Re: [PATCH] pretend_sha1_file(): Change return type from int to void

[Tobias Klauser <tklauser@distanz.ch>]

Hi Johannes

On 2015-10-06 at 16:30:36 +0200, Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> On 2015-10-06 15:51, Tobias Klauser wrote:
> 
> > On 2015-10-06 at 15:16:12 +0200, Johannes Schindelin
> > <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> >>
> >> On 2015-10-06 14:15, Tobias Klauser wrote:
> >> > prented_sha1_file() always returns 0 and its only callsite in
> >> > builtin/blame.c doesn't use the return value, so change the return type
> >> > to void.
> >>
> >> While this commit message is technically correct, it would appear that there are some things left unsaid.
> >>
> >> Is there a problem with the current code that is solved by not returning 0? If so, could you add it to the commit message? And in particular, change the oneline appropriately?
> > 
> > There's no problem with the current code other than that the return
> > value is unused and thus unnecessary for correct funcionality. So it's
> > certainly not a functional problem but rather a cosmetic change.
> 
> Okay.
> 
> > Does such a change even make sense (it's one of my first patch to git,
> > so I'm not really sure what your criteria in this respect are)?
> 
> Welcome!
> 
> As to the patch, I cannot speak for Junio, of course, but my preference would be to keep the return type. Traditionally, functions that can fail either die() or return an int; non-zero indicates an error. In this case, it seems that we do not have any condition (yet...) under which an error could occur. It does not seem very unlikely that we may eventually have such conditions, though, hence my preference.

Ok, I see. Thank you for your explanation. I'll wait for Junio's decision
then :)

Cheers
Tobias