1 @node Error Reporting, Memory, Introduction, Top
2 @chapter Error Reporting
3 @c %MENU% How library functions report errors
4 @cindex error reporting
5 @cindex reporting errors
9 Many functions in @theglibc{} detect and report error conditions,
10 and sometimes your programs need to check for these error conditions.
11 For example, when you open an input file, you should verify that the
12 file was actually opened correctly, and print an error message or take
13 other appropriate action if the call to the library function failed.
15 This chapter describes how the error reporting facility works. Your
16 program should include the header file @file{errno.h} to use this
21 * Checking for Errors:: How errors are reported by library functions.
22 * Error Codes:: Error code macros; all of these expand
23 into integer constant values.
24 * Error Messages:: Mapping error codes onto error messages.
27 @node Checking for Errors, Error Codes, , Error Reporting
28 @section Checking for Errors
30 Most library functions return a special value to indicate that they have
31 failed. The special value is typically @code{-1}, a null pointer, or a
32 constant such as @code{EOF} that is defined for that purpose. But this
33 return value tells you only that an error has occurred. To find out
34 what kind of error it was, you need to look at the error code stored in the
35 variable @code{errno}. This variable is declared in the header file
39 @deftypevr {Variable} {volatile int} errno
40 @standards{ISO, errno.h}
41 The variable @code{errno} contains the system error number. You can
42 change the value of @code{errno}.
44 Since @code{errno} is declared @code{volatile}, it might be changed
45 asynchronously by a signal handler; see @ref{Defining Handlers}.
46 However, a properly written signal handler saves and restores the value
47 of @code{errno}, so you generally do not need to worry about this
48 possibility except when writing signal handlers.
50 The initial value of @code{errno} at program startup is zero. In many
51 cases, when a library function encounters an error, it will set
52 @code{errno} to a non-zero value to indicate what specific error
53 condition occurred. The documentation for each function lists the
54 error conditions that are possible for that function. Not all library
55 functions use this mechanism; some return an error code directly,
58 @strong{Warning:} Many library functions may set @code{errno} to some
59 meaningless non-zero value even if they did not encounter any errors,
60 and even if they return error codes directly. Therefore, it is
61 usually incorrect to check @emph{whether} an error occurred by
62 inspecting the value of @code{errno}. The proper way to check for
63 error is documented for each function.
65 @strong{Portability Note:} @w{ISO C} specifies @code{errno} as a
66 ``modifiable lvalue'' rather than as a variable, permitting it to be
67 implemented as a macro. For example, its expansion might involve a
68 function call, like @w{@code{*__errno_location ()}}. In fact, that is
70 on @gnulinuxhurdsystems{}. @Theglibc{}, on each system, does
71 whatever is right for the particular system.
73 There are a few library functions, like @code{sqrt} and @code{atan},
74 that return a perfectly legitimate value in case of an error, but also
75 set @code{errno}. For these functions, if you want to check to see
76 whether an error occurred, the recommended method is to set @code{errno}
77 to zero before calling the function, and then check its value afterward.
81 All the error codes have symbolic names; they are macros defined in
82 @file{errno.h}. The names start with @samp{E} and an upper-case
83 letter or digit; you should consider names of this form to be
84 reserved names. @xref{Reserved Names}.
86 The error code values are all positive integers and are all distinct,
87 with one exception: @code{EWOULDBLOCK} and @code{EAGAIN} are the same.
88 Since the values are distinct, you can use them as labels in a
89 @code{switch} statement; just don't use both @code{EWOULDBLOCK} and
90 @code{EAGAIN}. Your program should not make any other assumptions about
91 the specific values of these symbolic constants.
93 The value of @code{errno} doesn't necessarily have to correspond to any
94 of these macros, since some library functions might return other error
95 codes of their own for other situations. The only values that are
96 guaranteed to be meaningful for a particular library function are the
97 ones that this manual lists for that function.
99 Except on @gnuhurdsystems{}, almost any system call can return @code{EFAULT} if
100 it is given an invalid pointer as an argument. Since this could only
101 happen as a result of a bug in your program, and since it will not
102 happen on @gnuhurdsystems{}, we have saved space by not mentioning
103 @code{EFAULT} in the descriptions of individual functions.
105 In some Unix systems, many system calls can also return @code{EFAULT} if
106 given as an argument a pointer into the stack, and the kernel for some
107 obscure reason fails in its attempt to extend the stack. If this ever
108 happens, you should probably try using statically or dynamically
109 allocated memory instead of stack memory on that system.
111 @node Error Codes, Error Messages, Checking for Errors, Error Reporting
115 The error code macros are defined in the header file @file{errno.h}.
116 All of them expand into integer constant values. Some of these error
117 codes can't occur on @gnusystems{}, but they can occur using @theglibc{}
120 @deftypevr Macro int EPERM
121 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
122 @errno{EPERM, 1, Operation not permitted}
123 Only the owner of the file (or other resource)
124 or processes with special privileges can perform the operation.
127 @deftypevr Macro int ENOENT
128 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
129 @errno{ENOENT, 2, No such file or directory}
130 This is a ``file doesn't exist'' error
131 for ordinary files that are referenced in contexts where they are
132 expected to already exist.
135 @deftypevr Macro int ESRCH
136 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
137 @errno{ESRCH, 3, No such process}
138 No process matches the specified process ID.
141 @deftypevr Macro int EINTR
142 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
143 @errno{EINTR, 4, Interrupted system call}
144 An asynchronous signal occurred and prevented
145 completion of the call. When this happens, you should try the call
148 You can choose to have functions resume after a signal that is handled,
149 rather than failing with @code{EINTR}; see @ref{Interrupted
153 @deftypevr Macro int EIO
154 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
155 @errno{EIO, 5, Input/output error}
156 Usually used for physical read or write errors.
159 @deftypevr Macro int ENXIO
160 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
161 @errno{ENXIO, 6, No such device or address}
162 The system tried to use the device
163 represented by a file you specified, and it couldn't find the device.
164 This can mean that the device file was installed incorrectly, or that
165 the physical device is missing or not correctly attached to the
169 @deftypevr Macro int E2BIG
170 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
171 @errno{E2BIG, 7, Argument list too long}
172 Used when the arguments passed to a new program
173 being executed with one of the @code{exec} functions (@pxref{Executing a
174 File}) occupy too much memory space. This condition never arises on
178 @deftypevr Macro int ENOEXEC
179 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
180 @errno{ENOEXEC, 8, Exec format error}
181 Invalid executable file format. This condition is detected by the
182 @code{exec} functions; see @ref{Executing a File}.
