Documentation: expand/clarify debug documentation

The pr_debug() and related debug print macros all differ from the normal
pr_XXX() macros, in that the normal ones print unconditionally, while
the debug macros are compiled out unless DEBUG is defined or
CONFIG_DYNAMIC_DEBUG is set.  This isn't obvious, and the only way to
find this out is either to review the actual printk.h code or to read
CodingStyle, and the message there doesn't highlight the fact.

Change Documentation/CodingStyle to clearly indicate that pr_debug() and
related debug printing macros behave differently than all other pr_XXX()
macros, and attempt to clarify when and where the different debug
printing methods might be used.

Add short comment to printk.h above the pr_XXX() macros indicating that
while these macros print unconditionally, pr_debug() does not.

Signed-off-by: Dan Streetman <ddstreet@ieee.org>
Cc: Joe Perches <joe@perches.com>
Cc: Fabian Frederick <fabf@skynet.be>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>

1 files changed, 6 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/include/linux/printk.h b/include/linux/printk.h
index f086d6c99dbc..37f3a6589c1c 100644
--- a/include/linux/printk.h
+++ b/include/linux/printk.h
@@ -210,6 +210,12 @@ extern asmlinkage void dump_stack(void) __cold;
 #define pr_fmt(fmt) fmt
 #endif
 
+/*
+ * These can be used to print at the various log levels.
+ * All of these will print unconditionally, although note that pr_debug()
+ * and other debug macros are compiled out unless either DEBUG is defined
+ * or CONFIG_DYNAMIC_DEBUG is set.
+ */
 #define pr_emerg(fmt, ...) \
 	printk(KERN_EMERG pr_fmt(fmt), ##__VA_ARGS__)
 #define pr_alert(fmt, ...) \