STRUCT PRINT_STATE(9)

✨ struct print_state(9) ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this page is literally all about struct print_state, and no cap it's a glow-up moment for your perf tooling. 🫶

💖 NAME 💖

struct print_state — the state and configuration that gets passed to the default_print functions. it's giving "carry-on luggage for your print job." 🎀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct print_state {
    FILE *fp;
    char *pmu_glob;
    char *event_glob;
    bool name_only;
    bool desc;
    bool long_desc;
    bool deprecated;
    bool detailed;
    bool metrics;
    bool metricgroups;
    bool exclude_abi;
    char *last_topic;
    char *last_metricgroups;
    struct strlist *visited_metrics;
 };

yes bestie, that indentation on the closing brace is canon, we keep it exactly like that 💅

🦋 Members 🦋

• fp — the File we write output to. that's the whole vibe, it's where the words go. 🍓
• pmu_glob — optionally restricts PMU and metric matching to the PMU name, or to the debugfs subsystem name. so like, a little filter for who gets to be matched. 🔥
• event_glob — an optional pattern matching glob. wildcard szn fr fr. ⭐
• name_only — print event or metric names only. no extras, no lore, just the names. 🎀
• desc — print the event or metric description. the paragraph, the context, the backstory. 💜
• long_desc — print a longer event or metric description. it's the description but it ate. 😭
• deprecated — print deprecated events or metrics. yes we still print them, they're just old, ok don't be mean to them. 💀
• detailed — print extra information on the perf event, like names and expressions used internally by events. the behind-the-scenes tea ☕
• metrics — controls printing of metric and metric groups. 👑
• metricgroups — controls printing of metric and metric groups. (yes bestie, same description as metrics, that's literally what the page says, we do not editorialize 💅)
• exclude_abi — exclude PMUs with types less than PERF_TYPE_MAX except PERF_TYPE_RAW. very specific, very demure. 🌸
• last_topic — the last printed event topic. a little memory of where we've been 🧚
• last_metricgroups — the last printed metric group. same energy, metric edition. 🌈
• visited_metrics — metrics that are printed, kept around to avoid duplicates. it's a guest list and everybody on it already got in. 🙈

🎀 SEE ALSO 🎀

• Kernel file ./tools/perf/builtin-list.c — go read it, iykyk 💖

ngl this whole struct is just "what do you want printed and to where" — but dressed up iconic. periodt. ✨

and that's the whole page bestie!! shoutout to ./tools/perf for shipping this, and this little beauty is dated October 2026 — mwah, love that for us 💅🫶