exit(3) BSD Library Functions Manual exit(3)
NAME
exit, _Exit -- perform normal program termination
LIBRARY
Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
SYNOPSIS
#include <stdlib.h>
void
exit(int status);
void
_Exit(int status);
DESCRIPTION
The exit() and _Exit() functions terminate a process.
Before termination, exit() performs the following functions in the order
listed:
1. Call the functions registered with the atexit(3) function, in
the reverse order of their registration.
2. Flush all open output streams.
3. Close all open streams.
4. Unlink all files created with the tmpfile(3) function.
The _Exit() function terminates without calling the functions registered
with the atexit(3) function, and may or may not perform the other actions
listed. Both functions make the low-order eight bits of the status argu-
ment available to a parent process which has called a wait(2)-family
function.
The C Standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (``ISO C99'')) defines the values 0,
EXIT_SUCCESS, and EXIT_FAILURE as possible values of status. Cooperating
processes may use other values; in a program which might be called by a
mail transfer agent, the values described in sysexits(3) may be used to
provide more information to the parent process.
Note that exit() does nothing to prevent bottomless recursion should a
function registered using atexit(3) itself call exit(). Such functions
must call _Exit() instead (although this has other effects as well which
may not be desired).
RETURN VALUES
The exit() and _Exit() functions never return.
SEE ALSO
_exit(2), wait(2), atexit(3), intro(3), sysexits(3), tmpfile(3)
STANDARDS
The exit() and _Exit() functions conform to ISO/IEC 9899:1999
(``ISO C99'').
BSD September 9, 2002 BSD
Mac OS X 10.8 - Generated Mon Aug 27 16:32:56 CDT 2012