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exit(3)

NAME

     exit, _Exit -- perform normal program termination

LIBRARY

     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS

     #include <stdlib.h>

     void
     exit(int status);

     void
     _Exit(int status);

DESCRIPTION

     The exit() and _Exit() functions terminate a process.

     Before termination, exit() performs the following functions in the order
     listed:

	   1.	Call the functions registered with the atexit(3) function, in
		the reverse order of their registration.

	   2.	Flush all open output streams.

	   3.	Close all open streams.

	   4.	Unlink all files created with the tmpfile(3) function.

     The _Exit() function terminates without calling the functions registered
     with the atexit(3) function, and may or may not perform the other actions
     listed.  Both functions make the low-order eight bits of the status argu-
     ment available to a parent process which has called a wait(2)-family
     function.

     The C Standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (``ISO C99'')) defines the values 0,
     EXIT_SUCCESS, and EXIT_FAILURE as possible values of status.  Cooperating
     processes may use other values; in a program which might be called by a
     mail transfer agent, the values described in sysexits(3) may be used to
     provide more information to the parent process.

     Note that exit() does nothing to prevent bottomless recursion should a
     function registered using atexit(3) itself call exit().  Such functions
     must call _Exit() instead (although this has other effects as well which
     may not be desired).

RETURN VALUES

     The exit() and _Exit() functions never return.

SEE ALSO

     _exit(2), wait(2), atexit(3), intro(3), sysexits(3), tmpfile(3)

STANDARDS

     The exit() and _Exit() functions conform to ISO/IEC 9899:1999
     (``ISO C99'').

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