Wireshark · Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] Removing string constants from assertions

[Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 4, 2012, at 1:39 PM, Evan Huus wrote:

> I've noticed in several places the pattern of adding a message to
> assertions in the form of a string constant:
> 
> g_assert(condition && "explanation");
> 
> This seems dangerous to me, primarily because if anyone ever mistypes
> the && as a || then the assertion becomes dead code - it will always
> pass.

Yes, that's risky.

> Also (though less important):
> - it doesn't really add any benefit over simply putting the message in
> a comment - a developer will have to open up the code anyways to
> figure out what the problem is

I'm not *entirely* sure that's the case; the message printed with the version of GLib on my machine (2.32.3) includes the entire assertion string:

	ERROR:sourcefile.c:{lineno}:{func}: assertion failed: ({test condition} && "{string}")

It Might Be Nice if there were a version of g_assert() that took two arguments - a condition and a description string - and printed

	ERROR:sourcefile.c:{lineno}:{func}: assertion failed: {test condition} : {description})

or something such as that, but there isn't.

We might be able to hack up a macro of that sort (with a helper routine, just as the existing g_assert macros have g_assertion_message_ helper routines).