STRUCT TARGET(9)

✨ struct target(9) ✨

okay so bestie, this is the tea on struct target — it's literally the info about the current target node as you're recursing through an overlay. kernel API manual vibes, devicetree era, we love to see it 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

struct target {
    struct device_node *np;
    bool in_livetree;
};

no cap, that's the whole thing. two members, both iconic, both doing their job 🫶

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🌸 Members 🌸

• np — this is the node where the current level of the overlay is gonna be applied. that's the whole assignment, that's the mission 💖
• in_livetree — a lil bool that tells you whether np is, in fact, a node in the live devicetree. simple. honest. slay ✨

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🦋 Description 🦋

so like, this struct is used in the algorithm that creates the portion of a changeset describing an overlay fragment — and an overlay fragment is a devicetree subtree, periodt.

here's the storyline, bestie 🎬:

• Initially, np is a node in the live devicetree where the overlay subtree is targeted to be grafted into. that's the starting point, the main character energy 👑
• When you recurse to the next level of the overlay subtree, the target also recurses to the next level of the live devicetree — but only as long as the overlay subtree node also exists in the live devicetree. conditional queen behavior tbh 🌈
• When a node in the overlay subtree does NOT exist at the same level in the live devicetree, then target->np points to a newly allocated node, and all subsequent targets in the subtree will be newly allocated nodes. so it's fresh nodes from there on out, like a whole new era 🦋

not me explaining devicetree overlay recursion like it's a group chat drama... but also if you get it you get it, iykyk 😭💀

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

kernel file ./drivers/of/overlay.c — go read it fr fr, and while you're there check out these besties:

• struct fragment(9)
• struct overlay_changeset(9)
• of_overlay_notifier_register(9)
• of_overlay_notifier_unregister(9)
• add_changeset_property(9)
• add_changeset_node(9)
• build_changeset_next_level(9)
• changeset_dup_entry_check(9)
• build_changeset(9)
• init_overlay_changeset(9)
• of_overlay_fdt_apply(9)
• of_overlay_remove(9)
• of_overlay_remove_all(9)

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and that's the page, bestie 🎀 this one lives in ./drivers/of, dated October 2026, and it's struct target(9) — go forth and recurse responsibly 💖✨🫶