185 @deftypevr Macro int EBADF
186 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
187 @errno{EBADF, 9, Bad file descriptor}
188 For example, I/O on a descriptor that has been
189 closed or reading from a descriptor open only for writing (or vice
193 @deftypevr Macro int ECHILD
194 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
195 @errno{ECHILD, 10, No child processes}
196 This error happens on operations that are
197 supposed to manipulate child processes, when there aren't any processes
201 @deftypevr Macro int EDEADLK
202 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
203 @errno{EDEADLK, 11, Resource deadlock avoided}
204 Allocating a system resource would have resulted in a
205 deadlock situation. The system does not guarantee that it will notice
206 all such situations. This error means you got lucky and the system
207 noticed; it might just hang. @xref{File Locks}, for an example.
210 @deftypevr Macro int ENOMEM
211 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
212 @errno{ENOMEM, 12, Cannot allocate memory}
213 The system cannot allocate more virtual memory
214 because its capacity is full.
217 @deftypevr Macro int EACCES
218 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
219 @errno{EACCES, 13, Permission denied}
220 The file permissions do not allow the attempted operation.
223 @deftypevr Macro int EFAULT
224 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
225 @errno{EFAULT, 14, Bad address}
226 An invalid pointer was detected.
227 On @gnuhurdsystems{}, this error never happens; you get a signal instead.
230 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTBLK
231 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
232 @errno{ENOTBLK, 15, Block device required}
233 A file that isn't a block special file was given in a situation that
234 requires one. For example, trying to mount an ordinary file as a file
235 system in Unix gives this error.
238 @deftypevr Macro int EBUSY
239 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
240 @errno{EBUSY, 16, Device or resource busy}
241 A system resource that can't be shared is already in use.
242 For example, if you try to delete a file that is the root of a currently
243 mounted filesystem, you get this error.
246 @deftypevr Macro int EEXIST
247 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
248 @errno{EEXIST, 17, File exists}
249 An existing file was specified in a context where it only
250 makes sense to specify a new file.
253 @deftypevr Macro int EXDEV
254 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
255 @errno{EXDEV, 18, Invalid cross-device link}
256 An attempt to make an improper link across file systems was detected.
257 This happens not only when you use @code{link} (@pxref{Hard Links}) but
258 also when you rename a file with @code{rename} (@pxref{Renaming Files}).
261 @deftypevr Macro int ENODEV
262 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
263 @errno{ENODEV, 19, No such device}
264 The wrong type of device was given to a function that expects a
265 particular sort of device.
268 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTDIR
269 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
270 @errno{ENOTDIR, 20, Not a directory}
271 A file that isn't a directory was specified when a directory is required.
274 @deftypevr Macro int EISDIR
275 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
276 @errno{EISDIR, 21, Is a directory}
277 You cannot open a directory for writing,
278 or create or remove hard links to it.
281 @deftypevr Macro int EINVAL
282 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
283 @errno{EINVAL, 22, Invalid argument}
284 This is used to indicate various kinds of problems
285 with passing the wrong argument to a library function.
288 @deftypevr Macro int EMFILE
289 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
290 @errno{EMFILE, 24, Too many open files}
291 The current process has too many files open and can't open any more.
292 Duplicate descriptors do count toward this limit.
294 In BSD and GNU, the number of open files is controlled by a resource
295 limit that can usually be increased. If you get this error, you might
296 want to increase the @code{RLIMIT_NOFILE} limit or make it unlimited;
297 @pxref{Limits on Resources}.
300 @deftypevr Macro int ENFILE
301 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
302 @errno{ENFILE, 23, Too many open files in system}
303 There are too many distinct file openings in the entire system. Note
304 that any number of linked channels count as just one file opening; see
305 @ref{Linked Channels}. This error never occurs on @gnuhurdsystems{}.
308 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTTY
309 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
310 @errno{ENOTTY, 25, Inappropriate ioctl for device}
311 Inappropriate I/O control operation, such as trying to set terminal
312 modes on an ordinary file.
315 @deftypevr Macro int ETXTBSY
316 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
317 @errno{ETXTBSY, 26, Text file busy}
318 An attempt to execute a file that is currently open for writing, or
319 write to a file that is currently being executed. Often using a
320 debugger to run a program is considered having it open for writing and
321 will cause this error. (The name stands for ``text file busy''.) This
322 is not an error on @gnuhurdsystems{}; the text is copied as necessary.
325 @deftypevr Macro int EFBIG
326 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
327 @errno{EFBIG, 27, File too large}
328 The size of a file would be larger than allowed by the system.
331 @deftypevr Macro int ENOSPC
332 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
333 @errno{ENOSPC, 28, No space left on device}
334 Write operation on a file failed because the
338 @deftypevr Macro int ESPIPE
339 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
340 @errno{ESPIPE, 29, Illegal seek}
341 Invalid seek operation (such as on a pipe).
344 @deftypevr Macro int EROFS
345 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
346 @errno{EROFS, 30, Read-only file system}
347 An attempt was made to modify something on a read-only file system.
350 @deftypevr Macro int EMLINK
351 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
352 @errno{EMLINK, 31, Too many links}
353 The link count of a single file would become too large.
354 @code{rename} can cause this error if the file being renamed already has
355 as many links as it can take (@pxref{Renaming Files}).
358 @deftypevr Macro int EPIPE
359 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
360 @errno{EPIPE, 32, Broken pipe}
361 There is no process reading from the other end of a pipe.
362 Every library function that returns this error code also generates a
363 @code{SIGPIPE} signal; this signal terminates the program if not handled
364 or blocked. Thus, your program will never actually see @code{EPIPE}
365 unless it has handled or blocked @code{SIGPIPE}.
368 @deftypevr Macro int EDOM
369 @standards{ISO, errno.h}
370 @errno{EDOM, 33, Numerical argument out of domain}
371 Used by mathematical functions when an argument value does
372 not fall into the domain over which the function is defined.
375 @deftypevr Macro int ERANGE
376 @standards{ISO, errno.h}
377 @errno{ERANGE, 34, Numerical result out of range}
378 Used by mathematical functions when the result value is
379 not representable because of overflow or underflow.
382 @deftypevr Macro int EAGAIN
383 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
384 @errno{EAGAIN, 35, Resource temporarily unavailable}
385 The call might work if you try again
386 later. The macro @code{EWOULDBLOCK} is another name for @code{EAGAIN};
387 they are always the same in @theglibc{}.
389 This error can happen in a few different situations:
393 An operation that would block was attempted on an object that has
394 non-blocking mode selected. Trying the same operation again will block
395 until some external condition makes it possible to read, write, or
396 connect (whatever the operation). You can use @code{select} to find out
397 when the operation will be possible; @pxref{Waiting for I/O}.
399 @strong{Portability Note:} In many older Unix systems, this condition
400 was indicated by @code{EWOULDBLOCK}, which was a distinct error code
401 different from @code{EAGAIN}. To make your program portable, you should
402 check for both codes and treat them the same.
405 A temporary resource shortage made an operation impossible. @code{fork}
406 can return this error. It indicates that the shortage is expected to
407 pass, so your program can try the call again later and it may succeed.
408 It is probably a good idea to delay for a few seconds before trying it
409 again, to allow time for other processes to release scarce resources.
410 Such shortages are usually fairly serious and affect the whole system,
411 so usually an interactive program should report the error to the user
412 and return to its command loop.
416 @deftypevr Macro int EWOULDBLOCK
417 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
418 @errno{EWOULDBLOCK, EAGAIN, Operation would block}
419 In @theglibc{}, this is another name for @code{EAGAIN} (above).
420 The values are always the same, on every operating system.
422 C libraries in many older Unix systems have @code{EWOULDBLOCK} as a
426 @deftypevr Macro int EINPROGRESS
427 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
428 @errno{EINPROGRESS, 36, Operation now in progress}
429 An operation that cannot complete immediately was initiated on an object
430 that has non-blocking mode selected. Some functions that must always
431 block (such as @code{connect}; @pxref{Connecting}) never return
432 @code{EAGAIN}. Instead, they return @code{EINPROGRESS} to indicate that
433 the operation has begun and will take some time. Attempts to manipulate
434 the object before the call completes return @code{EALREADY}. You can
435 use the @code{select} function to find out when the pending operation
436 has completed; @pxref{Waiting for I/O}.
439 @deftypevr Macro int EALREADY
440 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
441 @errno{EALREADY, 37, Operation already in progress}
442 An operation is already in progress on an object that has non-blocking
446 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTSOCK
447 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
448 @errno{ENOTSOCK, 38, Socket operation on non-socket}
449 A file that isn't a socket was specified when a socket is required.
452 @deftypevr Macro int EMSGSIZE
453 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
454 @errno{EMSGSIZE, 40, Message too long}
455 The size of a message sent on a socket was larger than the supported
459 @deftypevr Macro int EPROTOTYPE
460 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
461 @errno{EPROTOTYPE, 41, Protocol wrong type for socket}
462 The socket type does not support the requested communications protocol.
465 @deftypevr Macro int ENOPROTOOPT
466 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
467 @errno{ENOPROTOOPT, 42, Protocol not available}
468 You specified a socket option that doesn't make sense for the
469 particular protocol being used by the socket. @xref{Socket Options}.
472 @deftypevr Macro int EPROTONOSUPPORT
473 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
474 @errno{EPROTONOSUPPORT, 43, Protocol not supported}
475 The socket domain does not support the requested communications protocol
476 (perhaps because the requested protocol is completely invalid).
477 @xref{Creating a Socket}.
480 @deftypevr Macro int ESOCKTNOSUPPORT
481 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
482 @errno{ESOCKTNOSUPPORT, 44, Socket type not supported}
483 The socket type is not supported.
486 @deftypevr Macro int EOPNOTSUPP
487 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
488 @errno{EOPNOTSUPP, 45, Operation not supported}
489 The operation you requested is not supported. Some socket functions
490 don't make sense for all types of sockets, and others may not be
491 implemented for all communications protocols. On @gnuhurdsystems{}, this
492 error can happen for many calls when the object does not support the
493 particular operation; it is a generic indication that the server knows
494 nothing to do for that call.
497 @deftypevr Macro int EPFNOSUPPORT
498 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
499 @errno{EPFNOSUPPORT, 46, Protocol family not supported}
500 The socket communications protocol family you requested is not supported.
503 @deftypevr Macro int EAFNOSUPPORT
504 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
505 @errno{EAFNOSUPPORT, 47, Address family not supported by protocol}
506 The address family specified for a socket is not supported; it is
507 inconsistent with the protocol being used on the socket. @xref{Sockets}.
510 @deftypevr Macro int EADDRINUSE
511 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
512 @errno{EADDRINUSE, 48, Address already in use}
513 The requested socket address is already in use. @xref{Socket Addresses}.
516 @deftypevr Macro int EADDRNOTAVAIL
517 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
518 @errno{EADDRNOTAVAIL, 49, Cannot assign requested address}
519 The requested socket address is not available; for example, you tried
520 to give a socket a name that doesn't match the local host name.
521 @xref{Socket Addresses}.
524 @deftypevr Macro int ENETDOWN
525 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
526 @errno{ENETDOWN, 50, Network is down}
527 A socket operation failed because the network was down.
530 @deftypevr Macro int ENETUNREACH
531 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
532 @errno{ENETUNREACH, 51, Network is unreachable}
533 A socket operation failed because the subnet containing the remote host
537 @deftypevr Macro int ENETRESET
538 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
539 @errno{ENETRESET, 52, Network dropped connection on reset}
540 A network connection was reset because the remote host crashed.
543 @deftypevr Macro int ECONNABORTED
544 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
545 @errno{ECONNABORTED, 53, Software caused connection abort}
546 A network connection was aborted locally.
549 @deftypevr Macro int ECONNRESET
550 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
551 @errno{ECONNRESET, 54, Connection reset by peer}
552 A network connection was closed for reasons outside the control of the
553 local host, such as by the remote machine rebooting or an unrecoverable
557 @deftypevr Macro int ENOBUFS
558 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
559 @errno{ENOBUFS, 55, No buffer space available}
560 The kernel's buffers for I/O operations are all in use. In GNU, this
561 error is always synonymous with @code{ENOMEM}; you may get one or the
562 other from network operations.
565 @deftypevr Macro int EISCONN
566 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
567 @errno{EISCONN, 56, Transport endpoint is already connected}
568 You tried to connect a socket that is already connected.
572 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTCONN
573 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
574 @errno{ENOTCONN, 57, Transport endpoint is not connected}
575 The socket is not connected to anything. You get this error when you
576 try to transmit data over a socket, without first specifying a
577 destination for the data. For a connectionless socket (for datagram
578 protocols, such as UDP), you get @code{EDESTADDRREQ} instead.
581 @deftypevr Macro int EDESTADDRREQ
582 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
583 @errno{EDESTADDRREQ, 39, Destination address required}
584 No default destination address was set for the socket. You get this
585 error when you try to transmit data over a connectionless socket,
586 without first specifying a destination for the data with @code{connect}.
