of_parse_ph...ptional_args(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 of_parse_ph...ptional_args(9) — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so this is a page straight out of the Kernel API Manual and it's about one little function that's doing the MOST to keep your device tree backwards-compatible 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

of_parse_phandle_with_optional_args — bestie, it literally finds a node pointed by a phandle in a list 🔍💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int of_parse_phandle_with_optional_args (const struct device_node *np ,
const char *list_name , const char *cells_name , int index ,
struct of_phandle_args *out_args );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • np — pointer to a device tree node containing a list 🦋
  • list_name — the property name that contains a list 📋
  • cells_name — property name that specifies the phandles' arguments count, iykyk 🔢
  • index — which phandle in the list you wanna parse out 👉
  • out_args — optional pointer to an output arguments structure (it will get filled, no cap) 💫

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

So it's the same as of_parse_phandle_with_args except — and this is the whole slay of it — if the cells_name property is not found, a cell_count of 0 is assumed. periodt. 💅

It's genuinely useful when you've got a phandle that didn't have arguments before (so it has no #*-cells property, rip) but is now migrated to having arguments while retaining backwards compatibility. glow-up with zero breakage, we love to see it 🌈👑

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Kernel file ./include/linux/of.h and honestly the whole friend group:

ngl the whole of_ squad showed up to this one 😭 it's giving family reunion

okay that's the whole page bestie, ily, go parse some phandles 🧚💖

— xoxo, sourced from ./include/linux, dated October 2026, still of_parse_ph...ptional_args(9) in spirit ⭐🍓

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