Re: [PATCH v2] strvec: `strvec_splice()` to a statically initialized vector

Rubén Justo <rjusto@gmail.com> writes:

Correct.

When (vec.nr == 0), vec.v may be pointing at 

 (1) an allocated piece of memory, if the strvec was previously used
     to hold some strings; or
 (2) singleton array with NULL.

and vec.v[0] is NULL. This is to allow you to pass vec.v[] as a NULL terminated list of (char *) (aka argv[][]) to functions.

That can be said a bit differently and more concisely like so:

    A strvec instance with no elements can have its member .v
    pointing at empty_strvec[] or pointing at an allocated piece of
    memory, and either way .v[0] has NULL in it, to allow you to
    always treat vec.v[] as a NULL terminated array of strings, even
    immediately after initialization.

and then you can lose the strvec_pop() illustration below that talks about an allocated piece of memory that was previously used.

It is perfectly sensible to expect that you can splice your stuff into an empty strvec, so all this sentence is saying is that a strvec is more often non-empty than empty. I'd recommend dropping this sentence.

Something like

    When growing a strvec, we'd use a realloc() call on its .v[]
    member, but a care must be taken when it is pointing at
    empty_strvec[] and is not pointing at an allocated piece of
    memory.  strvec_push_nodup() and strvec_push() correctly do so.
    The recently added strvec_splice() forgot to.

should be sufficient. Notice that I didn't have to invent a new term "empty-singleton" at all ;-).

Thanks.