fdt_node_offset_by_phandle(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 fdt_node_offset_by_phandle(9) — Kernel API Manual 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the manual page for fdt_node_offset_by_phandle, straight out of the Kernel API Manual. Yes it's a mouthful, no you don't have to say it out loud, just know it's giving "find my node" energy and we're gonna walk through it together 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

fdt_node_offset_by_phandle — find the node with a given phandle

Like, that's literally it. It finds a node. By its phandle. Iconic behaviour honestly 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int fdt_node_offset_by_phandle (const void *fdt , uint32_t phandle );

Two args, one int back. Simple. Elegant. Not messy. We love a compact signature 💅

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • fdt — pointer to the device tree blob 🦋 this is your tree, your whole vibe, the thing you're searching through
  • phandle — phandle value 🔥 the number you're hunting for, no cap

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

So fdt_node_offset_by_phandle returns the offset of the node which has the given phandle value. That's the whole job bestie, it's a lookup, and it ate 💅

but listen — if there is more than one node in the tree with the given phandle (an invalid tree 😭), results are undefined. Not "it picks the first one", not "it's fine". Undefined. So don't come crying to me if your tree is cursed 🙈

⭐ RETURN ⭐

Here's what you get back, and you gotta read it carefully because there are several moods this function can be in:

  • structure block offset of the located node (>= 0), on success ✨ slay, you found it
  • -FDT_ERR_NOTFOUND — no node with that phandle exists 💀 it's just not there babe
  • -FDT_ERR_BADPHANDLE — given phandle value was invalid (0 or -1) 🚩 yeah those two are not it
  • -FDT_ERR_BADMAGIC, -FDT_ERR_BADVERSION, -FDT_ERR_BADSTATE, -FDT_ERR_BADSTRUCTURE — standard meanings 🌈

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

grab a snack, this list is long and every single one of them is invited to the party 🎉

Kernel file ./scripts/dtc/libfdt/libfdt.h 💖

and that's the whole page bestie, go find your phandle 💅✨

sign-off time 🎀: this one lives in ./scripts/dtc/libfdt and it's dated October 2026, so like, future energy fr fr. mwah 💋

📦 where this page comes from