[RFC] Replacement for "assert" in the libraries

PROBLEM
-------

The standard C assertion, typically used at the beginning of a function
in statements like

  assert(arg1 != NULL);

is an extremely useful self-checking tool for catching bugs, but in a C
library it has the unfortunate property that the program using the
library can't trap it. When that program is something big like an IDE or
the Windows desktop, the result of the ensuing crash is too destructive.

Subversion's standard error reporting mechanism, which is mainly used
for reporting logical exceptions, can also be used to report bugs:

  if (! arg1)
    return svn_error_create
      (SVN_ERR_INCORRECT_PARAMS, NULL,
       _("foo() cannot be called with a NULL arg1"));

However, when written like this, it causes unnecessarily a decrease in
readability (4 lines just to indicate one simple fact) and an increase
in translator effort.

SOLUTION
--------

A new macro:

  SVN_ERR_ASSERT(arg1 != NULL);

which expands to something suitable, like the above code snippet,
returning an svn_error_t if the assertion fails.

Why does this seem too simple to be true?

Any volunteers to do it?

(Here's an improvement that can be made later: tweak the
"svn_error_clear" functions so that "assertion" errors can always be
discovered even if the programmer carelessly "clears" the error. Even
without this improvement, I think the new form will do a lot of good.)

- Julian

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Received on 2008-06-13 18:21:58 CEST