DEVICE_ATTR(9)

💅 DEVICE_ATTR(9) — like, the kernel API manual bestie ✨

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual and it's about DEVICE_ATTR, the macro that literally everybody in driver-land uses. buckle up 🎀

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

DEVICE_ATTR — define a device attribute. that's it. that's the whole vibe 🦋

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

DEVICE_ATTR (_name , _mode , _show , _store );

---

🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• _name — the attribute's name. what you're calling it, no cap 💖
• _mode — the file mode. permission vibes 🔥
• _show — the show handler. it's optional but — and this is the important part — it's mandatory if the attribute is readable. so like, optional-optional, not really 🙈
• _store — the store handler. same deal: optional, but mandatory if the attribute is writable. don't forget, bestie 😭

---

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

it's a convenience macro for defining a struct device_attribute. that's the whole thing. it's giving "I'm a shortcut and I know it" ✨

for example, this:

DEVICE_ATTR(foo, 0644, foo_show, foo_store);

expands to this absolute icon:

struct device_attribute dev_attr_foo = {
        .attr   = { .name = "foo", .mode = 0644 },
        .show   = foo_show,
        .store  = foo_store,
};

not me writing out the struct by hand like a peasant 💀 the macro ate, honestly 👑

---

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

the kernel file is ./include/linux/device.h, and honestly the whole friend group is here:

• struct subsys_interface(9)
• struct device_attribute(9)
• struct dev_ext_attribute(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RW(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_ADMIN_RW(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RW_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_ADMIN_RO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RO_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_WO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_WO_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ULONG_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_INT_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_BOOL_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_STRING_ATTR_RO(9)
• enum device_link_state(9)
• enum dl_dev_state(9)
• enum device_removable(9)
• struct dev_links_info(9)
• struct dev_msi_info(9)
• enum device_physical_location_panel(9)
• enum device_physical_location_vertical_position(9)
• enum device_physical_location_horizontal_position(9)
• struct device_physical_location(9)
• enum struct_device_flags(9)
• struct device(9)
• struct device_link(9)
• device_set_driver_override(9)
• device_has_driver_override(9)
• device_match_driver_override(9)
• device_iommu_mapped(9)
• dev_name(9)
• dev_bus_name(9)
• device_find_child_by_name(9)
• device_find_any_child(9)
• device_lock_set_class(9)
• device_lock_reset_class(9)

like, the entire extended universe lowkey 🌈 iykyk 💜

---

a little sign-off from me to you: this page lives at ./include/linux, the version dates to October 2026, and it's filed under DEVICE_ATTR(9) — so go forth and define those device attributes, bestie, you're literally the main character of this driver 🧚‍♀️✨💖</p>