PARROT_ASSERT is currently defined as:
#ifdef NDEBUG
# define PARROT_ASSERT(x) ((void)0)
#else
# define PARROT_ASSERT(x) Parrot_assert((INTVAL)(x), #x, __FILE__,
__LINE__)
#endif
with
void
Parrot_assert(INTVAL condition, ARGIN(const char *condition_string),
ARGIN(const char *file), unsigned int line)
...
PARROT_ASSERT is used to assert pointers too, for example in src/string.c:
UINTVAL
string_length(SHIM_INTERP, ARGIN(const STRING *s))
{
PARROT_ASSERT(s);
return s->strlen;
}
The cast from all kinds of stuff, including pointers, to INTVAL bothers
me a bit. It ties pointers to INTVALs, which I guess it shouldn't.
One way to improve this (for certain values of improvement) is to change
PARROT_ASSERT to:
# define PARROT_ASSERT(x) Parrot_assert((!!(x)), #x, __FILE__, __LINE__)
Independent of this, pointer assertions should probably be explicit, to
show what condition is actually asserted.
PARROT_ASSERT(s != NULL);
Or maybe PARROT_ASSERT should have friends, like PARROT_ASSERT_PTR to
assert pointers? This might do additional checks, like 0xdeadbeef or
"-1" pointer. This may be a bit far fetched, though.
void
Parrot_assert_ptr(void *ptr, ARGIN(const char *condition_string),
ARGIN(const char *file), unsigned int line)
{
if (ptr == NULL || ptr == -1 || ptr == 0xdeadbeef)
Parrot_confess(condition_string, file, line);
}
What do you think?
Ron
