PowerBuilder

Read the Target of a Symbolic Link

Demonstrates the Chilkat SFtp.ReadLink method, which returns the target path stored in a remote symbolic link. The only argument is the link path. The example then resolves the target to an absolute path with RealPath.

Background: ReadLink returns the raw string stored in the link exactly as it was created — which may be relative, absolute, or even dangling — without resolving it. That distinction matters: to learn where a link actually leads you follow it with RealPath, which canonicalizes the path on the server. Reading the raw target is the right choice when you need to inspect or preserve the link itself rather than its destination.

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integer li_rc
integer li_Success
oleobject loo_Sftp
integer li_Port
string ls_Password
string ls_Target
string ls_AbsTarget

li_Success = 0

//  Demonstrates the SFtp.ReadLink method, which returns the target path stored in a remote
//  symbolic link.  The only argument is the link path.

loo_Sftp = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Sftp.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.SFtp")
if li_rc < 0 then
    destroy loo_Sftp
    MessageBox("Error","Connecting to COM object failed")
    return
end if

//  Connect, authenticate, and initialize the SFTP subsystem.
li_Port = 22
li_Success = loo_Sftp.Connect("sftp.example.com",li_Port)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

//  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
//  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
ls_Password = "mySshPassword"

li_Success = loo_Sftp.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",ls_Password)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

li_Success = loo_Sftp.InitializeSftp()
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

//  Read the target of a symbolic link.  The returned value is the raw target string stored in
//  the link; it is not canonicalized and can be relative or absolute.
ls_Target = loo_Sftp.ReadLink("subdir/latest.log")
if loo_Sftp.LastMethodSuccess = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

Write-Debug "The link points to: " + ls_Target

//  To resolve it to an absolute path, pass it to RealPath.
ls_AbsTarget = loo_Sftp.RealPath(ls_Target,"")
if loo_Sftp.LastMethodSuccess = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Sftp.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Sftp
    return
end if

Write-Debug "Absolute target: " + ls_AbsTarget

loo_Sftp.Disconnect()


destroy loo_Sftp