# Ideas for (small) internal code enhancement **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby-Gnome 2\ **Created:** [July 10, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ideas-for-small-internal-code-enhancement/109021 "2007-07-10T18:19:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/blueprint)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ideas-for-small-internal-code-enhancement/109021/1 "2007-07-10T18:19:13Z")
- Lately I have seen there are lots of places in the code where we have: I think all of these cases may be replaced by return CBOOL2RVAL(…expression…) I can script the change if you agree, and even add some autotest at build time to check there are no new such things[1]? - I have replaced all “foo == Qnil” by “NIL\_P(foo)”. I think it might be useful to add some autotest to keep that clean in the future, what do you think? - Recently, I have also fixed a method implemented with the variable arguments list form but attached to the ruby class with a fixed arguments list. I can script a check and add an autotest for it. - Also, I have fixed a couple of memory leaks in gdk-pixbuf-scale, gtk returned a newly allocated object and we need special magic on it; for that, I would suggest to share the “special magic” with a special macro, for example NEWGOBJ2RVAL; and also, I think we need an automatized way to track all these memory leaks; what do you think of making use of the scheme definitions used in pygtk? they use “caller-owns-return #t” to indicate where a new allocation supposed to be freed later is performed - I have seen that when using RARRAY(foo)-\>ptr or other pointer dereferencing on a Ruby array, often there is “Check\_Type(foo, T\_ARRAY)” before. However, I cannot find “official” rb\_check\_type documentation to understand what it does exactly (is there any ruby development API documentation available? I repeatedly bump into that). Anyway, I suppose Check\_Type is a good thing™, so I’d like to also add an autotest to check that all RARRAY(foo)-\>ptr use cases are always following a Check\_Type, what do you think? Phew, enough rg2 brainstorming for today 🙂 [1] would that be ok to write these scripts in perl? – Guillaume C. - [http://zarb.org/~gc/](http://zarb.org/~gc/) * * * This [SF.net](http://SF.net) email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. [http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/](http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/) ---
**Author:** ![blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/blueprint)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ideas-for-small-internal-code-enhancement/109021/2 "2007-07-11T17:45:16Z")
Hi, On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:18:58 +0200 “Guillaume C.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > - Lately I have seen there are lots of places in the code where we have: > > I think all of these cases may be replaced by > > return CBOOL2RVAL(…expression…) Agreed. It’s been one of my TODO for a long time 😑 > I can script the change if you agree, and even add some autotest at > build time to check there are no new such things[1]? perl !? why!? Do you mean you add the test with perl in CVS? If so, I don’t agree with it. Because, I don’t think to install ActivePerl to my Windows machine when I compile and test it on Windows. It should work on every environment which we support unless additional tools except ruby and gtk. # That’s the reason why I rewrote glib-mkenums. If you mean you just make the converter and use it by youself only, I don’t mind what tools you use. > - I have replaced all “foo == Qnil” by “NIL\_P(foo)”. I think it might > be useful to add some autotest to keep that clean in the future, what > do you think? Agree, if you can. > - Recently, I have also fixed a method implemented with the variable > arguments list form but attached to the ruby class with a fixed > arguments list. I can script a check and add an autotest for it. What are “variable arugments list” and “fixed arguments list”? > - Also, I have fixed a couple of memory leaks in gdk-pixbuf-scale, gtk > returned a newly allocated object and we need special magic on it; for > that, I would suggest to share the “special magic” with a special > macro, for example NEWGOBJ2RVAL; and also, I think we need an > automatized way to track all these memory leaks; what do you think of > making use of the scheme definitions used in pygtk? they use > “caller-owns-return #t” to indicate where a new allocation supposed to > be freed later is performed I don’t agree. we don’t need the macros of “Special cases”. In this case, you can define NEWGOBJ2RVAL on the top of rbgdk-pixbuf.c like \_SELF(). > - I have seen that when using RARRAY(foo)-\>ptr or other pointer > dereferencing on a Ruby array, often there is “Check\_Type(foo, > T\_ARRAY)” before. However, I cannot find “official” rb\_check\_type > documentation to understand what it does exactly (is there any ruby > development API documentation available? I repeatedly bump into that). In ruby tar-ball, there is README.EXT and Check\_Type is described in it. > Anyway, I suppose Check\_Type is a good thing™, so I’d like to also > add an autotest to check that all RARRAY(foo)-\>ptr use cases are > always following a Check\_Type, what do you think? Agreed. > Phew, enough rg2 brainstorming for today 🙂 Sure. It’s good idea to iterate this kind of discussions. – .:% Masao M.[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) * * * This [SF.net](http://SF.net) email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. [http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/](http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/) ---
