[Freeciv-Dev] Re: PATCH: map iteration (PR#1018)

["Ross W. Wetmore" <rwetmore@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 10:54 AM 01/10/24 +0200, Raimar Falke wrote:
>On Tue, Oct 23, 2001 at 09:24:00PM -0400, Ross W. Wetmore wrote:
>> Whole_map_iterate() currently *guarantees* the map positions are all
>> not only real, but normalized ... no checks are needed until you start
>> to add new map types. I think Raimar just got carried away in his
>> enthusiasm to bog doen the code with checks here.
>
>All this stuff Justin is thinking about is preparation work for other
>map types. This will reduce the size of the final patch which adds
>other topologies.

As far as I am aware, no other topology currently under consideration
needs these checks. The loop constraints are sufficient. So save this
baggage until it is needed, though leaving it in the MACRO in comments
is a trivial way to keep everyone happy.

>> >My understanding is that whole_map_iterate also doesn't guarantee
>> >anything about the order in which the coordinates are traversed.  The
>> >stuff in server/savegame.c certainly needs such a guarantee.
>> 
>> This is true, but it is easily remedied by making a fixed order part of
>> the interface, or providing versions that do have fixed orders.
>
>It may be nice to have macros for this but I see for example no point
>in providing a macro which is used two times in savegame.c. So we have
>to do some kind of requirement analysis.

Adding one or two extra macros like this is really not that significant
in terms of code bloat. Adding a comment to point one at the location
that really needs this special flavour is also a useful documentation
technique for someone that decides they need the same flavour and then
rolls their own when they see that the general macro is insufficient.

To put it bluntly, it is not the current use, but the future abuse that
you are fixing :-).

Anyway, I presume that savegame really only needs it for backwards
compatibility with older saved games. Any games written and read back 
in with any alternate ordering should still work, right?

>       Raimar
>
>-- 
> email: rf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "I haven't lost my mind - it's backed up on tape somewhere."