Re: [boost] [system] A non-allocating message() overload

Subject: Re: [boost] [system] A non-allocating message() overload
From: charleyb123 (charleyb123_at_[hidden])
Date: 2018-09-20 12:10:44

>
> > charleyb123 wrote:
> > > Question:  Is there a *guarantee* that 'message()' never return
> > > 'nullptr'? (Is that ever desired?)
> >
> > The only failure mode would be when the function needs to compose a
> > message and the provided buffer is too small to hold it; I'll have to
> > check what strerror_r(12345, buffer, 1) (for instance) does but in my
> > opinion nullptr should not be a valid return value; in this case
> something
> > like truncation or returning "Insufficient buffer size for message"
> would
> > be my preference.
>

Peter Dimov respondeth:

> On reflection, I take that back. nullptr will be a valid return value, but
> only in the case where you pass nullptr as the buffer (and, accordingly, 0
> as the length.)
>
> That is, the function should not "fail" with "Insufficient buffer size for
> message", it will just fill the buffer and truncate, even when the buffer
> size is something ridiculously small such as 2, 1, or even 0.
>
> This enables the (apparently idiomatic when using strerror_r) technique of
> using `message( ev, nullptr, 0 )` to detect whether the message is static,
> and do something else if it isn't.
>

Ah, that had not occurred to me.  Ok, yes, that could be useful (although
probably uncommon).

I previously could think of no use for returning 'nullptr', but I accept
this as the (possibly only) scenario where that might be useful.

Not to wander, but does this then suggest there might be interest in the
two-call idiom to detect the buffer-size *required*, so the caller can
allocate?  (This has become increasingly popular such as in the Vulkan
APIs, and Microsoft create-process/console functions), for example see:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37662614/calling-vkenumeratedeviceextensionproperties-twice-is-it-required

...or more simply:

int count = 0;
vkGetSwapchainImagesKHR(device, swapchain, &count, nullptr); // (e.g.)
return count = 3.

VkImage images[3];
vkGetSwapchainImagesKHR(device, swapchain, &count, images); // (e.g.)
return ID = 4,5,6

--charley