#define XXXType const char* ----> #define XXXType char* ?

[Barry Smith]

> Mmm, just a bit ugly you have to add the 'const' keyword. I insist:
> What would be the problem with ... ??
>
> typedef const char* VecType;

   Two problems.

   The VecType is a const which means one cannot build them on the fly  
and copy into them etc

   Second with the typedef one cannot do all the string manipulation  
on them. For example even the
PetscStrcpy() in PetscHeaderCreate_Private() of type_name does not work.

   It would be nice to use a typedef instead of a define to build it  
but it looks impossible. (Try it,
just change one of them and try to compile PETSc, the screaming is  
relentless.)

    Barry


On Jun 23, 2008, at 2:38 PM, Lisandro Dalcin wrote:

> On 6/23/08, Barry Smith <bsmith at mcs.anl.gov> wrote:
>>
>>  A while ago I made XXType (MatType, VecType etc) const char*
>>
>
> Well, you actually did
>
> #define VecType const char*
>
> instead of
>
> typedef const char* VecType;
>
> which IMHO is the right way.
>
>>   I now think that was a mistake.
>
> Yep, the '#define' way can cause problems ;-)
>
>
>> I'd like to change them to just  char*
>
> But why not the 'typedef' way ??
>
>>  Can anyone suggest a technical reason why this is a bad idea  
>> before I push
>> the code?
>>
>> Note this means if you have code like
>>
>>   VecType t = VECMPI;
>>
>> you would need to change it to
>>
>>   const VecType t = VECMPI;
>>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Lisandro Dalcín
> ---------------
> Centro Internacional de Métodos Computacionales en Ingeniería (CIMEC)
> Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (INTEC)
> Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
> PTLC - Güemes 3450, (3000) Santa Fe, Argentina
> Tel/Fax: +54-(0)342-451.1594
>