[Cocci] Re: cocci: Avoid initializing variables?

[Julia Lawall]

On Thu, 26 Jan 2012, Joe Perches wrote:

> I'm trying to elide unnecessary initializations of
> variable declarations when the variables are later
> overwritten with a direct set.
>
> I'm using:
>
> $ cat multi_set.cocci
> @@
> type T;
> identifier x;
> expression y;
> expression z;
> @@
> -T x = y;

This is much too general.  You don't want to get rid of the assignment if 
y is an arbitrary expression, such as a function call.  You could just put 
constant y.  Or you could allow it to be eg a constant or an identifier, 
but identifier seems unlikely enough that it is probably not worth 
bothering with.  I guess there could be a casted identifier.  But in that 
case, it seems unlikely that one would do that and then do nothing with 
the value afterwards.

> +T x;
> ...
> x = z
> $
>
> This doesn't work appropriately when the elided variable
> declaration is used in expression z.

You could try:

(
x = <+...x...+>
|
x = z
)

I would put ? in front of x = z, because there might be some execution 
paths where x is not reassigned.  Then there should be when != x on the 
dots, and probably when strict as well, because you want the constraints 
to be satisfied in error handling code as well.

julia

> For instance, using current linux-kernel, the .cocci file above
> generates this diff:
> -----------------------
> diff -u -p a/broadcom/bnx2x/bnx2x_stats.c b/broadcom/bnx2x/bnx2x_stats.c
> --- a/broadcom/bnx2x/bnx2x_stats.c
> +++ b/broadcom/bnx2x/bnx2x_stats.c
> @@ -104,8 +104,7 @@ static void bnx2x_hw_stats_post(struct b
> 	/* loader */
> 	if (bp->executer_idx) {
> 		int loader_idx = PMF_DMAE_C(bp);
> -		u32 opcode =  bnx2x_dmae_opcode(bp, DMAE_SRC_PCI, DMAE_DST_GRC,
> -						 true, DMAE_COMP_GRC);
> +		u32 opcode;
> 		opcode = bnx2x_dmae_opcode_clr_src_reset(opcode);
>
> 		memset(dmae, 0, sizeof(struct dmae_command));
> -----------------------
>
> How can cocci be told to make expression z not allow use
> of identifier x?
>
> Is there a better way to write this?
>
>