process_output_block(9)

🎀 NAME 🎀

process_output_block — block post processor. Okay bestie, this is the process_output_block(9) page from the Kernel API Manual, and it’s literally here to explain outputting a block of characters. Slay. 💅

📜 SYNOPSIS 📜

ssize_t process_output_block (struct tty_struct *tty , const u8 *buf ,
unsigned int nr );

🧸 ARGUMENTS 🧸

• tty — terminal device. That’s the tty bestie in question. 🖥️
• buf — character buffer. The lil’ character hangout spot. 🔤
• nr — number of bytes to output. The count, the amount, the vibe check. 🔢

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Output a block of characters with OPOST processing. Periodt. ✨

This path is used to speed up block console writes, among other things when processing blocks of output data. It handles only the simple cases normally found and helps to generate blocks of symbols for the console driver and thus improve performance. Lowkey iconic performance behavior. 🔥

Locking tea ☕: output_lock to protect column state and space left — also, this is called from n_tty_write under the tty layer write lock. No cap, that lock detail matters. 🔐

🌈 RETURN 🌈

the number of characters output. That’s the whole answer, bestie. 💖

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

Kernel file: ./drivers/tty/n_tty.c — and here’s the whole iconic squad:

• n_tty_kick_worker(9)
• n_tty_write_wakeup(9)
• put_tty_queue(9)
• reset_buffer_flags(9)
• n_tty_flush_buffer(9)
• is_utf8_continuation(9)
• is_continuation(9)
• do_output_char(9)
• process_output(9)
• __process_echoes(9)
• add_echo_byte(9)
• echo_move_back_col(9)
• echo_set_canon_col(9)
• echo_erase_tab(9)
• echo_char_raw(9)
• echo_char(9)
• finish_erasing(9)
• eraser(9)
• isig(9)
• n_tty_receive_break(9)
• n_tty_receive_overrun(9)
• n_tty_receive_parity_error(9)
• n_tty_receive_char_flow_ctrl(9)
• n_tty_receive_char(9)
• n_tty_receive_buf_common(9)
• n_tty_set_termios(9)
• n_tty_close(9)
• n_tty_open(9)
• copy_from_read_buf(9)
• canon_copy_from_read_buf(9)
• job_control(9)
• n_tty_read(9)
• n_tty_write(9)
• n_tty_poll(9)
• n_tty_inherit_ops(9)

mwah 💋 source/version: ./drivers/tty · date: October 2026 · page: process_output_block(9) 🫶