chmod Changes file mode boolchmod stringfilename intmode Attempts to change the mode of the file specified by filename to that given in mode. Note that mode is not automatically assumed to be an octal value, so strings (such as "g+w") will not work properly. To ensure the expected operation, you need to prefix mode with a zero (0): ]]> The mode parameter consists of three octal number components specifying access restrictions for the owner, the user group in which the owner is in, and to everybody else in this order. One component can be computed by adding up the needed permissions for that target user base. Number 1 means that you grant execute rights, number 2 means that you make the file writeable, number 4 means that you make the file readable. Add up these numbers to specify needed rights. You can also read more about modes on Unix systems with 'man 1 chmod' and 'man 2 chmod'. ]]> &return.success; The current user is the user under which PHP runs. It is probably not the same user you use for normal shell or FTP access. ¬e.no-remote; When &safemode; is enabled, PHP checks whether the files or directories you are about to operate on have the same UID (owner) as the script that is being executed. In addition, you cannot set the SUID, SGID and sticky bits See also chown and chgrp.