Re: [PATCH v3 15/16] qapi/expr.py: move related checks inside check_xxx functions

[Markus Armbruster]

John Snow <jsnow@redhat.com> writes:

> On 2/25/21 10:28 AM, Markus Armbruster wrote:
>> John Snow <jsnow@redhat.com> writes:
>> 
>>> There's not a big obvious difference between the types of checks that
>>> happen in the main function versus the kind that happen in the
>>> functions. Now they're in one place for each of the main types.
>>>
>>> As part of the move, spell out the required and optional keywords so
>>> they're obvious at a glance. Use tuples instead of lists for immutable
>>> data, too.
>>>
>>> Signed-off-by: John Snow <jsnow@redhat.com>
>>> Reviewed-by: Cleber Rosa <crosa@redhat.com>
>> 
>> No objection to changing read-only lists to tuples (applies to previous
>> patch, too).
>> 
>> No objection to turning positional into keyword arguments where that
>> improves clarity.
>> 
>> I have doubts on the code motion.  Yes, the checks for each type are now
>> together.  On the other hand, the check_keys() are now separate.  I can
>> no longer see all the keys at a glance.
>> 
>
> I guess it depends on where you wanted to see them; I thought it was 
> strange that in check_foobar I couldn't see what foobar's valid keys 
> were without scrolling back to the bottom of the file.
>
> Needing to see all the keys for the disparate forms together was not a 
> case I ran into, but you can always drop this patch for now if you'd 
> like.

Let's shelve it for now.

>       I had some more adventurous patches that keeps pushing in this 
> direction, but I don't know if it's really important.

When I work on a something, I tend to accumulate semi-related cleanups.
Including them is rarely a problem for reviewers when the result is two
dozen patches or so.  When this isn't the case, I can:

* Pick them into a separate cleanup series to go before the real work.
  Risks delaying the real work.

* Funnel them onto a cleanup branch to flushed later.  Risks lonely
  death in a rotting branch.

* Force myself to abstain from improving things that could really use
  improvement.  I call this "sitting on my hands".

This patch is in part three of at least six.  Almost 90 patches up to
part three, with many more to come.  I'm *desperate* to limit scope to
not get overwhelmed.  Please consider the remedies above.  This is a cry
for help, not a demand.

>                                                       My appetite in 
> this area has waned since November.

I understand.