Preceding a method call with (void)

Valdis.Kletnieks at vt.edu Valdis.Kletnieks at vt.edu
Thu Sep 10 02:39:20 EDT 2015


On Thu, 10 Sep 2015 07:52:49 +0300, Kevin Wilson said:

> (void) myFunc(param1);
>
> I did not encounter such cases in the kernel code that I read, thus far.
>
> On the other hand, I did not saw in the kernel coding style doc
> anything which prohibits such usage.
>
> If I remember, using (void) before the method name is a way to tell
> explicitly that this method does not return any value,
> but I am not sure as for the exact reasons it is used (in userspace).

Well, if the function actually returns nothing, in kernel code we usually
declare it as:

void myFunc( int param1)
{
/* yadda yadda yadda *.
}

Given that, what reason is there for casting the return value with (void)?

(And if the function is actually   'int myFunc ( int param1) {...}',
why are you calling it and then ignoring the return value?  That's a clue
that you're abusing the API...)
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 848 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.kernelnewbies.org/pipermail/kernelnewbies/attachments/20150910/fcebd1a8/attachment.bin 


More information about the Kernelnewbies mailing list