Re: [PATCHv8 1/5] string list: improve comment

> Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com> writes:
>
>> Signed-off-by: Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com>
>> ---
>>  string-list.h | 2 +-
>>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/string-list.h b/string-list.h
>> index d3809a1..465a1f0 100644
>> --- a/string-list.h
>> +++ b/string-list.h
>> @@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ void unsorted_string_list_delete_item(struct string_list *list, int i, int free_
>>   * list->strdup_strings must be set, as new memory needs to be
>>   * allocated to hold the substrings.  If maxsplit is non-negative,
>>   * then split at most maxsplit times.  Return the number of substrings
>> - * appended to list.
>> + * appended to list. The list may be non-empty already.
>
> I personally find that the original comment is clear enough, though.
>
> When somebody says "resulting elements of the split are appended to
> the list" without saying either:
>
>   a. "the list MUST be empty in the beginning", or
>   b. "the list will be emptied first before the split result are appended",
>
> wouldn't it be natural to take it as "you can append them to any
> list, be it empty or not, and they are _appended_, not replaced"?

>
> So while this is not incorrect per-se, I am not sure if it adds much
> value.  If somebody needs this additional clarification, because the
> original did not say a. above, she would certainly need more
> clarification because the original did not say b. above, either.
>
> "The list may be non-empty already", but she would keep wondering if
> the existing contents would be discarded before the result gets
> appended to it.
>
> You may say "No, there won't be such a confusion, because we say
> 'append'; empty and then append is 'replace'".  But then the same
> logic would say "There cannot be a requirement for the list to be
> empty in the first place, because we say 'append'".
>
> So...