Issue in man page ioctl.2

Issue in man page ioctl.2

[Helge Kreutzmann]

Without further ado, the following was found:

Issue:    What is fildes?

"B<ioctl(int >I<fildes>B<, int >I<op>B<, struct sgttyb *>I<argp>B<);>\n"

"B<ioctl(int >I<fildes>B<, int >I<request>B<, struct sgttyb *>I<argp>B<);>\n"

Re: Issue in man page ioctl.2

[Alejandro Colomar]

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Hi Helge,

On Sun, Aug 24, 2025 at 02:48:42PM +0000, Helge Kreutzmann wrote:
> Without further ado, the following was found:
> 
> Issue:    What is fildes?

It seems a weird way of saying file descriptor.  I'll change it to fd.

Also present in close(2), where it's a bug, because nothing else calls
it 'fildes':

	$ grep -rn \\bfildes\\b
	man2/close.2:219:.I fildes
	man2/ioctl.2:102:.BI "ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", struct sgttyb *" argp );
	man2/ioctl.2:139:.BI "int ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", ... /* " arg " */);"


Cheers,
Alex

> "B<ioctl(int >I<fildes>B<, int >I<op>B<, struct sgttyb *>I<argp>B<);>\n"
> 
> "B<ioctl(int >I<fildes>B<, int >I<request>B<, struct sgttyb *>I<argp>B<);>\n"
> 

-- 
<https://www.alejandro-colomar.es/>

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Re: Issue in man page ioctl.2

[Collin Funk]

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Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org> writes:

> Hi Helge,
>
> On Sun, Aug 24, 2025 at 02:48:42PM +0000, Helge Kreutzmann wrote:
>> Without further ado, the following was found:
>> 
>> Issue:    What is fildes?
>
> It seems a weird way of saying file descriptor.  I'll change it to fd.
>
> Also present in close(2), where it's a bug, because nothing else calls
> it 'fildes':
>
> 	$ grep -rn \\bfildes\\b
> 	man2/close.2:219:.I fildes
> 	man2/ioctl.2:102:.BI "ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", struct sgttyb *" argp );
> 	man2/ioctl.2:139:.BI "int ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", ... /* " arg " */);"

Not really a bug, IMO. It is just a common way that POSIX refers to file
descriptors in function prototypes. See the old ioctl page, close, or
many others [1] [2].

Or the aio_fildes field of struct aiocb required by POSIX [3].

Collin

[1] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/ioctl.html
[2] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/functions/close.html
[3] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/basedefs/aio.h.html

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Re: Issue in man page ioctl.2

[Alejandro Colomar]

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Hi Collin,

On Sun, Aug 24, 2025 at 02:18:23PM -0700, Collin Funk wrote:
> Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org> writes:
> 
> > Hi Helge,
> >
> > On Sun, Aug 24, 2025 at 02:48:42PM +0000, Helge Kreutzmann wrote:
> >> Without further ado, the following was found:
> >> 
> >> Issue:    What is fildes?
> >
> > It seems a weird way of saying file descriptor.  I'll change it to fd.
> >
> > Also present in close(2), where it's a bug, because nothing else calls
> > it 'fildes':
> >
> > 	$ grep -rn \\bfildes\\b
> > 	man2/close.2:219:.I fildes
> > 	man2/ioctl.2:102:.BI "ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", struct sgttyb *" argp );
> > 	man2/ioctl.2:139:.BI "int ioctl(int " fildes ", int " op ", ... /* " arg " */);"
> 
> Not really a bug, IMO. It is just a common way that POSIX refers to file
> descriptors in function prototypes. See the old ioctl page, close, or
> many others [1] [2].

Not a bug in ioctl(2).  But it's a bug in close(2), as it is in italics,
meaning that it refers to the function parameter 'fildes', but in the
function prototype it's called 'fd'.

Anyway, I've changed it also in ioctl(2) for consistency with all the
other pages.

But it's interesting to know that POSIX calls it 'fildes'.  I hadn't
noticed.

> Or the aio_fildes field of struct aiocb required by POSIX [3].

Yup, there's that one.

> Collin
> 
> [1] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/ioctl.html
> [2] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/functions/close.html
> [3] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/basedefs/aio.h.html


Have a lovely day!
Alex

-- 
<https://www.alejandro-colomar.es/>

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