589 @deftypevr Macro int ESHUTDOWN
590 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
591 @errno{ESHUTDOWN, 58, Cannot send after transport endpoint shutdown}
592 The socket has already been shut down.
595 @deftypevr Macro int ETOOMANYREFS
596 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
597 @errno{ETOOMANYREFS, 59, Too many references: cannot splice}
600 @deftypevr Macro int ETIMEDOUT
601 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
602 @errno{ETIMEDOUT, 60, Connection timed out}
603 A socket operation with a specified timeout received no response during
607 @deftypevr Macro int ECONNREFUSED
608 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
609 @errno{ECONNREFUSED, 61, Connection refused}
610 A remote host refused to allow the network connection (typically because
611 it is not running the requested service).
614 @deftypevr Macro int ELOOP
615 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
616 @errno{ELOOP, 62, Too many levels of symbolic links}
617 Too many levels of symbolic links were encountered in looking up a file name.
618 This often indicates a cycle of symbolic links.
621 @deftypevr Macro int ENAMETOOLONG
622 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
623 @errno{ENAMETOOLONG, 63, File name too long}
624 Filename too long (longer than @code{PATH_MAX}; @pxref{Limits for
625 Files}) or host name too long (in @code{gethostname} or
626 @code{sethostname}; @pxref{Host Identification}).
629 @deftypevr Macro int EHOSTDOWN
630 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
631 @errno{EHOSTDOWN, 64, Host is down}
632 The remote host for a requested network connection is down.
635 @deftypevr Macro int EHOSTUNREACH
636 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
637 @errno{EHOSTUNREACH, 65, No route to host}
638 The remote host for a requested network connection is not reachable.
641 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTEMPTY
642 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
643 @errno{ENOTEMPTY, 66, Directory not empty}
644 Directory not empty, where an empty directory was expected. Typically,
645 this error occurs when you are trying to delete a directory.
648 @deftypevr Macro int EPROCLIM
649 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
650 @errno{EPROCLIM, 67, Too many processes}
651 This means that the per-user limit on new process would be exceeded by
652 an attempted @code{fork}. @xref{Limits on Resources}, for details on
653 the @code{RLIMIT_NPROC} limit.
656 @deftypevr Macro int EUSERS
657 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
658 @errno{EUSERS, 68, Too many users}
659 The file quota system is confused because there are too many users.
660 @c This can probably happen in a GNU system when using NFS.
663 @deftypevr Macro int EDQUOT
664 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
665 @errno{EDQUOT, 69, Disk quota exceeded}
666 The user's disk quota was exceeded.
669 @deftypevr Macro int ESTALE
670 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
671 @errno{ESTALE, 70, Stale file handle}
672 This indicates an internal confusion in the
673 file system which is due to file system rearrangements on the server host
674 for NFS file systems or corruption in other file systems.
675 Repairing this condition usually requires unmounting, possibly repairing
676 and remounting the file system.
679 @deftypevr Macro int EREMOTE
680 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
681 @errno{EREMOTE, 71, Object is remote}
682 An attempt was made to NFS-mount a remote file system with a file name that
683 already specifies an NFS-mounted file.
684 (This is an error on some operating systems, but we expect it to work
685 properly on @gnuhurdsystems{}, making this error code impossible.)
688 @deftypevr Macro int EBADRPC
689 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
690 @errno{EBADRPC, 72, RPC struct is bad}
693 @deftypevr Macro int ERPCMISMATCH
694 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
695 @errno{ERPCMISMATCH, 73, RPC version wrong}
698 @deftypevr Macro int EPROGUNAVAIL
699 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
700 @errno{EPROGUNAVAIL, 74, RPC program not available}
703 @deftypevr Macro int EPROGMISMATCH
704 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
705 @errno{EPROGMISMATCH, 75, RPC program version wrong}
708 @deftypevr Macro int EPROCUNAVAIL
709 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
710 @errno{EPROCUNAVAIL, 76, RPC bad procedure for program}
713 @deftypevr Macro int ENOLCK
714 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
715 @errno{ENOLCK, 77, No locks available}
716 This is used by the file locking facilities; see
717 @ref{File Locks}. This error is never generated by @gnuhurdsystems{}, but
718 it can result from an operation to an NFS server running another
722 @deftypevr Macro int EFTYPE
723 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
724 @errno{EFTYPE, 79, Inappropriate file type or format}
725 The file was the wrong type for the
726 operation, or a data file had the wrong format.
728 On some systems @code{chmod} returns this error if you try to set the
729 sticky bit on a non-directory file; @pxref{Setting Permissions}.
732 @deftypevr Macro int EAUTH
733 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
734 @errno{EAUTH, 80, Authentication error}
737 @deftypevr Macro int ENEEDAUTH
738 @standards{BSD, errno.h}
739 @errno{ENEEDAUTH, 81, Need authenticator}
742 @deftypevr Macro int ENOSYS
743 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
744 @errno{ENOSYS, 78, Function not implemented}
745 This indicates that the function called is
746 not implemented at all, either in the C library itself or in the
747 operating system. When you get this error, you can be sure that this
748 particular function will always fail with @code{ENOSYS} unless you
749 install a new version of the C library or the operating system.
752 @deftypevr Macro int ELIBEXEC
753 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
754 @errno{ELIBEXEC, 83, Cannot exec a shared library directly}
757 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTSUP
758 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
759 @errno{ENOTSUP, 118, Not supported}
760 A function returns this error when certain parameter
761 values are valid, but the functionality they request is not available.
762 This can mean that the function does not implement a particular command
763 or option value or flag bit at all. For functions that operate on some
764 object given in a parameter, such as a file descriptor or a port, it
765 might instead mean that only @emph{that specific object} (file
766 descriptor, port, etc.) is unable to support the other parameters given;
767 different file descriptors might support different ranges of parameter
770 If the entire function is not available at all in the implementation,
771 it returns @code{ENOSYS} instead.
774 @deftypevr Macro int EILSEQ
775 @standards{ISO, errno.h}
776 @errno{EILSEQ, 106, Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character}
777 While decoding a multibyte character the function came along an invalid
778 or an incomplete sequence of bytes or the given wide character is invalid.
781 @deftypevr Macro int EBACKGROUND
782 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
783 @errno{EBACKGROUND, 100, Inappropriate operation for background process}
784 On @gnuhurdsystems{}, servers supporting the @code{term} protocol return
785 this error for certain operations when the caller is not in the
786 foreground process group of the terminal. Users do not usually see this
787 error because functions such as @code{read} and @code{write} translate
788 it into a @code{SIGTTIN} or @code{SIGTTOU} signal. @xref{Job Control},
789 for information on process groups and these signals.
