err.h: add helper function to simplify pointer error checking

There are quite a few instances in the kernel of checks of pointers both
against NULL and against the errno range, handling both cases identically.
This additional helper function would simplify such code.

[akpm@linux-foundation.org: build fix]
Signed-off-by: Phil Carmody <ext-phil.2.carmody@nokia.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>

diff --git a/include/linux/err.h b/include/linux/err.h
index ec87f3142bf30940c31911e71e6638d749de8f04..1b12642636c7a121f3a3797676cf8d4746ca13a9 100644 (file)
--- a/include/linux/err.h
+++ b/include/linux/err.h
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ static inline long IS_ERR(const void *ptr)
        return IS_ERR_VALUE((unsigned long)ptr);
 }
 
+static inline long IS_ERR_OR_NULL(const void *ptr)
+{
+       return !ptr || IS_ERR_VALUE((unsigned long)ptr);
+}
+
 /**
  * ERR_CAST - Explicitly cast an error-valued pointer to another pointer type
  * @ptr: The pointer to cast.