MPI_SEND(3)

💅 MPI_Send: the Open MPI manual page, bestie edition 💅

okay so you opened the Open MPI manual and landed on MPI_Send — this is the MPI_SEND(3) page, and we're gonna make it make sense. no cap. 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

MPI_Send — Performs a standard-mode blocking send. periodt. 💖

✨ SYNTAX ✨

C Syntax

#include <mpi.h>

int MPI_Send(const void *buf, int count, MPI_Datatype datatype, int dest,
     int tag, MPI_Comm comm)

Fortran Syntax

USE MPI
! or the older form: INCLUDE 'mpif.h'
MPI_SEND(BUF, COUNT, DATATYPE, DEST, TAG, COMM, IERROR)
     <type>  BUF(*)
     INTEGER COUNT, DATATYPE, DEST, TAG, COMM, IERROR

Fortran 2008 Syntax

USE mpi_f08
MPI_Send(buf, count, datatype, dest, tag, comm, ierror)
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), INTENT(IN) :: buf
     INTEGER, INTENT(IN) :: count, dest, tag
     TYPE(MPI_Datatype), INTENT(IN) :: datatype
     TYPE(MPI_Comm), INTENT(IN) :: comm
     INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror

🎀 INPUT PARAMETERS 🎀

okay bestie, here's the tea on every single input:

• buf — Initial address of send buffer (choice). that's the choice in the docs, not a vibe choice, iykyk. 💅
• count — Number of elements in send buffer (nonnegative integer).
• datatype — Datatype of each send buffer element (handle).
• dest — Rank of destination (integer).
• tag — Message tag (integer).
• comm — Communicator (handle).

💌 OUTPUT PARAMETER 💌

• ierror — Fortran only: Error status (integer). she's Fortran-only, main character energy. ✨

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

MPI_Send performs a standard-mode, blocking send. that's the whole assignment, and it ate. 💅

⚠️ NOTE ⚠️

This routine will block until the message is sent to the destination. For an in-depth explanation of the semantics of the standard-mode send, refer to the MPI Standard. no skipping the lore on this one, bestie. 📚

💀 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. okay so that's the universal MPI error-value situation. 🫶

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.
• 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. that's a real warning, not a drill. 😭

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_Isend
• MPI_Bsend
• MPI_Recv

🎀 COPYRIGHT 🎀

2003-2026, The Open MPI Community

xoxo, the Open MPI besties 💖 — page date Sep 11, 2026, and the manual tag is MPI_SEND(3). slay and goodbye. 🦋