792 @deftypevr Macro int EDIED
793 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
794 @errno{EDIED, 101, Translator died}
795 On @gnuhurdsystems{}, opening a file returns this error when the file is
796 translated by a program and the translator program dies while starting
797 up, before it has connected to the file.
800 @deftypevr Macro int ED
801 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
803 The experienced user will know what is wrong.
804 @c This error code is a joke. Its perror text is part of the joke.
808 @deftypevr Macro int EGREGIOUS
809 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
810 @errno{EGREGIOUS, 103, You really blew it this time}
811 You did @strong{what}?
814 @deftypevr Macro int EIEIO
815 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
816 @errno{EIEIO, 104, Computer bought the farm}
817 Go home and have a glass of warm, dairy-fresh milk.
818 @c Okay. Since you are dying to know, I'll tell you.
819 @c This is a joke, obviously. There is a children's song which begins,
820 @c "Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o." Every time I see the (real)
821 @c errno macro EIO, I think about that song. Probably most of my
822 @c compatriots who program on Unix do, too. One of them must have stayed
823 @c up a little too late one night and decided to add it to Hurd or Glibc.
824 @c Whoever did it should be castigated, but it made me laugh.
825 @c --jtobey@channel1.com
827 @c "bought the farm" means "died". -jtobey
829 @c Translators, please do not translate this litteraly, translate it into
830 @c an idiomatic funny way of saying that the computer died.
833 @deftypevr Macro int EGRATUITOUS
834 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
835 @errno{EGRATUITOUS, 105, Gratuitous error}
836 This error code has no purpose.
839 @deftypevr Macro int EBADMSG
840 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
841 @errno{EBADMSG, 107, Bad message}
844 @deftypevr Macro int EIDRM
845 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
846 @errno{EIDRM, 108, Identifier removed}
849 @deftypevr Macro int EMULTIHOP
850 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
851 @errno{EMULTIHOP, 109, Multihop attempted}
854 @deftypevr Macro int ENODATA
855 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
856 @errno{ENODATA, 110, No data available}
859 @deftypevr Macro int ENOLINK
860 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
861 @errno{ENOLINK, 111, Link has been severed}
864 @deftypevr Macro int ENOMSG
865 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
866 @errno{ENOMSG, 112, No message of desired type}
869 @deftypevr Macro int ENOSR
870 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
871 @errno{ENOSR, 113, Out of streams resources}
874 @deftypevr Macro int ENOSTR
875 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
876 @errno{ENOSTR, 114, Device not a stream}
879 @deftypevr Macro int EOVERFLOW
880 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
881 @errno{EOVERFLOW, 115, Value too large for defined data type}
884 @deftypevr Macro int EPROTO
885 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
886 @errno{EPROTO, 116, Protocol error}
889 @deftypevr Macro int ETIME
890 @standards{XOPEN, errno.h}
891 @errno{ETIME, 117, Timer expired}
894 @deftypevr Macro int ECANCELED
895 @standards{POSIX.1, errno.h}
896 @errno{ECANCELED, 119, Operation canceled}
897 An asynchronous operation was canceled before it
898 completed. @xref{Asynchronous I/O}. When you call @code{aio_cancel},
899 the normal result is for the operations affected to complete with this
900 error; @pxref{Cancel AIO Operations}.
903 @deftypevr Macro int EOWNERDEAD
904 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
905 @errno{EOWNERDEAD, 120, Owner died}
908 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTRECOVERABLE
909 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
910 @errno{ENOTRECOVERABLE, 121, State not recoverable}
914 @emph{The following error codes are defined by the Linux/i386 kernel.
915 They are not yet documented.}
917 @deftypevr Macro int ERESTART
918 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
919 @errno{ERESTART, ???/85, Interrupted system call should be restarted}
922 @deftypevr Macro int ECHRNG
923 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
924 @errno{ECHRNG, ???/44, Channel number out of range}
927 @deftypevr Macro int EL2NSYNC
928 @standards{Obsolete, errno.h}
929 @errno{EL2NSYNC, ???/45, Level 2 not synchronized}
932 @deftypevr Macro int EL3HLT
933 @standards{Obsolete, errno.h}
934 @errno{EL3HLT, ???/46, Level 3 halted}
937 @deftypevr Macro int EL3RST
938 @standards{Obsolete, errno.h}
939 @errno{EL3RST, ???/47, Level 3 reset}
942 @deftypevr Macro int ELNRNG
943 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
944 @errno{ELNRNG, ???/48, Link number out of range}
947 @deftypevr Macro int EUNATCH
948 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
949 @errno{EUNATCH, ???/49, Protocol driver not attached}
952 @deftypevr Macro int ENOCSI
953 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
954 @errno{ENOCSI, ???/50, No CSI structure available}
957 @deftypevr Macro int EL2HLT
958 @standards{Obsolete, errno.h}
959 @errno{EL2HLT, ???/51, Level 2 halted}
962 @deftypevr Macro int EBADE
963 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
964 @errno{EBADE, ???/52, Invalid exchange}
967 @deftypevr Macro int EBADR
968 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
969 @errno{EBADR, ???/53, Invalid request descriptor}
972 @deftypevr Macro int EXFULL
973 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
974 @errno{EXFULL, ???/54, Exchange full}
977 @deftypevr Macro int ENOANO
978 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
979 @errno{ENOANO, ???/55, No anode}
982 @deftypevr Macro int EBADRQC
983 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
984 @errno{EBADRQC, ???/56, Invalid request code}
987 @deftypevr Macro int EBADSLT
988 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
989 @errno{EBADSLT, ???/57, Invalid slot}
992 @deftypevr Macro int EDEADLOCK
993 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
994 @errno{EDEADLOCK, ???/58, File locking deadlock error}
997 @deftypevr Macro int EBFONT
998 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
999 @errno{EBFONT, ???/59, Bad font file format}
1002 @deftypevr Macro int ENONET
1003 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1004 @errno{ENONET, ???/64, Machine is not on the network}
1007 @deftypevr Macro int ENOPKG
1008 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1009 @errno{ENOPKG, ???/65, Package not installed}
1012 @deftypevr Macro int EADV
1013 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1014 @errno{EADV, ???/68, Advertise error}
1017 @deftypevr Macro int ESRMNT
1018 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1019 @errno{ESRMNT, ???/69, Srmount error}
