<refentry xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" version="5.0" xml:id="pam_conv">
  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>pam_conv</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
    <refmiscinfo class="source">Linux-PAM</refmiscinfo>
    <refmiscinfo class="manual">Linux-PAM Manual</refmiscinfo>
  </refmeta>

  <refnamediv xml:id="pam_conv-name">
    <refname>pam_conv</refname>
    <refpurpose>PAM conversation function</refpurpose>
  </refnamediv>

<!-- body begins here -->

  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <funcsynopsis xml:id="pam_conv-synopsis">
      <funcsynopsisinfo>#include &lt;security/pam_appl.h&gt;</funcsynopsisinfo>
    </funcsynopsis>
    <programlisting>
struct pam_message {
    int msg_style;
    const char *msg;
};

struct pam_response {
    char *resp;
    int resp_retcode;
};

struct pam_conv {
    int (*conv)(int num_msg, const struct pam_message **msg,
                struct pam_response **resp, void *appdata_ptr);
    void *appdata_ptr;
};
    </programlisting>
  </refsynopsisdiv>

  <refsect1 xml:id="pam_conv-description">
    <title>DESCRIPTION</title>
    <para>
      The PAM library uses an application-defined callback to allow
      a direct communication between a loaded module and the application.
      This callback is specified by the
      <emphasis>struct pam_conv</emphasis> passed to
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_start</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>
      at the start of the transaction.
    </para>
    <para>
      When a module calls the referenced conv() function, the argument
      <emphasis>appdata_ptr</emphasis> is set to the second element of
      this structure.
    </para>
    <para>
      The other arguments of a call to conv() concern the information
      exchanged by module and application. That is to say,
      <emphasis>num_msg</emphasis> holds the length of the array of
      pointers, <emphasis>msg</emphasis>. After a successful return, the
      pointer <emphasis>resp</emphasis> points to an array of pam_response
      structures, holding the application supplied text. The
      <emphasis>resp_retcode</emphasis> member of this struct is unused and
      should be set to zero. It is the caller's responsibility to release
      both, this array and the responses themselves, using
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>free</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>. Note, <emphasis>*resp</emphasis> is a
      <emphasis>struct pam_response</emphasis> array and not an array of
      pointers.
    </para>
    <para>
      The number of responses is always equal to the
      <emphasis>num_msg</emphasis> conversation function argument.
      This does require that the response array is
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>free</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>'d after
      every call to the conversation function.  The index of the
      responses corresponds directly to the prompt index in the
      pam_message array.
    </para>
    <para>
      On failure, the conversation function should release any resources
      it has allocated, and return one of the predefined PAM error codes.
    </para>
    <para>
      Each message can have one of four types, specified by the
      <emphasis>msg_style</emphasis> member of
      <emphasis>struct pam_message</emphasis>:
    </para>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_PROMPT_ECHO_OFF</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             Obtain a string without echoing any text.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_PROMPT_ECHO_ON</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            Obtain a string whilst echoing text.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_ERROR_MSG</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            Display an error message.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_TEXT_INFO</term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            Display some text.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
    <para>
      The point of having an array of messages is that it becomes possible
      to pass a number of things to the application in a single call from
      the module. It can also be convenient for the application that related
      things come at once: a windows based application can then present a
      single form with many messages/prompts on at once.
    </para>
    <para>
      In passing, it is worth noting that there is a discrepancy between
      the way Linux-PAM handles the const struct pam_message **msg
      conversation function argument and the way that Solaris' PAM
      (and derivatives, known to include HP/UX, are there others?) does.
      Linux-PAM interprets the msg argument as entirely equivalent to the
      following prototype
  const struct pam_message *msg[] (which, in spirit, is consistent with
  the commonly used prototypes for argv argument to the familiar main()
  function: char **argv; and char *argv[]). Said another way Linux-PAM
  interprets the msg argument as a pointer to an array of num_msg read
  only 'struct pam_message' pointers.  Solaris' PAM implementation
  interprets this argument as a pointer to a pointer to an array of
  num_msg pam_message structures.  Fortunately, perhaps, for most
  module/application developers when num_msg has a value of one these
  two definitions are entirely equivalent. Unfortunately, casually
  raising this number to two has led to unanticipated compatibility
  problems.
    </para>
    <para>
  For what its worth the two known module writer work-arounds for trying
  to maintain source level compatibility with both PAM implementations
  are:
    </para>
   <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          never call the conversation function with num_msg greater than one.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          set up msg as doubly referenced so both types of conversation
          function can find the messages. That is, make
        </para>
        <programlisting>
       msg[n] = &amp; (( *msg )[n])
       </programlisting>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 xml:id="pam_conv-return_values">
    <title>RETURN VALUES</title>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_BUF_ERR</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             Memory buffer error.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_CONV_ERR</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             Conversation failure. The application should not set
             <emphasis>*resp</emphasis>.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term>PAM_SUCCESS</term>
        <listitem>
           <para>
             Success.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 xml:id="pam_conv-see_also">
    <title>SEE ALSO</title>
    <para>
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_start</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_set_item</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_get_item</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam_strerror</refentrytitle><manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry>
        <refentrytitle>pam</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
      </citerefentry>
    </para>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>