[parted-devel] [PATCH] Properly sync partitions with operating system

[Joel Granados]

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 12:14:47PM +0100, Jim Meyering wrote:
> Joel Granados <jgranado at redhat.com> writes:
> ...
> >> > If the only values ever returned are non-negative (as it seems they are),
> >> > then it'd be far more readable to make the return type "unsigned int".
> >> > Otherwise, I have to wonder if some of these functions may return a
> >> > negative value, and write code in each caller to handle that.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Seems like a good idea.  And: No, they are supposed to be possitive
> >> values.  Note this will propagate into other elements of the patch as
> >> well.
> >
> > On the other hand, ped_disk_get_max_partition would need to return -1
> 
> Yes, but that's a different function.
> From what I recall reading, your new

mmm. sorry got confused.

> 
> >> > > +extern int ped_disk_get_max_partition_num(const PedDisk* disk);
> 
> merely queries the code for the appropriate partition table type
> and always returns a non-negative number.

well.  The specific code in each label might return a negative number
for error as well.   Think of some spec that defines that maximum number
as something that might be read from disk (just playing the devils
advocate here).  The read from disk might fail and then it must be able
to tell the calling function that something when wrong.

> 
> > when it encounters an error.  All possitive numbers can be valide to
> > express max_number_of_supported_partitions.  Including 0. So a negative
> > number would seem natural for me to use in this case.
> >
> >  0: means that the label does no support partitions.
> >  <0: means the number of partitions
> >  >0: means something nasty has ocurred.

-- 
Joel Andres Granados
Brno, Czech Republic, Red Hat.