Re: [PATCH v2 4/7] pkt-line: extern packet_length()

From: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
To: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Cc: Denton Liu <liu.denton@gmail.com>,
	Git Mailing List <git@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 4/7] pkt-line: extern packet_length()
Date: Mon, 18 May 2020 13:50:52 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAPig+cQhZyyQ05B3xF1EkK0hpF8bXMbbPEJXGUdTkoZ5JaHO=Q@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20200518160425.GA42240@coredump.intra.peff.net>

On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 12:04 PM Jeff King <peff@peff.net> wrote:
> On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 11:47:21AM -0400, Denton Liu wrote:
> > Change the function parameter from a `const char *` to
> > `const char linelen[4]`. Even though these two types behave identically
> > as function parameters, use the array notation to semantically indicate
> > exactly what this function is expecting as an argument.
>
> > +/*
> > + * Convert a four hex digit packet line length header into its numeric
> > + * representation. linelen should not be null-terminated.
>
> Minor nit, but it is perfectly fine if there is a NUL. Maybe "linelen
> does not need to be..."?

I had the exact same reaction when reading "...should not be
null-terminated", however, I'd prefer to drop mention of
NUL-termination altogether since talking about it merely confuses the
issue since it is quite clear both from the declaration (const
char[4]) and the documentation "four hex digits" that 'linelen' is
expected to contain exactly four hex digits and no NUL character(s).

By the way, I find the argument name "linelen" highly confusing; every
time I read it, I think it is an integral type, not a string or
character array. I'd very much prefer to see it renamed to "s" (or
something) or dropped altogether:

    int packet_length(const char[4]);