diff --git a/src/clib/pio_error.h b/src/clib/pio_error.h
index d95a59fa548..488460d2751 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_error.h
+++ b/src/clib/pio_error.h
@@ -14,13 +14,28 @@
 #include <pio.h>
 
 /**
- * Handle non-MPI errors by printing error message and goto exit.
+ * Handle non-MPI errors by printing error message and goto exit. This
+ * is used in test code.
  */
 #define BAIL(e) do {                                                    \
         fprintf(stderr, "%d Error %d in %s, line %d\n", my_rank, e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
         goto exit;                                                      \
     } while (0)
 
+/**
+ * Handle non-MPI errors by calling pio_err(), setting return code,
+ * and goto exit. This is used in library code.
+ */
+#define EXIT(ios, e) do {                                               \
+        ret = pio_err(NULL, NULL, e, __FILE__, __LINE__);        \
+        goto exit;                                                      \
+    } while (0)
+
+/**
+ * Same as the EXIT macro, but uses NULL for iosystem.
+ */
+#define EXIT1(e) EXIT(NULL, e)
+
 /**
  * Handle non-MPI errors by finalizing the MPI library and exiting
  * with an exit code.
@@ -35,7 +50,7 @@
  * Handle MPI errors. This should only be used with MPI library
  * function calls. Print error message, finalize MPI and return error
  * code.
-*/
+ */
 #define MPIERR(e) do {                                                  \
         MPI_Error_string(e, err_buffer, &resultlen);                    \
         fprintf(stderr, "MPI error, line %d, file %s: %s\n", __LINE__, __FILE__, err_buffer); \
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c b/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
index 2e17e863566..0638dfcbdee 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ create_mpi_datatypes(MPI_Datatype mpitype, int msgcnt,
             int *displace;
 
             if (!(displace = malloc(sizeof(int) * len)))
-                return pio_err(NULL, NULL, PIO_ENOMEM, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+                EXIT1(PIO_ENOMEM);
 
             LOG((3, "blocksize = %d i = %d mcount[%d] = %d len = %d", blocksize, i, i,
                  mcount[i], len));
@@ -412,12 +412,14 @@ create_mpi_datatypes(MPI_Datatype mpitype, int msgcnt,
         }
     }
 
+    LOG((3, "done with create_mpi_datatypes()"));
+
+exit:
     /* Free resources. */
     if (lindex)
         free(lindex);
 
-    LOG((3, "done with create_mpi_datatypes()"));
-    return PIO_NOERR;
+    return ret;
 }
 
 /**