posix_getpwnam -- Return info about a user by username
Description
array posix_getpwnam ( string username )
Returns an associative array containing information about a user
referenced by an alphanumeric username, passed in the
username parameter.
The array elements returned are:
Table 1. The user information array
Element
Description
name
The name element contains the username of the user. This is
a short, usually less than 16 character "handle" of the
user, not her real, full name. This should be the same as
the username parameter used when
calling the function, and hence redundant.
passwd
The passwd element contains the user's password in an
encrypted format. Often, for example on a system employing
"shadow" passwords, an asterisk is returned instead.
uid
User ID of the user in numeric form.
gid
The group ID of the user. Use the function
posix_getgrgid() to resolve the group
name and a list of its members.
gecos
GECOS is an obsolete term that refers to the finger
information field on a Honeywell batch processing system.
The field, however, lives on, and its contents have been
formalized by POSIX. The field contains a comma separated
list containing the user's full name, office phone, office
number, and home phone number. On most systems, only the
user's full name is available.
dir
This element contains the absolute path to the home
directory of the user.
shell
The shell element contains the absolute path to the
executable of the user's default shell.
