Re: [PATCH v4 4/4] load: Display modules depth in output when using %load-verbosely.

[Maxime Devos]

Op 02-10-2023 om 18:13 schreef Maxim Cournoyer:
> > Something I didn't notice previously:
> >
> > Op 25-09-2023 om 16:29 schreef Maxim Cournoyer:
> > > +  if (scm_is_string (args)) {
> > > +      /* C code written for 3.9 and earlier expects this function to
> > > +         take a single argument (the file name).  */
> > > +      filename = args;
> > > +      depth = scm_from_int(0);
> > > +    }
> > IIUC, args is always a list and never a string.  However, it might be
> > a list of one element (being a string) or two elements.
> Surprisingly perhaps, this works, I guess because a string is an array.
> See the 2009 commit 31ab99de563027fe2bceb60bbd712407fcaf868e which
> exploits the same feature.

While apparently it works, that does not look like a feature to me but 
rather an accident, though I don't know what hypothetical feature you 
are referring to.  Also, sure strings are arrays, but you don't seem to 
be using that anywhere, so I'm not following.

> %load-hook is carefully crafted as to accept both one or two arguments
> (for backward compatibility).  I didn't pay attention to %load-announce
> and I'm surprised it's a public API, as its sole function seems to be
> the default %load-hook value.  

The default value might be, but it's supposed to be overwritable, and 
according to the old API it's a one-argument procedure, so if there is 
an old application/library setting it to something accepting only a 
single argument, there is your API break.

To prevent future API breaks, I propose documenting turning %load-hook 
into a keyword argument procedure with #:allow-other-keys, as something 
like:

  (lambda* (file-name #:key (depth the-default) #:allow-other-keys)
    ...)

and in the documentation mention that more keywords may be added in the 
future (and hence #:allow-other-keys).

I think it's quite plausible that there will be more such arguments in 
the future!

Best regards,
Maxime Devos.

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