The Etc module provides access to information typically stored in files in the /etc directory on Unix systems.

The information accessible consists of the information found in the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files, plus information about the system’s temporary directory (/tmp) and configuration directory (/etc).

The Etc module provides a more reliable way to access information about the logged in user than environment variables such as +$USER+.

Example:

require 'etc'

login = Etc.getlogin
info = Etc.getpwnam(login)
username = info.gecos.split(/,/).first
puts "Hello #{username}, I see your login name is #{login}"

Note that the methods provided by this module are not always secure. It should be used for informational purposes, and not for security.

All operations defined in this module are class methods, so that you can include the Etc module into your class.

Constants

Group = Define-const: Group Group is a Struct that is only available when compiled with +HAVE_GETGRENT+. The struct contains the following members: name:: contains the name of the group as a String. passwd:: contains the encrypted password as a String. An 'x' is returned if password access to the group is not available; an empty string is returned if no password is needed to obtain membership of the group. Must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_GROUP_GR_PASSWD+. gid:: contains the group's numeric ID as an integer. mem:

Passwd = Define-const: Passwd Passwd is a Struct that contains the following members: name:: contains the short login name of the user as a String. passwd:: contains the encrypted password of the user as a String. an 'x' is returned if shadow passwords are in use. An '*' is returned if the user cannot log in using a password. uid:: contains the integer user ID (uid) of the user. gid:: contains the integer group ID (gid) of the user's primary group. dir:: contains the path to the home directory of the user as a String. shell:: contains the path to the login shell of the user as a String. === The following members below are optional, and must be compiled with special flags: gecos:: contains a longer String description of the user, such as a full name. Some Unix systems provide structured information in the gecos field, but this is system-dependent. must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_GECOS+ change:: password change time(integer) must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_CHANGE+ quota:: quota value(integer) must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_QUOTA+ age:: password age(integer) must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_AGE+ class:: user access class(string) must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_CLASS+ comment:: comment(string) must be compiled with +HAVE_STRUCT_PASSWD_PW_COMMENT+ expire:

Attributes

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