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CHFLAGS(1)		     General Commands Manual		      CHFLAGS(1)

NAME
     chflags -- change file flags

SYNOPSIS
     chflags [-fhv] [-R [-H | -L | -P]] flags file ...

DESCRIPTION
     The  chflags  utility modifies the file flags of the listed files as speci-
     fied by the flags operand.

     The options are as follows:

     -f      Do not display a diagnostic message if chflags could not modify the
	     flags for file, nor modify the exit status to  reflect  such  fail-
	     ures.

     -H      If  the  -R option is specified, symbolic links on the command line
	     are followed.  (Symbolic links encountered in  the  tree  traversal
	     are not followed.)

     -h      If  the  file is a symbolic link, change the file flags of the link
	     itself rather than the file to which it points.

     -L      If the -R option is specified, all symbolic links are followed.

     -P      If the -R option is specified,  no  symbolic  links  are  followed.
	     This is the default.

     -R      Change  the file flags for the file hierarchies rooted in the files
	     instead of just the files themselves.

     -v      Cause chflags to be verbose, showing filenames  as  the  flags  are
	     modified.	 If  the  -v option is specified more than once, the old
	     and new flags of the file will also be printed, in octal notation.

     The flags are specified as an octal number or a  comma  separated	list  of
     keywords.	The following keywords are currently defined:

	   arch, archived
		   set the archived flag (super-user only)

	   opaque  set the opaque flag (owner or super-user only)

	   nodump  set the nodump flag (owner or super-user only)

	   sappnd, sappend
		   set the system append-only flag (super-user only)

	   schg, schange, simmutable
		   set the system immutable flag (super-user only)

	   sunlnk, sunlink
		   set the system undeletable flag (super-user only)

	   uappnd, uappend
		   set the user append-only flag (owner or super-user only)

	   uchg, uchange, uimmutable
		   set the user immutable flag (owner or super-user only)

	   uunlnk, uunlink
		   set the user undeletable flag (owner or super-user only)

     Putting the letters "no" before or removing the letters "no" from a keyword
     causes the flag to be cleared.  For example:

	   nouchg  clear the user immutable flag (owner or super-user only)
	   dump    clear the nodump flag (owner or super-user only)

     A few of the octal values include:

	   0   Clear all file flags.

	   1   Translates to the nodump keyword.

	   2   Translates to the uchg keyword.

	   3   Translates to the uchg, nodump keywords.

	   4   Translates to the uappnd keyword.

	   10  Translates to the opaque keyword.

	   20  translates to the uunlnk keyword.

     Other  combinations of keywords may be placed by using the octets assigned;
     however, these are the most notable.

     Unless the -H, -L, or -h options are given, chflags on a symbolic link  al-
     ways succeeds and has no effect.  The -H, -L and -P options are ignored un-
     less  the -R option is specified.	In addition, these options override each
     other and the command's actions are determined by the last one specified.

     You can use "ls -lo" to see the flags of existing files.

     Note that the ability to change certain flags is dependent on  the  current
     kernel  securelevel  setting.  See security(7) for more information on this
     setting.

EXIT STATUS
     The chflags utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

SEE ALSO
     ls(1), chflags(2), stat(2), fts(3), security(7), symlink(7)

HISTORY
     The chflags command first appeared in 4.4BSD.

BUGS
     Only a limited number of utilities are chflags aware.  Some of these  tools
     include  ls(1),  cp(1),  find(1),	install(1), dump(8), and restore(8).  In
     particular a tool which is not currently chflags aware is the pax(1)  util-
     ity.

FreeBSD 8.0			  March 3, 2006 		      CHFLAGS(1)
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