Re: [PATCH v6 1/5] media: v4l2-core: add new control type V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8
From: Hans Verkuil
Date: Tue Sep 22 2026 - 09:32:14 EST
Hi Deepa,
On 16/09/2026 00:00, Deepa Guthyappa Madivalara wrote:
> Introduce V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8 (enum value 0x0103) as a new
> control type for signed 8-bit values. Add necessary support in
> v4l2_ext_control, v4l2_ctrl_ptr and handling in v4l2-ctrls-core,
> v4l2-ctrls-api.
One reason I asked you to split up adding the type and the control is
that this makes it easy to do a 'git grep V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U8' and compare
that with 'git grep V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8' and see if the same number of changes
is made in documentation, headers, and core code.
And I see that S8 support is missing in v4l2_ctrl_type_op_validate() and
check_range(), so that has to be added in a v7.
Regards,
Hans
>
> Signed-off-by: Deepa Guthyappa Madivalara <deepa.madivalara@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> .../userspace-api/media/v4l/videodev2.h.rst.exceptions | 1 +
> Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-g-ext-ctrls.rst | 4 ++++
> Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-queryctrl.rst | 6 ++++++
> drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-api.c | 1 +
> drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c | 11 +++++++++++
> include/media/v4l2-ctrls.h | 2 ++
> include/uapi/linux/videodev2.h | 2 ++
> 7 files changed, 27 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/videodev2.h.rst.exceptions b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/videodev2.h.rst.exceptions
> index 6182b4e2d2ee002c0d3562e1cc3bc2fd9c4286d6..b036ed3ec2f0744175cad1cbc4e73fe828e0c955 100644
> --- a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/videodev2.h.rst.exceptions
> +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/videodev2.h.rst.exceptions
> @@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_STRING :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U16 :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32 :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U8 :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> +replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8 :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_MPEG2_SEQUENCE :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_MPEG2_PICTURE :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> replace symbol V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_MPEG2_QUANTISATION :c:type:`V4L.v4l2_ctrl_type`
> diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-g-ext-ctrls.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-g-ext-ctrls.rst
> index d78328152b7552f8f0d30a9e2f7c104bfd4b70d3..fe5f8992389c32d8f35f432229ef2f734002644e 100644
> --- a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-g-ext-ctrls.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-g-ext-ctrls.rst
> @@ -188,6 +188,10 @@ still cause this situation.
> - ``p_u32``
> - A pointer to a matrix control of unsigned 32-bit values. Valid if
> this control is of type ``V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32``.
> + * - __s8 *
> + - ``p_s8``
> + - A pointer to a matrix control of signed 8-bit values. Valid if
> + this control is of type ``V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8``.
> * - __s32 *
> - ``p_s32``
> - A pointer to a matrix control of signed 32-bit values. Valid if
> diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-queryctrl.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-queryctrl.rst
> index 82c8b52e771ce9301491b3f752e501a8fe7e2434..57e1652ae72e0324742142446acf32a16b94941c 100644
> --- a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-queryctrl.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/vidioc-queryctrl.rst
> @@ -425,6 +425,12 @@ See also the examples in :ref:`control`.
> - any
> - An unsigned 32-bit valued control ranging from minimum to maximum
> inclusive. The step value indicates the increment between values.
> + * - ``V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8``
> + - any
> + - any
> + - any
> + - A signed 8-bit valued control ranging from minimum to maximum
> + inclusive. The step value indicates the increment between values.
