How to avoid the woord 'goto' (was Re: any chance of 2.6.0-test*?)

[Bernd Petrovitsch]

Rob Wilkens <[e-mail]> wrote:
[...]
>Here's the patch if you want to apply it (i have only compile tested it,
>I haven't booted with it).. This patch applied to the 2.5.56 kernel.
>
>--- open.c.orig	2003-01-12 16:17:01.000000000 -0500
>+++ open.c	2003-01-12 16:22:32.000000000 -0500
>@@ -100,44 +100,58 @@
> 
> 	error = -EINVAL;
> 	if (length < 0)	/* sorry, but loff_t says... */
>-		goto out;
>+		return error;
> 
> 	error = user_path_walk(path, &nd);
> 	if (error)
>-		goto out;
>+		return error;
> 	inode = nd.dentry->d_inode;
[ snipped the rest ]

You just copied the logic to "cleanup and leave" the function several 
times. The (current, next and subsequent) maintainers at the next 
change in that function simply _have_ to check all cases as if they 
are different.
Yes, _now_ you (and all others) know that they are identical. But in 6 
month after tons of patches?

Perhaps you want to avoid goto's with:
----  snip (yes, it is purposely not a `diff -urN`)  ----
switch(0==0) {
default:
    error = -EINVAL;
    if (length < 0) /* sorry, but loff_t says... */
        break;
    error = user_path_walk(path, &nd);
    if (error)
        break;
    inode = nd.dentry->d_inode;

    switch(0==0) {
    default:
        /* For directories it's -EISDIR, for other non-regulars - -EINVAL */
        error = -EISDIR;
        if (S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode))
	    break;
        error = -EINVAL;
        if (!S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
            break;

        error = permission(inode,MAY_WRITE);
        if (error)
            break;

        error = -EROFS;
        if(IS_RDONLY(inode))
            break;

        /* the rest omitted - the pattern should be clear */

        put_write_access(inode);
        break;
    }
    path_release(&nd);
    break;
}
return error;
----  snip  ----

FYI, backward goto's can be rewritten with:
----  snip  ----

    for(;;) {
        <do something>
        if(i_want_to_go_back)
            continue;
        <do something_else>
        break;
    }
----  snip  ----

Are these two more understandable because the avoid the 'goto'?
And try to see it not from the viewpoint of a first time reader, but
from the viewpoint of a/the maintainer/developer (who reads this code
probably quite often)?

	Bernd

-- 
Bernd Petrovitsch                              Email : [e-mail]
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