[PATCH 0/1] OPENAT2_REGULAR flag documentation

[PATCH 0/1] OPENAT2_REGULAR flag documentation

[Dorjoy Chowdhury]

Hi,
I am the author of the patch series that adds OPENAT2_REGULAR flag support
for the openat2 system call. The patch series has been picked up in the
vfs-7.2.openat.regular branch of the vfs/vfs.git tree. Hopefully, it will
make it to linux 7.2 without problems. I wanted to send the man page changes
beforehand. I can ping when/if the patches make it to the linux kernel and
then we can merge the man page changes. Thanks!

patch URL: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-fsdevel/20260328172314.45807-1-dorjoychy111@gmail.com/
applied mail: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-fsdevel/20260416-abgraben-seeweg-a44ce660957f@brauner/

Regards,
Dorjoy

Dorjoy Chowdhury (1):
  man/man2/openat2.2: Document OPENAT2_REGULAR flag

 man/man2/openat2.2 | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+)

-- 
2.53.0

[PATCH 1/1] man/man2/openat2.2: Document OPENAT2_REGULAR flag

[Dorjoy Chowdhury]

Signed-off-by: Dorjoy Chowdhury <dorjoychy111@gmail.com>
---
 man/man2/openat2.2 | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+)

diff --git a/man/man2/openat2.2 b/man/man2/openat2.2
index f0770f3a0..42ebf22ea 100644
--- a/man/man2/openat2.2
+++ b/man/man2/openat2.2
@@ -133,6 +133,19 @@ argument,
 .BR openat2 ()
 returns an error if unknown or conflicting flags are specified in
 .IR how.flags .
+.IP
+.BR openat2 ()
+also supports the below additional flags:
+.RS
+.TP
+.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR " (since Linux 7.2)"
+Only open the file specified by
+.I path
+if it is a regular file. If it is not a regular file,
+.BR openat2 ()
+fails with the error
+.BR EFTYPE .
+.RE
 .TP
 .I mode
 This field specifies the
@@ -471,6 +484,12 @@ and an escape from the root during path resolution was detected.
 contains
 .BR RESOLVE_NO_XDEV ,
 and a path component crosses a mount point.
+.TP
+.B EFTYPE
+.I how.flags
+contains
+.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR
+flag and the path is not a regular file.
 .SH STANDARDS
 Linux.
 .SH HISTORY
-- 
2.53.0

Re: [PATCH 1/1] man/man2/openat2.2: Document OPENAT2_REGULAR flag

[Alejandro Colomar]

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Hi Dorjoy,

On 2026-04-25T19:39:28+0600, Dorjoy Chowdhury wrote:
> Signed-off-by: Dorjoy Chowdhury <dorjoychy111@gmail.com>
> ---
>  man/man2/openat2.2 | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 19 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/man/man2/openat2.2 b/man/man2/openat2.2
> index f0770f3a0..42ebf22ea 100644
> --- a/man/man2/openat2.2
> +++ b/man/man2/openat2.2
> @@ -133,6 +133,19 @@ argument,
>  .BR openat2 ()
>  returns an error if unknown or conflicting flags are specified in
>  .IR how.flags .
> +.IP
> +.BR openat2 ()
> +also supports the below additional flags:
> +.RS
> +.TP
> +.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR " (since Linux 7.2)"
> +Only open the file specified by
> +.I path
> +if it is a regular file. If it is not a regular file,

Please use semantic newlines.  See man-pages(7):

$ MANWIDTH=72 man man-pages | awk '/Use semantic newlines/,/^$/'
   Use semantic newlines
     In the source of a manual page, new sentences should be started on
     new lines, long sentences should be split  into  lines  at  clause
     breaks  (commas,  semicolons, colons, and so on), and long clauses
     should be split at phrase boundaries.  This convention,  sometimes
     known as "semantic newlines", makes it easier to see the effect of
     patches, which often operate at the level of individual sentences,
     clauses, or phrases.

That is, break the line after period.

> +.BR openat2 ()
> +fails with the error
> +.BR EFTYPE .

Hmmm, this error code is new to me.

	alx@devuan:~$ errno EFTYPE
	alx@devuan:~$ echo $?
	1
	alx@devuan:~$ man 3 errno | grep EFTYPE
	alx@devuan:~$ grepc EFTYPE /usr/include/
	alx@devuan:~$ 

I don't see it documented, nor defined under </usr/include>.
Is this error code available in user space?
Is it a new error code?

> +.RE
>  .TP
>  .I mode
>  This field specifies the
> @@ -471,6 +484,12 @@ and an escape from the root during path resolution was detected.
>  contains
>  .BR RESOLVE_NO_XDEV ,
>  and a path component crosses a mount point.
> +.TP
> +.B EFTYPE
> +.I how.flags
> +contains
> +.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR

This should use B instead of BR.  BR is for alternating Bold and Roman.
B is for Bold.