**Author:** ![blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/blueprint)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ideas-for-small-internal-code-enhancement/109021/3 "2007-07-11T23:04:40Z")
Hi Masao, Thanks for your reply. > > I can script the change if you agree, and even add some autotest at > > build time to check there are no new such things[1]? > > perl !? why!? Simply because I feel more comfortable writing small file parsing and modification oriented scripts in perl. > Do you mean you add the test with perl in CVS? Yes, that was the plan. > If so, I don’t agree with it. > Because, I don’t think to install ActivePerl to my Windows machine > when I compile and test it on Windows. Ah, ok. I wasn’t aware you used windows that much. On linux, perl is a no-cost. Then it should not be much more difficult to write it in ruby. And I’ll get more training for small file-oriented scripts in ruby 🙂 > > - Recently, I have also fixed a method implemented with the variable > > arguments list form but attached to the ruby class with a fixed > > arguments list. I can script a check and add an autotest for it. > > What are “variable arugments list” and “fixed arguments list”? A function with parameters “argc, argv, self”, which then needs to be binded with rb\_define\_method with -1 as last parameter. I have noticed that if if is binded with 2 or whatever as last parameter, it is an error which is unnoticed. > In this case, you can define NEWGOBJ2RVAL on the top of > rbgdk-pixbuf.c like \_SELF(). It might not be too special. I can grep 71 "caller-owns-return #t’ in _.defs from pygtk (many of them seem to be additional constructors though). Also, a newly-allocated GObject_ returned by a function, seems to be not a special to gdk-pixbuf case, so I thought it made more sense at the GObject level. > > - I have seen that when using RARRAY(foo)-\>ptr or other pointer > > dereferencing on a Ruby array, often there is “Check\_Type(foo, > > T\_ARRAY)” before. However, I cannot find “official” rb\_check\_type > > documentation to understand what it does exactly (is there any ruby > > development API documentation available? I repeatedly bump into that). > > In ruby tar-ball, there is README.EXT and Check\_Type is described in it. Thanks! – Guillaume C. - [Guillaume Cottenceau](http://zarb.org/~gc/) * * * This [SF.net](http://SF.net) email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. [http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/](http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/) ---
**Author:** ![blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@blueprint](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/blueprint)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ideas-for-small-internal-code-enhancement/109021/4 "2007-07-13T17:43:55Z")
Hi, On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:04:23 +0200 “Guillaume C.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > - Recently, I have also fixed a method implemented with the variable > > > arguments list form but attached to the ruby class with a fixed > > > arguments list. I can script a check and add an autotest for it. > > > > What are “variable arugments list” and “fixed arguments list”? > > A function with parameters “argc, argv, self”, which then needs to be > binded with rb\_define\_method with -1 as last parameter. I have noticed > that if if is binded with 2 or whatever as last parameter, it is an > error which is unnoticed. Ah, yes. Good idea. > > In this case, you can define NEWGOBJ2RVAL on the top of > > rbgdk-pixbuf.c like \_SELF(). > > It might not be too special. I can grep 71 "caller-owns-return #t’ in > _.defs from pygtk (many of them seem to be additional constructors > though). Also, a newly-allocated GObject_ returned by a function, > seems to be not a special to gdk-pixbuf case, so I thought it made > more sense at the GObject level. Start with gdk-piixbuf.c and some other libraries. It’s really general, then move the macro to ruby-glib2. – .:% Masao M.[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) * * * This [SF.net](http://SF.net) email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. [http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/](http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/)