[PATCH v3 next 05/17] tools/nolibc: Implement strerror() in terms of strerror_r()

From: david . laight . linux

Date: Mon Feb 23 2026 - 05:49:04 EST


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

strerror() can be the only part of a program that has a .data section.
This requres 4k in the program file.

Add a simple implementation of strerror_r() (ignores the length) and
use that in strerror() so that the "errno=" string is copied at run-time.
Use __builtin_memcpy() because that optimises away the input string
and just writes the required constants to the target buffer.

Put the check for NOLIBC_IGNORE_ERRNO into strerror_r().
Always call strerror() from __nolibc_printf().

Code size change largely depends on whether the inlining decision for
strerror() changes.

Change the tests to use the normal EXPECT_VFPRINTF() when testing %m.
Skip the tests when !is_nolibc.

Signed-off-by: David Laight <david.laight.linux@xxxxxxxxx>
---

New patch for v3.

tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h | 29 ++++++++++++++------
tools/testing/selftests/nolibc/nolibc-test.c | 20 ++------------
2 files changed, 23 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h b/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
index 233318b0d0f0..2267f50d03b4 100644
--- a/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
+++ b/tools/include/nolibc/stdio.h
@@ -373,11 +373,7 @@ int __nolibc_printf(__nolibc_printf_cb cb, intptr_t state, size_t n, const char
outstr="(null)";
}
else if (c == 'm') {
-#ifdef NOLIBC_IGNORE_ERRNO
- outstr = "unknown error";
-#else
outstr = strerror(errno);
-#endif /* NOLIBC_IGNORE_ERRNO */
}
else if (c == '%') {
/* queue it verbatim */
@@ -682,14 +678,31 @@ int setvbuf(FILE *stream __attribute__((unused)),
return 0;
}

+static __attribute__((unused,))
+int strerror_r(int errnum, char *buf, size_t buflen __attribute__((unused)))
+{
+#ifdef NOLIBC_IGNORE_ERRNO
+ __builtin_memcpy(buf, "unknown error", 14);
+ return 13;
+#else
+ __builtin_memcpy(buf, "errno=", 6);
+ return 6 + i64toa_r(errnum, buf + 6);
+#endif
+}
+
static __attribute__((unused))
-const char *strerror(int errno)
+const char *strerror(int errnum)
{
- static char buf[18] = "errno=";
+ static char buf[18];
+ char *b = buf;
+
+ /* Force gcc to use 'register offset' to access buf[]. */
+ _NOLIBC_OPTIMIZER_HIDE_VAR(b);

- i64toa_r(errno, &buf[6]);
+ /* Use strerror_r() to avoid having the only .data in small programs. */
+ strerror_r(errnum, b, sizeof(buf));

- return buf;
+ return b;
}

#endif /* _NOLIBC_STDIO_H */
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/nolibc/nolibc-test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/nolibc/nolibc-test.c
index 029ed63e1ae4..61968fdfeec0 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/nolibc/nolibc-test.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/nolibc/nolibc-test.c
@@ -1793,23 +1793,6 @@ static int test_scanf(void)
return 0;
}

-int test_strerror(void)
-{
- char buf[100];
- ssize_t ret;
-
- memset(buf, 'A', sizeof(buf));
-
- errno = EINVAL;
- ret = snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%m");
- if (is_nolibc) {
- if (ret < 6 || memcmp(buf, "errno=", 6))
- return 1;
- }
-
- return 0;
-}
-
static int test_printf_error(void)
{
int fd, ret, saved_errno;
@@ -1859,8 +1842,9 @@ static int run_printf(int min, int max)
CASE_TEST(string_width); EXPECT_VFPRINTF(1, " 1", "%10s", "1"); break;
CASE_TEST(number_width); EXPECT_VFPRINTF(1, " 1", "%10d", 1); break;
CASE_TEST(width_trunc); EXPECT_VFPRINTF(1, " 1", "%30d", 1); break;
+ CASE_TEST(errno); EXPECT_VFPRINTF(is_nolibc, "22:errno=22", "%d:%m", errno=22); break;
+ CASE_TEST(errno-neg); EXPECT_VFPRINTF(is_nolibc, "-22: errno=-22", "%d:%12m", errno=-22); break;
CASE_TEST(scanf); EXPECT_ZR(1, test_scanf()); break;
- CASE_TEST(strerror); EXPECT_ZR(1, test_strerror()); break;
CASE_TEST(printf_error); EXPECT_ZR(1, test_printf_error()); break;
case __LINE__:
return ret; /* must be last */
--
2.39.5