PHP lchown() Function

The PHP lchown() function attempts to change the owner of the specified symbolic link. Only the superuser may change the owner of a file.

Note: This function doesn't work on remote files as the file to be examined must be accessible via the server's filesystem.

Note: This function is not implemented on Windows platforms.

Syntax

lchown(filename, user)

Parameters

`filename`	`Required.` Specify the path to the symlink to change owner for.
`user`	`Required.` Specify the new owner. Can be a user name or a user ID.

Return Value

Returns true on success or false on failure.

Example:

Lets assume that we have a file called test.txt in the current working directory. In the example below a symbolic link is created. Then, lchown() function is used to change its owner.

<?php
$target = 'test.txt';
$link = 'sampleTest';

if(symlink($target, $link)) {
  echo "Symbolic link has been created.\n";
} else {
  echo "Symbolic link can not be created.\n";
}

//changing the owner of the symbolic link
if(lchown($link, 8)){
  echo "Ownership is successfully changed.\n";
} else {
  echo "Ownership can not be changed.\n";
}
?>

The output of the above code will be:

Symbolic link has been created.
Ownership is successfully changed.

❮ PHP Filesystem Reference