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(void) casts when function return values are ignored



On Wed, 24 Aug 2011, Marc Balmer wrote:
A compiler can detect that I don't use the return value by seeing that I don't use the return value.

Why tell the compiler that I don't want to use the return value? It's a stupid rule, to say the least.

Of course the compiler can tell that you don't use the return value. But neither the compiler nor a human reader can easily tell that this is deliberate, as opposed to a mistake.

Functions with return values fall into a few broad categories:

  1. Functions whose return value contains the result of the
     function; e.g. sqrt(3).

  2. Functions whose return value is used to report success or
     failure; e.g. sscanf(3), write(2).

  3. Functions whose return value contains information that is
     uninteresting, or also available elsewhere; e.g. strcpy(3).

Failure to check the return value in cases 1 or 2 is almost always a bug, but if you have a good reason to ignore the return value, then the (void) convention is useful to tell both human readers and code analysis tools that it's deliberate. (It might still be a bug, but at least you thought a little about the fact that you are ignoring the return value.)

Failure to check the return value in case 3 is perfectly normal, and should not need any special annotation. However, some imperfect code analysis tools complain if you don't have a (void) cast, so some people are in the habit of using lots of (void) casts to appease the tools.

I personally think that (void) casts in cases 1 and 2 are useful, while (void) casts in case 3 are annoying and point to a deficiency in the tools.

--apb (Alan Barrett)


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