Re: Updated: [Patch, c* ,ObjC*] handle string objects in format checking.

[IainS <developer at sandoe-acoustics dot co dot uk>]

On 31 Oct 2010, at 19:30, Nicola Pero wrote:
> I have been working on the "format" attributes for Objective-C  
> methods today and the main missing attribute
> for Objective-C is really __attribute__ ((format (NSString, 1,  
> 2))).  That attribute would be so incredibly
> useful (I have been wanting to have it since I started using  
> Objective-C 10 years ago). ;-)

I saw the  patches posted, great!  :-)
(been side-tracked with darwin the last few days, so not much ObjC).

> Your patch does much of it (thanks a lot for you work on that), but  
> not all of it.  Are you planning
> to finish it so we can include it in 4.6.0 ? :-)

It's awaiting, hopefully final or close to final, review of: http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2010-10/msg02432.html

I sincerely hope we can get it into 4.6 too - since, in addition to  
ObjC,  it also makes FSF gcc much more useful on Darwin 10.

----
FWIW:

The actual scanning of the format strings is now local to ObjC  
(there's a stub routine added by the patch) and additions to carry  
that out would fall under whatever rules Mike wishes to invoke.

I don't think we should delay implementing the framework to wait to  
fill in that particular aspect --- the current offering does allow  
syntax-checking to work and simply treats the format string in the  
same manner as a non-literal.

(I also believe we need to take care not to paint ourselves into a  
corner tho' - since the Apple version of ObjC does not define this  
operation yet).

.. perhaps, OTOH,  we could lead the way :-)

cheers
Iain