Improve comments in checkSpace.pl to explain how to fix its warnings

1 files changed, 29 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/scripts/maint/checkSpace.pl b/scripts/maint/checkSpace.pl
index 682dbced00..b529103367 100755
--- a/scripts/maint/checkSpace.pl
+++ b/scripts/maint/checkSpace.pl
@@ -13,30 +13,45 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
     $incomment = 0;
     while (<F>) {
         ## Warn about windows-style newlines.
+	#    (We insist on lines that end with a single LF character, not
+	#    CR LF.)
         if (/\r/) {
             print "       CR:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about tabs.
+	#    (We only use spaces)
         if (/\t/) {
             print "      TAB:$fn:$.\n";
         }
-        ## Warn about markers that don't have a space in front of them
+        ## Warn about labels that don't have a space in front of them
+	#    (We indent every label at least one space)
         if (/^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*:/) {
             print "nosplabel:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about trailing whitespace.
+	#    (We don't allow whitespace at the end of the line; make your
+	#    editor highlight it for you so you can stop adding it in.)
         if (/ +$/) {
             print "Space\@EOL:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about control keywords without following space.
+	#    (We put a space after every 'if', 'while', 'for', 'switch', etc)
         if ($C && /\s(?:if|while|for|switch)\(/) {
             print "      KW(:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about #else #if instead of #elif.
+        #    (We only allow #elif)
         if (($lastline =~ /^\# *else/) and ($_ =~ /^\# *if/)) {
             print " #else#if:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about some K&R violations
+        #    (We use K&R-style C, where open braces go on the same line as
+        #    the statement that introduces them.  In other words:
+        #          if (a) {
+        #            stuff;
+        #          } else {
+        #            other stuff;
+        #          }
         if (/^\s+\{/ and $lastline =~ /^\s*(if|while|for|else if)/ and
 	    $lastline !~ /\{$/) {
             print "non-K&R {:$fn:$.\n";
@@ -46,10 +61,13 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
 	}
         $lastline = $_;
         ## Warn about unnecessary empty lines.
+        #   (Don't put an empty line before a line that contains nothing
+        #   but a closing brace.)
         if ($lastnil && /^\s*}\n/) {
             print "  UnnecNL:$fn:$.\n";
         }
         ## Warn about multiple empty lines.
+        #   (At most one blank line in a row.)
         if ($lastnil && /^$/) {
             print " DoubleNL:$fn:$.\n";
         } elsif (/^$/) {
@@ -59,6 +77,7 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
         }
         ## Terminals are still 80 columns wide in my world.  I refuse to
         ## accept double-line lines.
+        #   (Don't make lines wider than 80 characters, including newline.)
         if (/^.{80}/) {
             print "     Wide:$fn:$.\n";
         }
@@ -83,11 +102,13 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
             s!"(?:[^\"]+|\\.)*"!"X"!g;
             next if /^\#/;
             ## Warn about C++-style comments.
+	    #   (Use C style comments only.)
             if (m!//!) {
                 #    print "       //:$fn:$.\n";
                 s!//.*!!;
             }
             ## Warn about unquoted braces preceded by non-space.
+	    #   (No character except a space should come before a {)
             if (/([^\s'])\{/) {
                 print "       $1\{:$fn:$.\n";
             }
@@ -101,6 +122,8 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
             #    print "     {X:$fn:$.\n";
             #}
             ## Warn about function calls with space before parens.
+	    #   (Don't put a space between the name of a function and its
+	    #   arguments.)
             if (/(\w+)\s\(([A-Z]*)/) {
                 if ($1 ne "if" and $1 ne "while" and $1 ne "for" and
                     $1 ne "switch" and $1 ne "return" and $1 ne "int" and
@@ -110,6 +133,9 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
                 }
             }
             ## Warn about functions not declared at start of line.
+	    #    (When you're declaring functions, put "static" and "const"
+	    #    and the return type on one line, and the function name at
+	    #    the start of a new line.)
             if ($in_func_head ||
                 ($fn !~ /\.h$/ && /^[a-zA-Z0-9_]/ &&
                  ! /^(?:const |static )*(?:typedef|struct|union)[^\(]*$/ &&
@@ -130,6 +156,8 @@ for $fn (@ARGV) {
             }
         }
     }
+    ## Warn if the file doesn't end with a blank line.
+    #    (End each file with a single blank line.)
     if (! $lastnil) {
         print "  EOL\@EOF:$fn:$.\n";
     }