December 21, 2007 PAM_GET_USER 3

### NAME

pam_get_user - retrieve user name

### LIBRARY

### SYNOPSIS

```int` pam_get_user(```pam_handle_t *pamh``, const char **user``, const char *prompt`)

### DESCRIPTION

The pam_get_user function returns the name of the target user, as specified to pam_start(3). If no user was specified, nor set using pam_set_item(3), pam_get_user will prompt for a user name. Either way, a pointer to the user name is stored in the location pointed to by the ```user` argument.

The ```prompt` argument specifies a prompt to use if no user name is cached. If it is ```NULL`, the ```PAM_USER_PROMPT` will be used. If that item is also ```NULL`, a hardcoded default prompt will be used.

### RETURN VALUES

The pam_get_user function returns one of the following values:

[```PAM_BUF_ERR`]
  Memory buffer error.

[```PAM_CONV_ERR`]
  Conversation failure.

[```PAM_SYSTEM_ERR`]
  System error.

### SEE ALSO

pam(3), pam_get_authtok(3), pam_get_item(3), pam_set_item(3), pam_start(3), pam_strerror(3)

### STANDARDS

### AUTHORS

The pam_get_user function and this manual page were developed for the FreeBSD Project by ThinkSec AS and Network Associates Laboratories, the Security Research Division of Network Associates, Inc. under DARPA/SPAWAR contract N66001-01-C-8035 (``CBOSS''), as part of the DARPA CHATS research program.