# [`silk_error(3)`](/silk/docs/man/silk_error.3/) — Retrieve and Format Compiler Errors

> NOTE: This is the Markdown source for the eventual man 3 page for `SilkError` formatting and retrieval. The roff-formatted manpage should be generated from this content.

## Name

`silk_error` — retrieve the last compiler error and format it as text.

## Synopsis

```c
#include <silk/silk.h>

typedef struct SilkCompiler SilkCompiler;
typedef struct SilkError    SilkError;

SilkError *silk_compiler_last_error(SilkCompiler *compiler);

size_t silk_error_format(const SilkError *error,
                         char            *buffer,
                         size_t           buffer_len);
```

## Description

When a `SilkCompiler` API call fails, it records a last-error object. Embedders can access it with `silk_compiler_last_error` and format it with `silk_error_format`.

### Lifetime

The `SilkError*` returned by `silk_compiler_last_error` is owned by the compiler and remains valid until:

- the compiler is destroyed, or
- a subsequent operation overwrites the compiler’s last-error state.

Embedders must not free or dereference the `SilkError` object directly.

### Formatting

`silk_error_format` writes a UTF-8 diagnostic message into a caller-provided buffer.

- If `buffer_len > 0`, the message is always NUL-terminated.
- The return value is the number of bytes required to format the full message, excluding the terminating NUL.
- If the return value is `>= buffer_len`, the message was truncated.

## See Also

- [`silk_compiler(3)`](/silk/docs/man/silk_compiler.3/)
- [`libsilk(7)`](/silk/docs/man/libsilk.7/)
- [abi libsilk](/silk/docs/compiler/abi-libsilk/)