> * - ``V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_MPEG2_QUANTISATION``
> - n/a
> - n/a
> diff --git a/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-api.c b/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-api.c
> index 93d8d4012d0f4fef004e417d0aee2ae44b1b30bd..7d41cfd7378baaa929d4da0266c45f731bb54285 100644
> --- a/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-api.c
> +++ b/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-api.c
> @@ -980,6 +980,7 @@ int __v4l2_ctrl_modify_range(struct v4l2_ctrl *ctrl,
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U8:
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U16:
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32:
> + case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8:
> if (ctrl->is_array)
> return -EINVAL;
> ret = check_range(ctrl->type, min, max, step, def);
> diff --git a/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c b/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c
> index 9caca56478d1a97ccde582a2086e7039411b52ed..b78992e32e21c79b1c70ec673b81759c9ca84206 100644
> --- a/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c
> +++ b/drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c
> @@ -297,6 +297,9 @@ static void __v4l2_ctrl_type_op_init(const struct v4l2_ctrl *ctrl, u32 from_idx,
> memset(ptr.p_u32 + from_idx, 0, elems * sizeof(u32));
> }
> break;
> + case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8:
> + memset(ptr.p_s8 + from_idx, (u8)value, elems);
> + break;
> default:
> for (i = from_idx; i < tot_elems; i++) {
> switch (which) {
> @@ -377,6 +380,9 @@ void v4l2_ctrl_type_op_log(const struct v4l2_ctrl *ctrl)
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32:
> pr_cont("%u", (unsigned)*ptr.p_u32);
> break;
> + case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8:
> + pr_cont("%d", *ptr.p_s8);
> + break;
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_AREA:
> pr_cont("%ux%u", ptr.p_area->width, ptr.p_area->height);
> break;
> @@ -1442,6 +1448,8 @@ static int std_validate_elem(const struct v4l2_ctrl *ctrl, u32 idx,
> return ROUND_TO_RANGE(ptr.p_u16[idx], u16, ctrl);
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32:
> return ROUND_TO_RANGE(ptr.p_u32[idx], u32, ctrl);
> + case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8:
> + return ROUND_TO_RANGE(ptr.p_s8[idx], u8, ctrl);
>
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_BOOLEAN:
> ptr.p_s32[idx] = !!ptr.p_s32[idx];
> @@ -2037,6 +2045,9 @@ static struct v4l2_ctrl *v4l2_ctrl_new(struct v4l2_ctrl_handler *hdl,
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32:
> elem_size = sizeof(u32);
> break;
> + case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8:
> + elem_size = sizeof(s8);
> + break;
> case V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_MPEG2_SEQUENCE:
> elem_size = sizeof(struct v4l2_ctrl_mpeg2_sequence);
> break;
> diff --git a/include/media/v4l2-ctrls.h b/include/media/v4l2-ctrls.h
> index 327976b14d50b73a631e4d2ed95d9f4d146c45ab..9a68a3555e349f1e55aa01af5c10f08201d62bae 100644
> --- a/include/media/v4l2-ctrls.h
> +++ b/include/media/v4l2-ctrls.h
> @@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ struct video_device;
>
> /**
> * union v4l2_ctrl_ptr - A pointer to a control value.
> + * @p_s8: Pointer to a 8-bit signed value.
> * @p_s32: Pointer to a 32-bit signed value.
> * @p_s64: Pointer to a 64-bit signed value.
> * @p_u8: Pointer to a 8-bit unsigned value.
> @@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ struct video_device;
> * @p_const: Pointer to a constant compound value.
> */
> union v4l2_ctrl_ptr {
> + s8 *p_s8;
> s32 *p_s32;
> s64 *p_s64;
> u8 *p_u8;
> diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/videodev2.h b/include/uapi/linux/videodev2.h
> index 5373dba640fae3d19247ab1c74ba336e05dc0fe0..ac588d0093df9cc35c11d0b9d41d052d5e800925 100644
> --- a/include/uapi/linux/videodev2.h
> +++ b/include/uapi/linux/videodev2.h
> @@ -1884,6 +1884,7 @@ struct v4l2_ext_control {
> __s64 value64;
> char __user *string;
> __u8 __user *p_u8;
> + __s8 __user *p_s8;
> __u16 __user *p_u16;
> __u32 __user *p_u32;
> __s32 __user *p_s32;
> @@ -1961,6 +1962,7 @@ enum v4l2_ctrl_type {
> V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U8 = 0x0100,
> V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U16 = 0x0101,
> V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_U32 = 0x0102,
> + V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_S8 = 0x0103,
> V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_AREA = 0x0106,
> V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_RECT = 0x0107,
>
>