list_first_entry(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 list_first_entry (Kernel API Manual energy) 💅

okay so real talk — this little icon lives in the Kernel API Manual, and she's the one you call when you need the actual first element out of a list, not just the boring list head. main character of the list traversal world, honestly. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

list_first_entry — get the first element from a list. that's it, that's the whole job, and she does it flawlessly. 👑

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

list_first_entry (ptr , type , member );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

  • ptr — the list head you're taking the element from. your starting point, your origin story, your where it all begins. 📍
  • type — the type of the struct this is embedded in. yes, the whole big struct, not just the tiny list bit. she needs to know what she's working with. 💁‍♀️
  • member — the name of the list_head within the struct. the lil field name that tells her exactly where to look. iykyk. 🔍

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so basically: hand her a list head, tell her the struct type, tell her which member is the list_head, and she hands you back the first entry. slay. no cap, that's the whole vibe. ✨

⚠️ okay bestie, important caveat time: note, that list is expected to be not empty. like, that's the stated expectation, fr fr. so do your vibe check before you call her, mmkay? 🙈

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

kernel file ./tools/include/linux/list.h — and literally the entire friend group, because she does not travel alone:

like, the whole group chat showed up. obsessed. 💜

🫶 mwah, that's a wrap! this page comes to you straight out of ./tools/include/linux, dated October 2026 — so she's fresh, she's iconic, and she's ready when you are. go get that first element, bestie 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from