4 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2025
  2. tldp.org tldp.org
    Exit Codes With Special Meanings
    2
    1. TylerRick 14 May 2025
      There has been an attempt to systematize exit status numbers (see /usr/include/sysexits.h), but this is intended for C and C++ programmers. A similar standard for scripting might be appropriate. The author of this document proposes restricting user-defined exit codes to the range 64 - 113 (in addition to 0, for success), to conform with the C/C++ standard.

      It sounds like he's proposing aligning with the sysexits.h standard?

      But I'm not clear why he refers to "exit codes to the range 64 - 113 (in addition to 0, for success)" as user-defined. To me, these seem the complete opposite: those are reserved for pre-defined, standard exit codes — with 0 for success being the most standard (and least user-defined) of all!

      Why to use exit codes from 1-63 for user-defined errors??

      confusing exit codes (return codes) exit codes: sysexits.h standards-compliant standard-conforming
    2. TylerRick 14 May 2025
      An update of /usr/include/sysexits.h allocates previously unused exit codes from 64 - 78. It may be anticipated that the range of unallotted exit codes will be further restricted in the future. The author of this document will not do fixups on the scripting examples to conform to the changing standard. This should not cause any problems, since there is no overlap or conflict in usage of exit codes between compiled C/C++ binaries and shell scripts.

      Eh, 0 and 64 - 78 are the only codes it defines. So if it had different codes defined before, what on earth were those codes before? Was only 0 "used"/defined here before? Nothing defined from 1-128? Or were the codes defined there different ones, like 20-42 and then they arbitrarily shifted these up to 64-78 one day? This is very unclear to me.

      Also unclear whether this is saying it won't update for any future changes after this, or if he hasn't even updated to align with this supposed "change". (Unclear because I can't figure out whether his "proposes restricting user-defined exit codes to the range 64 - 113 (in addition to 0, for success), to conform with the C/C++ standard" statement is actually conforming or rejecting the sysexits.h standard.)

      It seems that he's overreacting a bit here. It's hard to imagine there has been or will be any major changes to the sysexits.h. I would only imagine there being additions to, but not changes to because backwards compatibility would be of utmost concern.

      exit codes: sysexits.h confusing backward compatibility overreacting
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  3. man.freebsd.org man.freebsd.org
    sysexits(3)
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  4. en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
    Exit status - Wikipedia
    1
    1. TylerRick 14 May 2025
      BSD-derived OS's have defined an extensive set of preferred interpretations: Meanings for 15 status codes 64 through 78 are defined in sysexits.h.[15] These historically derive from sendmail and other message transfer agents, but they have since found use in many other programs.[16] It has been deprecated and its use is discouraged.

      [duplicate of https://hyp.is/12j9KjELEfCQc79IbTwQnQ/man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=sysexits&sektion=3 ]

      Why is this deprecated and what should be used instead?? Standardizing this stuff would be good, and this de facto standard seems as good as any!!

      exit codes (return codes) de facto standard standard deprecated with no replacement exit codes: sysexits.h
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