Re: [PATCH V2 0/4] string list functions

[Steven Sistare]

On 2/9/2023 5:48 AM, Daniel P. Berrangé wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 07, 2023 at 10:48:43AM -0800, Steve Sistare wrote:
>> Add some handy string list functions, for general use now, and for
>> eventual use in the cpr/live update patches.
>>
>> Steve Sistare (4):
>>   qapi: strList_from_string
>>   qapi: QAPI_LIST_LENGTH
>>   qapi: strv_from_strList
>>   qapi: strList unit tests
> 
> I know that the 'strList' type falls out naturally from the
> QAPI type generator for arrays, but I've always considered
> it to be a rather awkward result.  The normal C approach
> would be to use 'char **' NULL terminated, which conveniently
> already has a bunch of helper APIs from glib, and is also
> accepted or returned by various other functions we might
> like to use.
> 
> Should we consider making the QAPI generator handle string
> lists as a special case, emitting 'char **' instead of this
> series ?
> 
> With regards,
> Daniel

That is an intellectually appealing idea, but it sounds like a disproportionate 
effort to handle this small use case.  It would also make string list handling
be different than the other qapi lists: boolList, sizeList, uint64List, etc.

- Steve