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<h4 class="subsection">29.13.4 Writing a User Entry</h4>

<!-- pwd.h -->
<!-- SVID -->
<div class="defun">
&mdash; Function: int <b>putpwent</b> (<var>const struct passwd *p, FILE *stream</var>)<var><a name="index-putpwent-3406"></a></var><br>
<blockquote><p>This function writes the user entry <code>*</code><var>p</var> to the stream
<var>stream</var>, in the format used for the standard user database
file.  The return value is zero on success and nonzero on failure.

        <p>This function exists for compatibility with SVID.  We recommend that you
avoid using it, because it makes sense only on the assumption that the
<code>struct passwd</code> structure has no members except the standard ones;
on a system which merges the traditional Unix data base with other
extended information about users, adding an entry using this function
would inevitably leave out much of the important information. 
<!-- Then how are programmers to modify the password file? -zw -->

        <p>The group and user ID fields are left empty if the group or user name
starts with a - or +.

        <p>The function <code>putpwent</code> is declared in <samp><span class="file">pwd.h</span></samp>. 
</p></blockquote></div>

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