[PATCH v14 08/92] docs/dyndbg: explain flags parse 1st

Jim Cromie
2026-04-23T20:54:44Z

When writing queries to >control, flags are parsed 1st, since they are
the only required field, and they require specific compositions. So
if the flags draw an error (on those specifics), then keyword errors
aren't reported. This can be mildly confusing/annoying, so explain it
instead.

cc: linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
Reviewed-by: Louis Chauvet <louis.chauvet@bootlin.com>
Signed-off-by: Jim Cromie <jim.cromie@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst | 17 +++++++++++++----
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
index 4b14d9fd0300..9c2f096ed1d8 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
@@ -109,10 +109,19 @@ The match-spec's select *prdbgs* from the catalog, upon which to apply
the flags-spec, all constraints are ANDed together. An absent keyword
is the same as keyword "*".

-
-A match specification is a keyword, which selects the attribute of
-the callsite to be compared, and a value to compare against. Possible
-keywords are:::
+Note that since the match-spec can be empty, the flags are checked 1st,
+then the pairs of keyword and value. Flag errs will hide keyword errs::
+
+ bash-5.2# ddcmd mod bar +foo
+ dyndbg: read 13 bytes from userspace
+ dyndbg: query 0: "mod bar +foo" mod:*
+ dyndbg: unknown flag 'o'
+ dyndbg: flags parse failed
+ dyndbg: processed 1 queries, with 0 matches, 1 errs
+
+So a match-spec is a keyword, which selects the attribute of the
+callsite to be compared, and a value to compare against. Possible
+keywords are::

match-spec ::= 'func' string |
'file' string |

--
2.53.0