serge@ucbvax.UUCP (02/25/87)
[] I would like to propose the following notation (valid only in function argument declarations/definitions) void f(return Type *t) to mean that f() will only write the value pointed to by t, and not read it. That is, void f(const Type *t) would mean that f() only reads *t, and does not write it, while void f(return Type *t) would mean that f() only writes *t, and does not read it, and void f(Type *t) would mean that f() both reads and writes *t, e.g. t is a value-result parameter. In addition, an argument declared as Type *t could be passed to a function expecting a parameter of type const Type *t or return Type *t or Type *t However, an argument declared as return Type *t could only be passed to a function expecting a parameter of type return Type *t and an argument declared as const Type *t could only be passed to a function expecting a parameter of type const Type *t Comments? Serge serge@ucbvax.berkeley.edu ...!ucbvax!serge
news@cit-vax.UUCP (02/25/87)
Organization : California Institute of Technology Keywords: ANSI, C, C++, idea From: jon@oddhack.Caltech.Edu (Jon Leech) Path: oddhack!jon In article <17516@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> serge@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (serge) writes: >[] > I would like to propose the following notation (valid only in function >argument declarations/definitions) > > void f(return Type *t) > >to mean that f() will only write the value pointed to by t, and not read it. What's your motivation for doing this? I.e. what kind of optimizations can a compiler make based solely on knowing that a variable is 'write-only'? One difference I see from 'const' is that the 'const' attribute may actually be enforced by the hardware as opposed to being a semantic abstraction. Perhaps MMUs that enforce write-only memory exist (the VAX doesn't seem to based on a quick perusal of the architecture handbook), but what do you use it for? -- Jon Leech (jon@csvax.caltech.edu || ...seismo!cit-vax!jon) Caltech Computer Science Graphics Group __@/
serge@ucbvax.UUCP (02/27/87)
In article <1857@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> jon@oddhack.UUCP (Jon Leech) writes: >In article <17516@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> serge@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (serge) writes: >> I would like to propose the following notation (valid only in function >>argument declarations/definitions) >> >> void f(return Type *t) >> >>to mean that f() will only write the value pointed to by t, and not read it. > > What's your motivation for doing this? I.e. what kind of >optimizations can a compiler make based solely on knowing that a variable >is 'write-only'? > > One difference I see from 'const' is that the 'const' attribute >may actually be enforced by the hardware as opposed to being a semantic >abstraction. Perhaps MMUs that enforce write-only memory exist (the VAX >doesn't seem to based on a quick perusal of the architecture handbook), >but what do you use it for? The motivation is to provide better type/error checking. For example, one of the more common mistakes in UN*X programming is to pass uninitialized pointers to functions that expect valid addresses, e.g doing (incorrectly) struct stat *s; stat("file", s); instead of struct stat s; stat("file", &s); because the man page declares stat() as extern int stat(const char *file, struct stat *buf); By using the return modifier these kinds of errors can be avoided, by having the compiler make sure that a valid address is passed to a function declared as extern int stat(const char *file, return struct stat *buf); and that a parameter declared as return Type *t or Type *t is written to (a value is assigned to *t) before the function returns, just as a parameter declared as const Type *t is not written to (no assignment to *t occurs). Serge serge@ucbvax.berkeley.edu ...!ucbvax!serge P.S. Note that in C++, the following declaration extern void f(return Type& t) would also be valid.