[PATCH] pcmcia: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[PATCH] pcmcia: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Gustavo A. R. Silva]

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
introduced in C99:

struct foo {
        int stuff;
        struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@kernel.org>
---
 include/pcmcia/cistpl.h |    6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/pcmcia/cistpl.h b/include/pcmcia/cistpl.h
index 59a011101e0e..749320cc9aba 100644
--- a/include/pcmcia/cistpl.h
+++ b/include/pcmcia/cistpl.h
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ typedef struct cistpl_funcid_t {
 
 typedef struct cistpl_funce_t {
     u_char	type;
-    u_char	data[0];
+    u_char	data[];
 } cistpl_funce_t;
 
 /*======================================================================
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ typedef struct cistpl_data_serv_t {
     u_char	escape;
     u_char	encrypt;
     u_char	misc_features;
-    u_char	ccitt_code[0];
+    u_char	ccitt_code[];
 } cistpl_data_serv_t;
 
 typedef struct cistpl_fax_serv_t {
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ typedef struct cistpl_fax_serv_t {
     u_char	encrypt;
     u_char	features_0;
     u_char	features_1;
-    u_char	ccitt_code[0];
+    u_char	ccitt_code[];
 } cistpl_fax_serv_t;
 
 typedef struct cistpl_voice_serv_t {

Re: [PATCH] pcmcia: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Dominik Brodowski]

On Thu, May 07, 2020 at 02:05:49PM -0500, Gustavo A. R. Silva wrote:
> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
> extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
> variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
> introduced in C99:
> 
> struct foo {
>         int stuff;
>         struct boo array[];
> };
> 
> By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
> in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
> will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
> inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.
> 
> Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
> this change:
> 
> "Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
> may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
> zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]
> 
> sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
> members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
> which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
> zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
> some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
> help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.
> 
> This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.
> 
> [1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
> [2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
> [3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")
> 
> Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@kernel.org>

Applied to pcmcia-next.

Thanks,
	Dominik

Re: [PATCH] pcmcia: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Gustavo A. R. Silva]

On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 11:16:13AM +0200, Dominik Brodowski wrote:
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@kernel.org>
> 
> Applied to pcmcia-next.
> 

Thanks, Dominik.

--
Gustavo