ICONV(3)		   Linux Programmers Manual		     ICONV(3)



NAME
       iconv - perform character set conversion

SYNOPSIS
       #include 

       size_t iconv(iconv_t cd,
		    char **inbuf, size_t *inbytesleft,
		    char **outbuf, size_t *outbytesleft);

DESCRIPTION
       The argument cd must be a conversion descriptor created using the func
       tion iconv_open(3).

       The main case is when inbuf is not NULL and *inbuf  is  not  NULL.   In
       this  case, the iconv() function converts the multibyte sequence start
       ing at *inbuf to a multibyte sequence starting  at  *outbuf.   At  most
       *inbytesleft  bytes,  starting  at *inbuf, will be read.  At most *out
       bytesleft bytes, starting at *outbuf, will be written.

       The iconv() function converts one multibyte character at  a  time,  and
       for  each  character  conversion  it  increments  *inbuf and decrements
       *inbytesleft by the number of  converted  input	bytes,	it  increments
       *outbuf	and decrements *outbytesleft by the number of converted output
       bytes, and it updates the conversion state contained in cd.   The  con
       version can stop for four reasons:

       1.  An invalid multibyte sequence is encountered in the input.  In this
       case it sets errno to EILSEQ and returns (size_t) -1.  *inbuf  is  left
       pointing to the beginning of the invalid multibyte sequence.

       2.  The	input  byte  sequence  has  been  entirely converted, that is,
       *inbytesleft has gone down to 0.  In this case iconv() returns the num
       ber of non-reversible conversions performed during this call.

       3.  An  incomplete  multibyte sequence is encountered in the input, and
       the input byte sequence terminates after it.   In  this	case  it  sets
       errno  to  EINVAL  and returns (size_t) -1.  *inbuf is left pointing to
       the beginning of the incomplete multibyte sequence.

       4. The output buffer has no more room for the next converted character.
       In this case it sets errno to E2BIG and returns (size_t) -1.

       A different case is when inbuf is NULL or *inbuf is NULL, but outbuf is
       not NULL and *outbuf is not NULL.  In this case, the  iconv()  function
       attempts  to set cds conversion state to the initial state and store a
       corresponding shift sequence at *outbuf.  At most *outbytesleft	bytes,
       starting at *outbuf, will be written.  If the output buffer has no more
       room for this reset sequence,  it  sets	errno  to  E2BIG  and  returns
       (size_t) -1.   Otherwise  it  increments  *outbuf  and decrements *out
       bytesleft by the number of bytes written.

       A third case is when inbuf is NULL or *inbuf is	NULL,  and  outbuf  is
       NULL  or *outbuf is NULL.  In this case, the iconv() function sets cds
       conversion state to the initial state.

RETURN VALUE
       The iconv() function returns the number of characters  converted  in  a
       non-reversible  way  during  this  call; reversible conversions are not
       counted.  In case of error, it sets errno and returns (size_t) -1.

ERRORS
       The following errors can occur, among others:

       E2BIG  There is not sufficient room at *outbuf.

       EILSEQ An invalid multibyte sequence has been encountered in the input.

       EINVAL An  incomplete  multibyte  sequence  has been encountered in the
	      input.

CONFORMING TO
       POSIX.1-2001.

SEE ALSO
       iconv_close(3), iconv_open(3)

COLOPHON
       This page is part of release 3.05 of the Linux  man-pages  project.   A
       description  of	the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



GNU				  2001-11-15			      ICONV(3)