1022 @deftypevr Macro int ECOMM
1023 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1024 @errno{ECOMM, ???/70, Communication error on send}
1027 @deftypevr Macro int EDOTDOT
1028 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1029 @errno{EDOTDOT, ???/73, RFS specific error}
1032 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTUNIQ
1033 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1034 @errno{ENOTUNIQ, ???/76, Name not unique on network}
1037 @deftypevr Macro int EBADFD
1038 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1039 @errno{EBADFD, ???/77, File descriptor in bad state}
1042 @deftypevr Macro int EREMCHG
1043 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1044 @errno{EREMCHG, ???/78, Remote address changed}
1047 @deftypevr Macro int ELIBACC
1048 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1049 @errno{ELIBACC, ???/79, Can not access a needed shared library}
1052 @deftypevr Macro int ELIBBAD
1053 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1054 @errno{ELIBBAD, ???/80, Accessing a corrupted shared library}
1057 @deftypevr Macro int ELIBSCN
1058 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1059 @errno{ELIBSCN, ???/81, .lib section in a.out corrupted}
1062 @deftypevr Macro int ELIBMAX
1063 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1064 @errno{ELIBMAX, ???/82, Attempting to link in too many shared libraries}
1067 @deftypevr Macro int ESTRPIPE
1068 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1069 @errno{ESTRPIPE, ???/86, Streams pipe error}
1072 @deftypevr Macro int EUCLEAN
1073 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1074 @errno{EUCLEAN, ???/117, Structure needs cleaning}
1077 @deftypevr Macro int ENOTNAM
1078 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1079 @errno{ENOTNAM, ???/118, Not a XENIX named type file}
1082 @deftypevr Macro int ENAVAIL
1083 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1084 @errno{ENAVAIL, ???/119, No XENIX semaphores available}
1087 @deftypevr Macro int EISNAM
1088 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1089 @errno{EISNAM, ???/120, Is a named type file}
1092 @deftypevr Macro int EREMOTEIO
1093 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1094 @errno{EREMOTEIO, ???/121, Remote I/O error}
1097 @deftypevr Macro int ENOMEDIUM
1098 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1099 @errno{ENOMEDIUM, ???/???, No medium found}
1102 @deftypevr Macro int EMEDIUMTYPE
1103 @standards{Linux???, errno.h}
1104 @errno{EMEDIUMTYPE, ???/???, Wrong medium type}
1107 @deftypevr Macro int ENOKEY
1108 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1109 @errno{ENOKEY, ???/???, Required key not available}
1112 @deftypevr Macro int EKEYEXPIRED
1113 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1114 @errno{EKEYEXPIRED, ???/???, Key has expired}
1117 @deftypevr Macro int EKEYREVOKED
1118 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1119 @errno{EKEYREVOKED, ???/???, Key has been revoked}
1122 @deftypevr Macro int EKEYREJECTED
1123 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1124 @errno{EKEYREJECTED, ???/???, Key was rejected by service}
1127 @deftypevr Macro int ERFKILL
1128 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1129 @errno{ERFKILL, ???/???, Operation not possible due to RF-kill}
1132 @deftypevr Macro int EHWPOISON
1133 @standards{Linux, errno.h}
1134 @errno{EHWPOISON, ???/???, Memory page has hardware error}
1137 @node Error Messages, , Error Codes, Error Reporting
1138 @section Error Messages
1140 The library has functions and variables designed to make it easy for
1141 your program to report informative error messages in the customary
1142 format about the failure of a library call. The functions
1143 @code{strerror} and @code{perror} give you the standard error message
1144 for a given error code; the variable
1145 @w{@code{program_invocation_short_name}} gives you convenient access to the
1146 name of the program that encountered the error.
1148 @deftypefun {char *} strerror (int @var{errnum})
1149 @standards{ISO, string.h}
1150 @safety{@prelim{}@mtunsafe{@mtasurace{:strerror}}@asunsafe{@ascuheap{} @ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acsmem{}}}
1151 @c Calls strerror_r with a static buffer allocated with malloc on the
1153 The @code{strerror} function maps the error code (@pxref{Checking for
1154 Errors}) specified by the @var{errnum} argument to a descriptive error
1155 message string. The return value is a pointer to this string.
1157 The value @var{errnum} normally comes from the variable @code{errno}.
1159 You should not modify the string returned by @code{strerror}. Also, if
1160 you make subsequent calls to @code{strerror}, the string might be
1161 overwritten. (But it's guaranteed that no library function ever calls
1162 @code{strerror} behind your back.)
1164 The function @code{strerror} is declared in @file{string.h}.
1167 @deftypefun {char *} strerror_r (int @var{errnum}, char *@var{buf}, size_t @var{n})
1168 @standards{GNU, string.h}
1169 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{}@asunsafe{@ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{}}
1170 The @code{strerror_r} function works like @code{strerror} but instead of
1171 returning the error message in a statically allocated buffer shared by
1172 all threads in the process, it returns a private copy for the
1173 thread. This might be either some permanent global data or a message
1174 string in the user supplied buffer starting at @var{buf} with the
1175 length of @var{n} bytes.
1177 At most @var{n} characters are written (including the NUL byte) so it is
1178 up to the user to select a buffer large enough.
1180 This function should always be used in multi-threaded programs since
1181 there is no way to guarantee the string returned by @code{strerror}
1182 really belongs to the last call of the current thread.
1184 The function @code{strerror_r} is a GNU extension and it is declared in
1188 @deftypefun void perror (const char *@var{message})
1189 @standards{ISO, stdio.h}
1190 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtasurace{:stderr}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuintl{} @ascuheap{} @asulock{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{} @acsfd{}}}
1191 @c Besides strerror_r's and some of fprintf's issues, if stderr is not
1192 @c oriented yet, create a new stream with a dup of stderr's fd and write
1193 @c to that instead of stderr, to avoid orienting it.
1194 This function prints an error message to the stream @code{stderr};
1195 see @ref{Standard Streams}. The orientation of @code{stderr} is not
1198 If you call @code{perror} with a @var{message} that is either a null
1199 pointer or an empty string, @code{perror} just prints the error message
1200 corresponding to @code{errno}, adding a trailing newline.
