explain_tcgetattr(3)
π explain_tcgetattr β bestie edition π
okay so this is explain_tcgetattr(3), from the Library Functions Manual, and it's literally the glow-up your error messages have been begging for. it's all about explaining tcgetattr(3) errors so you actually know what went wrong instead of just staring at a sad little -1. π¦
β¨ NAME β¨
explain_tcgetattr β explain tcgetattr(3) errors π
β¨ SYNOPSIS β¨
#include <libexplain/tcgetattr.h>
const char *explain_tcgetattr(int fildes, struct termios *data);
const char *explain_errno_tcgetattr(int errnum, int fildes, struct
termios *data);
void explain_message_tcgetattr(char *message, int message_size, int
fildes, struct termios *data);
void explain_message_errno_tcgetattr(char *message, int message_size,
int errnum, int fildes, struct termios *data);
πΈ DESCRIPTION πΈ
so these functions are your little translators, bestie. they take the errors that come back from the tcgetattr(3) system call and turn them into actual explanations. no cap. π«Ά
π explain_tcgetattr π
const char *explain_tcgetattr(int fildes, struct termios *data);
the explain_tcgetattr function gets you an explanation of an error that came back from the tcgetattr(3) system call. the absolute bare minimum the message will have is the value of strerror(errno), but lowkey it usually does way better than that and tells you the actual underlying cause in more detail. β¨
it pulls the error value it needs to decode from the errno global variable. periodt.
- fildes β the original
fildes, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call. - data β the original
data, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call.
Returns:
the message explaining the error. this message buffer is shared by all libexplain functions that don't supply a buffer in their argument list. so it will get overwritten by the next call to any libexplain function that shares this buffer β including from other threads. π
Note: this function is not thread safe, because it shares a return buffer across all threads, and lots of other functions in this library do too.
Example: this function is meant to be used in a fashion similar to the following example:
if (tcgetattr(fildes, data) < 0)
{
fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", explain_tcgetattr(fildes, data));
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
the above code example is available preβpackaged as the explain_tcgetattr_or_die(3) function. iconic. π
π explain_errno_tcgetattr π
const char *explain_errno_tcgetattr(int errnum, int fildes, struct
termios *data);
the explain_errno_tcgetattr function gets you an explanation of an error that came back from the tcgetattr(3) system call. the least the message will contain is the value of strerror(errno), but usually it does much better and shows you the underlying cause in more detail. π
- errnum β the error value to be decoded, usually grabbed from the
errnoglobal variable right before this function is called. this is necessary if you need to run any code between the system call you're explaining and this function, because a lot of libc functions will alter the value oferrno. π - fildes β the original
fildes, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call. - data β the original
data, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call.
Returns:
the message explaining the error. this message buffer is shared by all libexplain functions that don't supply a buffer in their argument list. it will be overwritten by the next call to any libexplain function that shares this buffer, including other threads. π
Note: this function is not thread safe, because it shares a return buffer across all threads, and many other functions in this library do too.
Example: this function is intended to be used in a fashion similar to the following example:
if (tcgetattr(fildes, data) < 0)
{
int err = errno;
fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", explain_errno_tcgetattr(err, fildes,
data));
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
the above code example is available preβpackaged as the explain_tcgetattr_or_die(3) function. slay. π
π explain_message_tcgetattr π
void explain_message_tcgetattr(char *message, int message_size, int
fildes, struct termios *data);
the explain_message_tcgetattr function gets you an explanation of an error returned by the tcgetattr(3) system call. the least the message will contain is the value of strerror(errno), but usually it will do much better, and indicate the underlying cause in more detail. β¨
the errno global variable will be used to obtain the error value to be decoded.
- message β the location in which to store the returned message. if a suitable message return buffer is supplied, this function is thread safe. π«Ά
- message_size β the size in bytes of the location in which to store the returned message.
- fildes β the original
fildes, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call. - data β the original
data, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call.
Example: this function is intended to be used in a fashion similar to the following example:
if (tcgetattr(fildes, data) < 0)
{
char message[3000];
explain_message_tcgetattr(message, sizeof(message), fildes,
data);
fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", message);
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
the above code example is available preβpackaged as the explain_tcgetattr_or_die(3) function. π
π explain_message_errno_tcgetattr π
void explain_message_errno_tcgetattr(char *message, int message_size,
int errnum, int fildes, struct termios *data);
the explain_message_errno_tcgetattr function gets you an explanation of an error returned by the tcgetattr(3) system call. the least the message will contain is the value of strerror(errno), but usually it will do much better, and indicate the underlying cause in more detail. π
- message β the location in which to store the returned message. if a suitable message return buffer is supplied, this function is thread safe. π«Ά
- message_size β the size in bytes of the location in which to store the returned message.
- errnum β the error value to be decoded, usually obtained from the
errnoglobal variable just before this function is called. this is necessary if you need to call any code between the system call to be explained and this function, because many libc functions will alter the value oferrno. π - fildes β the original
fildes, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call. - data β the original
data, exactly as passed to thetcgetattr(3)system call.
Example: this function is intended to be used in a fashion similar to the following example:
if (tcgetattr(fildes, data) < 0)
{
int err = errno;
char message[3000];
explain_message_errno_tcgetattr(message, sizeof(message),
err, fildes, data);
fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", message);
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
the above code example is available preβpackaged as the explain_tcgetattr_or_die(3) function. π
π¦ SEE ALSO π¦
tcgetattr(3)β get terminal parametersexplain_tcgetattr_or_die(3)β get terminal parameters and report errors
π COPYRIGHT π
libexplain version 1.4 Copyright (C) 2009 Peter Miller
okay that's the whole page, bestie!! go forth and explain your tcgetattr(3) errors like the main character you are πΈβ¨ and yeah β that's libexplain version 1.4, Copyright (C) 2009 Peter Miller, from the Library Functions Manual, mwah π
π¦ where this page comes from
- debian bookworm: libexplain-dev 1.4.D001-12+b1 Β· LGPL-3.0-or-later
- debian trixie: libexplain-dev 1.4.D001-16 Β· LGPL-3.0-or-later
- ubuntu jammy: libexplain-dev 1.4.D001-12 Β· LGPL-3.0-or-later
- ubuntu noble: libexplain-dev 1.4.D001-13 Β· LGPL-3.0-or-later
- ubuntu resolute: libexplain-dev 1.4.D001-16 Β· LGPL-3.0-or-later
- Copyright (C) 2009-2011 Peter Miller
- π girlified by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash on : a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms