Python 3 – os.lchown() Method
In Python programming, the os module provides a way of using operating system-dependent functionalities. The os.lchown() method in the os module is used to change the owner and group id on a symbolic link.
Syntax
os.lchown(path, uid, gid)
Parameters
The os.lchown() method takes in three parameters:
path
– This is a string of the path where the symbolic link owner and group id will be changed.uid
– This is an integer representing the User ID (UID) of the new owner.gid
– This is an integer representing the Group ID (GID) of the new group owner.
Return Value
The os.lchown() method returns nothing.
Example
import os
# Creating a symbolic link
path = "/Users/johndoe/Desktop/symlink.txt"
os.symlink("/Users/johndoe/Desktop/file.txt", path)
# Changing the ownership of the symbolic link
os.lchown(path, 1001, 1001)
In this example, we created a symbolic link that points to a file called file.txt
. We then used the os.lchown() method to change the ownership of the symlink to the user with UID of 1001 and GID of 1001.
Explanation
The os.lchown() method is similar to the os.chown() method, but the former is used to change the owner and group ID of a symbolic link itself instead of the file or directory that the link points to.
In the example above, we created a symbolic link using the os.symlink() method. We then used the os.lchown() method to change the ownership of the symlink to the user with UID of 1001 and GID of 1001.
If we had used the os.chown() method instead, it would have changed the ownership of the file that the symlink points to, which is not what we wanted to do.
Error Handling
If the symbolic link to be modified does not exist or is not a symbolic link, the os.lchown() method raises a FileNotFoundError or a NotADirectoryError exception, respectively.
Conclusion
The os.lchown() method in the os module is used to change the owner and group ID of a symbolic link. It takes in the path of the symlink and the desired owner and group IDs as parameters. Use this method when you need to change the ownership of a symbolic link itself, instead of the file that the link points to.