Other than these minor formatting issues, and the question about EFTYPE,
the patch looks good to me.  Thanks!


Have a lovely day!
Alex

> +flag and the path is not a regular file.
>  .SH STANDARDS
>  Linux.
>  .SH HISTORY
> -- 
> 2.53.0
> 

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

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Re: [PATCH 1/1] man/man2/openat2.2: Document OPENAT2_REGULAR flag

[Dorjoy Chowdhury]

Hey Alex,

On Sat, Apr 25, 2026 at 8:58 PM Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Dorjoy,
>
> On 2026-04-25T19:39:28+0600, Dorjoy Chowdhury wrote:
> > Signed-off-by: Dorjoy Chowdhury <dorjoychy111@gmail.com>
> > ---
> >  man/man2/openat2.2 | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
> >  1 file changed, 19 insertions(+)
> >
> > diff --git a/man/man2/openat2.2 b/man/man2/openat2.2
> > index f0770f3a0..42ebf22ea 100644
> > --- a/man/man2/openat2.2
> > +++ b/man/man2/openat2.2
> > @@ -133,6 +133,19 @@ argument,
> >  .BR openat2 ()
> >  returns an error if unknown or conflicting flags are specified in
> >  .IR how.flags .
> > +.IP
> > +.BR openat2 ()
> > +also supports the below additional flags:
> > +.RS
> > +.TP
> > +.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR " (since Linux 7.2)"
> > +Only open the file specified by
> > +.I path
> > +if it is a regular file. If it is not a regular file,
>
> Please use semantic newlines.  See man-pages(7):
>
> $ MANWIDTH=72 man man-pages | awk '/Use semantic newlines/,/^$/'
>    Use semantic newlines
>      In the source of a manual page, new sentences should be started on
>      new lines, long sentences should be split  into  lines  at  clause
>      breaks  (commas,  semicolons, colons, and so on), and long clauses
>      should be split at phrase boundaries.  This convention,  sometimes
>      known as "semantic newlines", makes it easier to see the effect of
>      patches, which often operate at the level of individual sentences,
>      clauses, or phrases.
>
> That is, break the line after period.
>

Got it. Will fixup in v2. Thanks!

> > +.BR openat2 ()
> > +fails with the error
> > +.BR EFTYPE .
>
> Hmmm, this error code is new to me.
>
>         alx@devuan:~$ errno EFTYPE
>         alx@devuan:~$ echo $?
>         1
>         alx@devuan:~$ man 3 errno | grep EFTYPE
>         alx@devuan:~$ grepc EFTYPE /usr/include/
>         alx@devuan:~$
>
> I don't see it documented, nor defined under </usr/include>.
> Is this error code available in user space?
> Is it a new error code?
>

Yes. This is a new error code added in the patch series i.e., if the
path is not a regular file, then this new error code is returned from
the system call. Does the new error code need to be included anywhere
else for man pages?

> > +.RE
> >  .TP
> >  .I mode
> >  This field specifies the
> > @@ -471,6 +484,12 @@ and an escape from the root during path resolution was detected.
> >  contains
> >  .BR RESOLVE_NO_XDEV ,
> >  and a path component crosses a mount point.
> > +.TP
> > +.B EFTYPE
> > +.I how.flags
> > +contains
> > +.BR OPENAT2_REGULAR
>
> This should use B instead of BR.  BR is for alternating Bold and Roman.
> B is for Bold.
>
> Other than these minor formatting issues, and the question about EFTYPE,
> the patch looks good to me.  Thanks!
>

Thanks. I will fixup.

>
> Have a lovely day!

You too!

Regards,
Dorjoy

Re: [PATCH 1/1] man/man2/openat2.2: Document OPENAT2_REGULAR flag

[Alejandro Colomar]

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Hey Dorjoy,

On 2026-04-25T21:07:04+0600, Dorjoy Chowdhury wrote:
> > > +.BR openat2 ()
> > > +fails with the error
> > > +.BR EFTYPE .
> >
> > Hmmm, this error code is new to me.
> >
> >         alx@devuan:~$ errno EFTYPE
> >         alx@devuan:~$ echo $?
> >         1
> >         alx@devuan:~$ man 3 errno | grep EFTYPE
> >         alx@devuan:~$ grepc EFTYPE /usr/include/
> >         alx@devuan:~$
> >
> > I don't see it documented, nor defined under </usr/include>.
> > Is this error code available in user space?
> > Is it a new error code?
> >
> 
> Yes. This is a new error code added in the patch series i.e., if the
> path is not a regular file, then this new error code is returned from
> the system call. Does the new error code need to be included anywhere
> else for man pages?

Yes, it should be documented in the errno(3) manual page.

It should also be added to glibc's <errno.h>, of course.

However, that can be done after the code has been merged to Linus's
tree.  But you could write the documentation for errno(3) already.


Cheers,
Alex

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

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