Re: [PATCH 1/5] hashmap: add enum for hashmap free_entries option

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jun 12, 2014, 19:12 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqegyu54cl.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <53981D6A.3090604@gmail.com>

Karsten Blees <karsten.blees@gmail.com> writes:

Show 23 quoted lines

> Am 10.06.2014 12:17, schrieb Heiko Voigt:
>> The intention of Jonathans critique here[1] was that you do not see what
>> this parameter does on the callsite. I.e.:
>> 
>> 	hashmap_free(&map, 1);
>> 
>> compared to
>> 
>> 	hashmap_free(&map, HASHMAP_FREE_ENTRIES);
>> 
>> A boolean basically transfers the same information and would not help
>> the reader here.
>> 
>> Cheers Heiko
>> 
>> [1] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/243917
>> 
>
> There are languages where you can have e.g. 'hashmap_free(...,
> free_entries: true)'. In C, however, you do not see what a
> parameter does at the call site. This is a general language
> feature, reducing redundancy and keeping it short and concise. IMO
> there's no reason to treat boolean parameters differently.

But given that you are writing in C, is any of that relevant? We do want to keep our call-sites readable and understandable, and 1 or true would not help, unless (1) you are the one who wrote the function and know that 1 means free the entries, or (2) the API is so widely used and everybody knows what 1 means free the entries.