_entry(3)](/archive_entry/3.md), [archive\_entry\_acl(3)](/archive_entry_acl/3.md), [archive\_read\_disk(3)](/archive_read_disk/3.md), [archive\_write\_disk(3)](/archive_write_disk/3.md), [libarchive(3)](/libarchive/3.md)

## BUGS

The platform types *uid\_t* and *gid\_t* are often 16 or 32 bits wide. In this case it is possible that the ids can not be correctly restored from archives and get truncated.