[PATCH v3 next 07/17] tools/nolibc/printf: Move snprintf length check to callback

From: david . laight . linux

Date: Mon Feb 23 2026 - 05:35:56 EST


From: David Laight <david.laight.linux@xxxxxxxxx>

Move output truncation to the snprintf() callback.
This simplifies the main code and fixes truncation of padded fields.

Add a zero length callback to 'finalise' the buffer rather than
doing it in snprintf() itself.

Fixes e90ce42e81381 ("tools/nolibc: implement width padding in printf()")
Signed-off-by: David Laight <david.laight.linux@xxxxxxxxx>
---

For v3:
- Patch 2 in v2, patch 1 in v1.
- Note that it fixes e90ce42e81381.
- Update comments (again).
- Rename size => space in snprintf 'state.
- Copy state->space to a local rather than relying on the compiler
doing CSE, changes the code slightly for x86 (but not the size).
- Unconditionally write a '\0' to terminate the old data before
overwriting it with new data.
Saves a few bytes of object code.

tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h | 92 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 65 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h b/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
index a271059cf67a..5c8f233336b9 100644
--- a/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
+++ b/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
@@ -295,16 +295,25 @@ int fseek(FILE *stream, long offset, int whence)
* - %[l*]{d,u,c,x,p}
* - %s
* - unknown modifiers are ignored.
+ *
+ * Called by vfprintf() and snprintf() to do the actual formatting.
+ * The callers provide a callback function to save the formatted data.
+ * The callback function is called multiple times:
+ * - for each group of literal characters in the format string.
+ * - for field padding.
+ * - for each conversion specifier.
+ * - with (NULL, 0) at the end of the __nolibc_printf.
+ * If the callback returns non-zero __nolibc_printf() immediately returns -1.
*/
-typedef int (*__nolibc_printf_cb)(intptr_t state, const char *buf, size_t size);
+typedef int (*__nolibc_printf_cb)(void *state, const char *buf, size_t size);

-static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 4, 0)))
-int __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_printf_cb cb, intptr_t state, size_t n, const char *fmt, va_list args)
+static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 3, 0)))
+int __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_printf_cb cb, void *state, const char *fmt, va_list args)
{
char escape, lpref, ch;
unsigned long long v;
unsigned int written, width;
- size_t len, ofs, w;
+ size_t len, ofs;
char outbuf[21];
const char *outstr;

@@ -402,17 +411,13 @@ int __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_printf_cb cb, intptr_t state, size_t n, const char
outstr = fmt;
len = ofs - 1;
flush_str:
- if (n) {
- w = len < n ? len : n;
- n -= w;
- while (width-- > w) {
- if (cb(state, " ", 1) != 0)
- return -1;
- written += 1;
- }
- if (cb(state, outstr, w) != 0)
+ while (width-- > len) {
+ if (cb(state, " ", 1) != 0)
return -1;
+ written += 1;
}
+ if (cb(state, outstr, len) != 0)
+ return -1;

written += len;
do_escape:
@@ -425,18 +430,25 @@ int __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_printf_cb cb, intptr_t state, size_t n, const char

/* literal char, just queue it */
}
+
+ /* Request a final '\0' be added to the snprintf() output.
+ * This may be the only call of the cb() function.
+ */
+ if (cb(state, NULL, 0) != 0)
+ return -1;
+
return written;
}

-static int __nolibc_fprintf_cb(intptr_t state, const char *buf, size_t size)
+static int __nolibc_fprintf_cb(void *stream, const char *buf, size_t size)
{
- return _fwrite(buf, size, (FILE *)state);
+ return _fwrite(buf, size, stream);
}

static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 2, 0)))
int vfprintf(FILE *stream, const char *fmt, va_list args)
{
- return __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_fprintf_cb, (intptr_t)stream, SIZE_MAX, fmt, args);
+ return __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_fprintf_cb, stream, fmt, args);
}

static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 1, 0)))
@@ -494,26 +506,52 @@ int dprintf(int fd, const char *fmt, ...)
return ret;
}

-static int __nolibc_sprintf_cb(intptr_t _state, const char *buf, size_t size)
+struct __nolibc_sprintf_cb_state {
+ char *buf;
+ size_t space;
+};
+
+static int __nolibc_sprintf_cb(void *v_state, const char *buf, size_t size)
{
- char **state = (char **)_state;
+ struct __nolibc_sprintf_cb_state *state = v_state;
+ size_t space = state->space;
+ char *tgt;
+
+ /* Truncate the request to fit in the output buffer space.
+ * The last byte is reserved for the terminating '\0'.
+ * state->space can only be zero for snprintf(NULL, 0, fmt, args)
+ * so this normally lets through calls with 'size == 0'.
+ */
+ if (size >= space) {
+ if (space <= 1)
+ return 0;
+ size = space - 1;
+ }
+ tgt = state->buf;
+
+ /* __nolibc_printf() ends with cb(state, NULL, 0) to request the output
+ * buffer be '\0' terminated.
+ * That will be the only cb() call for, eg, snprintf(buf, sz, "").
+ * Zero lengths can occur at other times (eg "%s" for an empty string).
+ * Unconditionally write the '\0' byte to reduce code size, it is
+ * normally overwritten by the data being output.
+ * There is no point adding a '\0' after copied data - there is always
+ * another call.
+ */
+ *tgt = '\0';
+ state->space = space - size;
+ state->buf = tgt + size;
+ memcpy(tgt, buf, size);

- memcpy(*state, buf, size);
- *state += size;
return 0;
}

static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 3, 0)))
int vsnprintf(char *buf, size_t size, const char *fmt, va_list args)
{
- char *state = buf;
- int ret;
+ struct __nolibc_sprintf_cb_state state = { .buf = buf, .space = size };

- ret = __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_sprintf_cb, (intptr_t)&state, size, fmt, args);
- if (ret < 0)
- return ret;
- buf[(size_t)ret < size ? (size_t)ret : size - 1] = '\0';
- return ret;
+ return __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_sprintf_cb, &state, fmt, args);
}

static __attribute__((unused, format(printf, 3, 4)))
--
2.39.5