Re: Translating an embedded C algorithm -- OT

[Maciej Sobczak <no.spam@no.spam.com>]

Cesar Rabak wrote:

>>> if (a = 1) {

>>> if (a == 1) {

>> No need for separate tools, gcc -Wall issues an informative warning.
>> And you do compile with -Wall, right?
>>
> Not all C code is compiled [only] with gcc...

If you use another compiler and it does not provide the functionality 
that you have for free from gcc, you should certainly report this 
complaint to the vendor.

More to this, if you are at least moderately serious about robustness of 
your code, I'd expect that you compile it (or at least its isolated 
critical parts) with a *set* of compilers (the fact that gcc is free 
makes it an easy candidate) to get as much feedback as you can. 
Preferably on a regular basis, nightly build or such.

If your working environment is so constrained that you don't even run 
noghtly builds on a set of compilers, you can always write a simple 
Perl/Tcl/Python/awk/grep/whatever script that will highlight such 
constructs - just look for if and = that comes in the subsequent pair of 
parentheses.

Note also that in C++ the above constructs are both legal provided that 
the following two are true:

1. assignment operator returns something ...
2. ... that is implicitly convertible to some fundamental type.

These two points already give you many opportunities to guard against 
such mistakes.

In general - I totally understand your points, but I don't count them as 
showstoppers.

And coming back to Ada - can you believe that when I write Finalise 
instead of Finalize, it is legal but does not do what I want? 
Unbelievable. Any compiler options for this? ;-)

(I know - in some future I will be able to enjoy the override keyword.)

-- 
Maciej Sobczak : http://www.msobczak.com/
Programming    : http://www.msobczak.com/prog/