Consistent parameter names

Consistent parameter names

[Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)]

Hello Michael,

I found different terms for parameters that refer to a same thing
in different functions (usually a '[const] char *'):
	 - filename
	 - file
	 - path
	 - pathname
	 - Maybe others; I don't know

For 'FILE *' we have more or less the same,
although this one is much more consistent (>90% use 'stream'):
	 - stream
	 - streamp
	 - s
	 - fp
	 - file
	 - filehandle
	 - A few others in specific cases

Also for strings, there are
	- s
	- str
	- string
	- maybe others

There are probably other cases with the same problem.
I think these parameters should have a more consistent naming.
But which names should we use?

I tend to use short names such as fname, fd, s, ...
but I don't know if you may prefer longer names for documentation purposes.

What would you do about it?

Thanks,

Alex

-- 
Alejandro Colomar
Linux man-pages comaintainer; https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/
http://www.alejandro-colomar.es/

Ping: Consistent parameter names

[Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)]

Ping.

On 3/4/21 3:50 PM, Alejandro Colomar (man-pages) wrote:
> Hello Michael,
> 
> I found different terms for parameters that refer to a same thing
> in different functions (usually a '[const] char *'):
>      - filename
>      - file
>      - path
>      - pathname
>      - Maybe others; I don't know
> 
> For 'FILE *' we have more or less the same,
> although this one is much more consistent (>90% use 'stream'):
>      - stream
>      - streamp
>      - s
>      - fp
>      - file
>      - filehandle
>      - A few others in specific cases
> 
> Also for strings, there are
>     - s
>     - str
>     - string
>     - maybe others
> 
> There are probably other cases with the same problem.
> I think these parameters should have a more consistent naming.
> But which names should we use?
> 
> I tend to use short names such as fname, fd, s, ...
> but I don't know if you may prefer longer names for documentation purposes.
> 
> What would you do about it?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Alex
> 

-- 
Alejandro Colomar
Linux man-pages comaintainer; https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/
http://www.alejandro-colomar.es/