MPI_ERROR_STRING(3)

📦
version 5.0.11 · 17 versions
, in arch rolling

✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to MPI_Error_string — aka MPI_ERROR_STRING(3) from Open MPI. It literally Returns a string for a given error code. That's the whole vibe. 🫶

🛠️ SYNTAX 🛠️

C Syntax

#include <mpi.h>

int MPI_Error_string(int errorcode, char *string, int *resultlen)

Fortran Syntax

USE MPI
! or the older form: INCLUDE 'mpif.h'
MPI_ERROR_STRING(ERRORCODE, STRING, RESULTLEN, IERROR)
     INTEGER         ERRORCODE, RESULTLEN, IERROR
     CHARACTER*(*)   STRING

Fortran 2008 Syntax

USE mpi_f08
MPI_Error_string(errorcode, string, resultlen, ierror)
     INTEGER, INTENT(IN) :: errorcode
     CHARACTER(LEN=MPI_MAX_ERROR_STRING), INTENT(OUT) :: string
     INTEGER, INTENT(OUT) :: resultlen
     INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror

🎀 INPUT PARAMETER 🎀

  • errorcode — Error code returned by an MPI routine or an MPI error class. Like, the little number your MPI code is handing you, bestie. 💅

🌸 OUTPUT PARAMETERS 🌸

  • string — Text that corresponds to the errorcode. It's giving "translate this mysterious integer into actual words." ✨
  • resultlen — Length of string. The character count, no cap. 🎀
  • ierror — Fortran only: Error status (integer).

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Returns the error string associated with an error code or class. The argument string must represent storage that is at least MPI_MAX_ERROR_STRING characters long. Do not skimp on the buffer, bestie. 💖

The number of characters actually written is returned in the output argument, resultlen.

🚨 ERRORS 🚨

Almost all MPI routines return an error value; C routines as the return result of the function and Fortran routines in the last argument.

Before the error value is returned, the current MPI error handler associated with the communication object (e.g., communicator, window, file) is called. If no communication object is associated with the MPI call, then the call is considered attached to MPI_COMM_SELF and will call the associated MPI error handler. When MPI_COMM_SELF is not initialized (i.e., before MPI_Init/MPI_Init_thread, after MPI_Finalize, or when using the Sessions Model exclusively) the error raises the initial error handler. The initial error handler can be changed by calling MPI_Comm_set_errhandler on MPI_COMM_SELF when using the World model, or the mpi_initial_errhandler CLI argument to mpiexec or info key to MPI_Comm_spawn/MPI_Comm_spawn_multiple. If no other appropriate error handler has been set, then the MPI_ERRORS_RETURN error handler is called for MPI I/O functions and the MPI_ERRORS_ABORT error handler is called for all other MPI functions.

Open MPI includes three predefined error handlers that can be used:

  • MPI_ERRORS_ARE_FATAL — Causes the program to abort all connected MPI processes. Dramatic? Yes. Real? Also yes. 💀
  • MPI_ERRORS_ABORT — An error handler that can be invoked on a communicator, window, file, or session. When called on a communicator, it acts as if MPI_Abort was called on that communicator. If called on a window or file, acts as if MPI_Abort was called on a communicator containing the group of processes in the corresponding window or file. If called on a session, aborts only the local process.
  • MPI_ERRORS_RETURN — Returns an error code to the application.

MPI applications can also implement their own error handlers by calling:

  • MPI_Comm_create_errhandler then MPI_Comm_set_errhandler
  • MPI_File_create_errhandler then MPI_File_set_errhandler
  • MPI_Session_create_errhandler then MPI_Session_set_errhandler or at MPI_Session_init
  • MPI_Win_create_errhandler then MPI_Win_set_errhandler
⚠️ Note that MPI does not guarantee that an MPI program can continue past an error. So like… do not assume everything is fine after an error, bestie. 😭

See the MPI man page for a full list of MPI error codes.

See the Error Handling section of the MPI-3.1 standard for more information.

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

  • MPI_Error_class

Copyright 2003-2026, The Open MPI Community. This page was last vibing on Sep 11, 2026, in the MPI_ERROR_STRING(3) manual for Open MPI. Go forth and decode those error codes, bestie — periodt. 💖🎀✨

📦 where this page comes from