1202 If you supply a non-null @var{message} argument, then @code{perror}
1203 prefixes its output with this string. It adds a colon and a space
1204 character to separate the @var{message} from the error string corresponding
1207 The function @code{perror} is declared in @file{stdio.h}.
1210 @deftypefun {const char *} strerrorname_np (int @var{errnum})
1211 @standards{GNU, string.h}
1212 @safety{@mtsafe{}@assafe{}@acsafe{}}
1213 This function returns the name describing the error @var{errnum} or
1214 @code{NULL} if there is no known constant with this value (e.g "EINVAL"
1218 This function is a GNU extension, declared in the header file @file{string.h}.
1221 @deftypefun {const char *} strerrordesc_np (int @var{errnum})
1222 @standards{GNU, string.h}
1223 @safety{@mtsafe{}@assafe{}@acsafe{}}
1224 This function returns the message describing the error @var{errnum} or
1225 @code{NULL} if there is no known constant with this value (e.g "Invalid
1226 argument" for @code{EINVAL}). Different than @code{strerror} the returned
1227 description is not translated.
1230 This function is a GNU extension, declared in the header file @file{string.h}.
1233 @code{strerror} and @code{perror} produce the exact same message for any
1234 given error code; the precise text varies from system to system. With
1235 @theglibc{}, the messages are fairly short; there are no multi-line
1236 messages or embedded newlines. Each error message begins with a capital
1237 letter and does not include any terminating punctuation.
1239 @cindex program name
1240 @cindex name of running program
1241 Many programs that don't read input from the terminal are designed to
1242 exit if any system call fails. By convention, the error message from
1243 such a program should start with the program's name, sans directories.
1244 You can find that name in the variable
1245 @code{program_invocation_short_name}; the full file name is stored the
1246 variable @code{program_invocation_name}.
1248 @deftypevar {char *} program_invocation_name
1249 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
1250 This variable's value is the name that was used to invoke the program
1251 running in the current process. It is the same as @code{argv[0]}. Note
1252 that this is not necessarily a useful file name; often it contains no
1253 directory names. @xref{Program Arguments}.
1255 This variable is a GNU extension and is declared in @file{errno.h}.
1258 @deftypevar {char *} program_invocation_short_name
1259 @standards{GNU, errno.h}
1260 This variable's value is the name that was used to invoke the program
1261 running in the current process, with directory names removed. (That is
1262 to say, it is the same as @code{program_invocation_name} minus
1263 everything up to the last slash, if any.)
1265 This variable is a GNU extension and is declared in @file{errno.h}.
1268 The library initialization code sets up both of these variables before
1269 calling @code{main}.
1271 @strong{Portability Note:} If you want your program to work with
1272 non-GNU libraries, you must save the value of @code{argv[0]} in
1273 @code{main}, and then strip off the directory names yourself. We
1274 added these extensions to make it possible to write self-contained
1275 error-reporting subroutines that require no explicit cooperation from
1278 Here is an example showing how to handle failure to open a file
1279 correctly. The function @code{open_sesame} tries to open the named file
1280 for reading and returns a stream if successful. The @code{fopen}
1281 library function returns a null pointer if it couldn't open the file for
1282 some reason. In that situation, @code{open_sesame} constructs an
1283 appropriate error message using the @code{strerror} function, and
1284 terminates the program. If we were going to make some other library
1285 calls before passing the error code to @code{strerror}, we'd have to
1286 save it in a local variable instead, because those other library
1287 functions might overwrite @code{errno} in the meantime.
1298 open_sesame (char *name)
1303 stream = fopen (name, "r");
1306 fprintf (stderr, "%s: Couldn't open file %s; %s\n",
1307 program_invocation_short_name, name, strerror (errno));
1308 exit (EXIT_FAILURE);
1315 Using @code{perror} has the advantage that the function is portable and
1316 available on all systems implementing @w{ISO C}. But often the text
1317 @code{perror} generates is not what is wanted and there is no way to
1318 extend or change what @code{perror} does. The GNU coding standard, for
1319 instance, requires error messages to be preceded by the program name and
1320 programs which read some input files should provide information
1321 about the input file name and the line number in case an error is
1322 encountered while reading the file. For these occasions there are two
1323 functions available which are widely used throughout the GNU project.
1324 These functions are declared in @file{error.h}.
1326 @deftypefun void error (int @var{status}, int @var{errnum}, const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1327 @standards{GNU, error.h}
1328 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @asuheap{} @asuintl{}}@acsafe{}}
1329 @c Cancellation is disabled throughout the execution. It flushes stdout
1330 @c and then holds a lock on stderr while printing the program name and
1331 @c then running error_tail. The non-wide case just runs vfprintf; the
1332 @c wide case converts the message to an alloca/malloc-allocated buffer
1333 @c with mbsrtowcs, then prints it with vfwprintf. Afterwards,
1334 @c print_errno_message calls strerror_r and fxprintf.
1335 The @code{error} function can be used to report general problems during
1336 program execution. The @var{format} argument is a format string just
1337 like those given to the @code{printf} family of functions. The
1338 arguments required for the format can follow the @var{format} parameter.
1339 Just like @code{perror}, @code{error} also can report an error code in
1340 textual form. But unlike @code{perror} the error value is explicitly
1341 passed to the function in the @var{errnum} parameter. This eliminates
1342 the problem mentioned above that the error reporting function must be
1343 called immediately after the function causing the error since otherwise
1344 @code{errno} might have a different value.
1346 @code{error} prints first the program name. If the application
1347 defined a global variable @code{error_print_progname} and points it to a
1348 function this function will be called to print the program name.
1349 Otherwise the string from the global variable @code{program_name} is
1350 used. The program name is followed by a colon and a space which in turn
1351 is followed by the output produced by the format string. If the
1352 @var{errnum} parameter is non-zero the format string output is followed
1353 by a colon and a space, followed by the error message for the error code
1354 @var{errnum}. In any case is the output terminated with a newline.
1356 The output is directed to the @code{stderr} stream. If the
1357 @code{stderr} wasn't oriented before the call it will be narrow-oriented
1360 The function will return unless the @var{status} parameter has a
1361 non-zero value. In this case the function will call @code{exit} with
1362 the @var{status} value for its parameter and therefore never return. If
1363 @code{error} returns, the global variable @code{error_message_count} is
1364 incremented by one to keep track of the number of errors reported.
1367 @deftypefun void error_at_line (int @var{status}, int @var{errnum}, const char *@var{fname}, unsigned int @var{lineno}, const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1368 @standards{GNU, error.h}
1369 @safety{@prelim{}@mtunsafe{@mtasurace{:error_at_line/error_one_per_line} @mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @asuheap{} @asuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{/error_one_per_line}}}
1370 @c The error_one_per_line variable is accessed (without any form of
1371 @c synchronization, but since it's an int used once, it should be safe
1372 @c enough) and, if this mode is enabled, static variables used to hold
1373 @c the last printed file name and line number are accessed and modified
1374 @c without synchronization; the update is not atomic and it occurs
1375 @c before disabling cancellation, so it can be interrupted after only
1376 @c one of the two variables is modified. After that, it's very much
1379 The @code{error_at_line} function is very similar to the @code{error}
1380 function. The only differences are the additional parameters @var{fname}
1381 and @var{lineno}. The handling of the other parameters is identical to
1382 that of @code{error} except that between the program name and the string
1383 generated by the format string additional text is inserted.
1385 Directly following the program name a colon, followed by the file name
1386 pointed to by @var{fname}, another colon, and the value of @var{lineno} is
1389 This additional output of course is meant to be used to locate an error
1390 in an input file (like a programming language source code file etc).
1392 If the global variable @code{error_one_per_line} is set to a non-zero
1393 value @code{error_at_line} will avoid printing consecutive messages for
1394 the same file and line. Repetition which are not directly following
1395 each other are not caught.
1397 Just like @code{error} this function only returns if @var{status} is
1398 zero. Otherwise @code{exit} is called with the non-zero value. If
1399 @code{error} returns, the global variable @code{error_message_count} is
1400 incremented by one to keep track of the number of errors reported.
1403 As mentioned above, the @code{error} and @code{error_at_line} functions
1404 can be customized by defining a variable named
1405 @code{error_print_progname}.
1407 @deftypevar {void (*error_print_progname)} (void)
1408 @standards{GNU, error.h}
1409 If the @code{error_print_progname} variable is defined to a non-zero
1410 value the function pointed to is called by @code{error} or
1411 @code{error_at_line}. It is expected to print the program name or do
1412 something similarly useful.
1414 The function is expected to print to the @code{stderr} stream and
1415 must be able to handle whatever orientation the stream has.
1417 The variable is global and shared by all threads.
1420 @deftypevar {unsigned int} error_message_count
1421 @standards{GNU, error.h}
1422 The @code{error_message_count} variable is incremented whenever one of
1423 the functions @code{error} or @code{error_at_line} returns. The
1424 variable is global and shared by all threads.
1427 @deftypevar int error_one_per_line
1428 @standards{GNU, error.h}
1429 The @code{error_one_per_line} variable influences only
1430 @code{error_at_line}. Normally the @code{error_at_line} function
1431 creates output for every invocation. If @code{error_one_per_line} is
1432 set to a non-zero value @code{error_at_line} keeps track of the last
1433 file name and line number for which an error was reported and avoids
1434 directly following messages for the same file and line. This variable
1435 is global and shared by all threads.
1439 A program which read some input file and reports errors in it could look
1446 unsigned int lineno = 0;
1448 error_message_count = 0;
1449 while (! feof_unlocked (fp))
1451 ssize_t n = getline (&line, &len, fp);
1453 /* @r{End of file or error.} */
1457 /* @r{Process the line.} */
1460 if (@r{Detect error in line})
1461 error_at_line (0, errval, filename, lineno,
1462 "some error text %s", some_variable);
1465 if (error_message_count != 0)
1466 error (EXIT_FAILURE, 0, "%u errors found", error_message_count);
1470 @code{error} and @code{error_at_line} are clearly the functions of
1471 choice and enable the programmer to write applications which follow the
1472 GNU coding standard. @Theglibc{} additionally contains functions which
1473 are used in BSD for the same purpose. These functions are declared in
1474 @file{err.h}. It is generally advised to not use these functions. They
1475 are included only for compatibility.
1477 @deftypefun void warn (const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1478 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1479 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{} @ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1480 @c Just calls vwarn with the va_list.
1481 The @code{warn} function is roughly equivalent to a call like
1483 error (0, errno, format, @r{the parameters})
1486 except that the global variables @code{error} respects and modifies
1490 @deftypefun void vwarn (const char *@var{format}, va_list @var{ap})
1491 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1492 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{} @ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1493 @c While holding stderr's recursive lock, it prints the programname, the
1494 @c given message, and the error string with fw?printf's %m. When the
1495 @c stream is wide, convert_and_print converts the format string to an
1496 @c alloca/malloc-created buffer using mbsrtowcs and then calls fwprintf.
1497 The @code{vwarn} function is just like @code{warn} except that the
1498 parameters for the handling of the format string @var{format} are passed
1499 in as a value of type @code{va_list}.
1502 @deftypefun void warnx (const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1503 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1504 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1505 @c Same as warn, but without the strerror translation issues.
1506 The @code{warnx} function is roughly equivalent to a call like
1508 error (0, 0, format, @r{the parameters})
1511 except that the global variables @code{error} respects and modifies
1512 are not used. The difference to @code{warn} is that no error number
1516 @deftypefun void vwarnx (const char *@var{format}, va_list @var{ap})
1517 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1518 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1519 @c Same as vwarn, but without the strerror translation issues.
1520 The @code{vwarnx} function is just like @code{warnx} except that the
1521 parameters for the handling of the format string @var{format} are passed
1522 in as a value of type @code{va_list}.
1525 @deftypefun void err (int @var{status}, const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1526 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1527 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{} @ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1528 @c Same as warn followed by exit.
1529 The @code{err} function is roughly equivalent to a call like
1531 error (status, errno, format, @r{the parameters})
1534 except that the global variables @code{error} respects and modifies
1535 are not used and that the program is exited even if @var{status} is zero.
1538 @deftypefun void verr (int @var{status}, const char *@var{format}, va_list @var{ap})
1539 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1540 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{} @ascuintl{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1541 @c Same as vwarn followed by exit.
1542 The @code{verr} function is just like @code{err} except that the
1543 parameters for the handling of the format string @var{format} are passed
1544 in as a value of type @code{va_list}.
1547 @deftypefun void errx (int @var{status}, const char *@var{format}, @dots{})
1548 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1549 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1550 @c Same as warnx followed by exit.
1551 The @code{errx} function is roughly equivalent to a call like
1553 error (status, 0, format, @r{the parameters})
1556 except that the global variables @code{error} respects and modifies
1557 are not used and that the program is exited even if @var{status}
1558 is zero. The difference to @code{err} is that no error number
1562 @deftypefun void verrx (int @var{status}, const char *@var{format}, va_list @var{ap})
1563 @standards{BSD, err.h}
1564 @safety{@prelim{}@mtsafe{@mtslocale{}}@asunsafe{@asucorrupt{} @ascuheap{}}@acunsafe{@acucorrupt{} @aculock{} @acsmem{}}}
1565 @c Same as vwarnx followed by exit.
1566 The @code{verrx} function is just like @code{errx} except that the
1567 parameters for the handling of the format string @var{format} are passed
1568 in as a value of type @code{va_list}.