Re: [PATCH 1/4] dynamic_debug: consolidate repetitive struct _ddebug descriptor definitions

[Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>]

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:13:16 -0700 Joe Perches <joe@perches.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 2011-09-08 at 16:52 -0700, Andrew Morton wrote:
> > On Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:28:41 -0400
> > Jason Baron <jbaron@redhat.com> wrote:
> > > Replace the repetitive struct _ddebug descriptor definitions with
> > > a new DECLARE_DYNAMIC_DEBUG_META_DATA(name, fmt) macro.
> > > +#define DECLARE_DYNAMIC_DEBUG_METADATA(name, fmt)		\
> > > +	static struct _ddebug __used __aligned(8)		\
> > > +	__attribute__((section("__verbose"))) name = {		\
> > > +		.modname = KBUILD_MODNAME,			\
> > > +		.function = __func__,				\
> > > +		.filename = __FILE__,				\
> > > +		.format = (fmt),				\
> > > +		.lineno = __LINE__,				\
> > > +		.flags =  _DPRINTK_FLAGS_DEFAULT,		\
> > > +		.enabled = false,				\
> > > +	}
> > <anal>That macro implements a definition, not a declaration</anal>
> 
> Andrew, that's not quite true

It's precisely true.

: Exercise 2.8
: 
: A declaration introduces a name and a type for something.  It does not
: necessarily reserve any storage.
: 
: Exercise 2.9
: 
: A definition is a declaration that also reserves storage.

(http://publications.gbdirect.co.uk/c_book/answers/chapter_2.html)

> and that's how
> DECLARE is normally used in linux.

It's how it's sometimes used, when we screwed up.

> DECLARE_BITMAP, DECLARE_COMPLETION, DECLARE_RWSEM, etc.

Mistakes.