GAI_STRERROR(3POSIX)

📦 version 2017a, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 GAI_STRERROR 💖

okay bestie, so this one is from the POSIX Programmer's Manual, section 3POSIX. Come sit with me, it's short and it's cute. 🎀

✨ PROLOG ✨

so like, this manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual, right? But heads up: the Linux implementation of this interface may be different — so if you're on Linux, go check the corresponding Linux manual page for the deets on Linux behavior. Or, plot twist, the interface might not even be implemented on Linux at all. 🙈 lowkey important, don't skip this part.

🌸 NAME 🌸

gai_strerror — address and name information error description. it's giving "translator for your error codes" energy 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <netdb.h>

const char *gai_strerror(int ecode);

⭐ DESCRIPTION ⭐

so gai_strerror() shall return a text string that describes an error value for the getaddrinfo() and getnameinfo() functions, the ones listed up in the <netdb.h> header. basically it takes your sad little error number and turns it into words. iconic behavior honestly.

when the ecode argument is one of these values listed in the <netdb.h> header:

  • [EAI_AGAIN]
  • [EAI_BADFLAGS]
  • [EAI_FAIL]
  • [EAI_FAMILY]
  • [EAI_MEMORY]
  • [EAI_NONAME]
  • [EAI_OVERFLOW]
  • [EAI_SERVICE]
  • [EAI_SOCKTYPE]
  • [EAI_SYSTEM]

then the function return value shall point to a string describing the error. slay. ✨

but if the argument is not one of those values? the function shall return a pointer to a string whose contents indicate an unknown error. so like, it never leaves you hanging, it just says "idk bestie" in string form. 😭

💜 RETURN VALUE 💜

upon successful completion, gai_strerror() shall return a pointer to an implementation-defined string. (so the exact words are up to whoever implemented it — don't @ me about the specific text.) 🫶

🎀 ERRORS 🎀

no errors are defined. literally none. periodt. 💅

the following sections are informative, fyi.

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

none. 💀 (not me having zero examples to show you)

🧚 APPLICATION USAGE 🧚

none. 🦋

👑 RATIONALE 👑

none. ⭐

🍓 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 🍓

none. 🌸

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

  • freeaddrinfo()
  • the Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017, <netdb.h>

portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group.

and listen — in the event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. no cap, that's the one that wins. the original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

any typographical or formatting errors that show up in this page are most likely from the conversion of the source files to man page format. to report those errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .

okay that's the whole page bestie!! this one came from IEEE/The Open Group, dated 2017, filed under GAI_STRERROR(3POSIX) — go off, you understood all of it, I'm so proud of you 🥹💜✨

📦 where this page comes from