[Cocci] Usage of "expressions" and "identifiers" with SmPL

[elfring@users.sourceforge.net (SF Markus Elfring)]

>> Which details from my description approach are inappropriate in your view?
> 
> The whole numbered list was pointless.

I hope that we can eventually benefit from such a disagreement
in constructive ways.


> He was trying to understand what is meant by "idexpression".

Yes. - The functionality and relationship of this key word was unclear
to some degree together with the usage of "identifiers", wasn't it?


> This is a concept particular to Coccinelle,

I can follow this view.


> that was introduced because we discovered that sometimes one wants to
> focus only on identifiers, but to also specify their types.

Thanks for this kind of background information.


> I couldn't tell from your answer what question it was intended to be relevant to,

I am curious if a bit more clarification of the relevance and my
corresponding intention would be needed.


> but I don't think it is the same as the one he was asking.
> It seems to be a generic overview of what Coccinelle does.

I am also unsure if and how quick Nikolaus Rath will find the provided
technical details a bit useful.


> Someone who has to read so much text and in the end has no information
> about the question he was asking will not likely get a good impression
> about the software he is trying to use.

A beginner should usually read some text for the desired learning experience.
Can it be that you worry a bit too much about the potential for
bad impressions around your software?

Would you like to start another marketing project?


I find that this mailing list gets only low message traffic so far.
So I would imagine that most well-intended discussion contributions could
be useful. Is the mixture of presented topics reasonable?


We came along different views around the usage of "expressions"
in previous discussions, didn't we?
You repeated the explanation "An expression is something that has a value."
which is reasonable to some degree. I would like to know then:
Which "value" is provided by the software construct "idexpression"
in the semantic patch language?

Regards,
Markus