add rules against use of unsigned

addresses #571
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Bjarne Stroustrup 2017-05-18 16:45:10 -04:00
parent 50576c0144
commit 14ef2cde84

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@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
# <a name="main"></a>C++ Core Guidelines
May 16, 2017
May 18, 2017
Editors:
@ -1533,6 +1533,10 @@ Once language support becomes available (e.g., see the [contract proposal](http:
`Expects()` can also be used to check a condition in the middle of an algorithm.
##### Note
No, using `unsigned` is not a good way to sidestep the problem of [ensuring that a value is nonnegative](#Res-nonnegative).
##### Enforcement
(Not enforceable) Finding the variety of ways preconditions can be asserted is not feasible. Warning about those that can be easily identified (`assert()`) has questionable value in the absence of a language facility.
@ -9310,6 +9314,8 @@ Arithmetic rules:
* [ES.103: Don't overflow](#Res-overflow)
* [ES.104: Don't underflow](#Res-underflow)
* [ES.105: Don't divide by zero](#Res-zero)
* [ES.106: Don't try t avoid negative values by using `unsigned`](#Res-nonnegative)
* [ES.107: Don't use `unsigned` for subscripts](#Res-subscripts)
### <a name="Res-lib"></a>ES.1: Prefer the standard library to other libraries and to "handcrafted code"
@ -11875,6 +11881,122 @@ This also applies to `%`.
* Flag division by an integral value that could be zero
### <a name="Res-nonnegative"></a>ES.106: Don't try to avoid negative values by using `unsigned`
##### Reason
Choosing `unsigned` implies many changes to the usual behavior of integers, including modulo arithmetic,
can suppress warnings related to overflow,
and opens the door for errors related to signed/unsigned mixes.
Using `unsigned` doesn't actually eliminate the possibility of negative values.
##### Example
unsigned int u1 = -2; // OK: the value of u1 is 4294967294
int i1 = -2;
unsigned int u2 = i1; // OK: the value of u2 is -2
int i2 = u2; // OK: the value of i2 is -2
These problems with such (perfectly legal) constructs are hard to spot in real code and are the source of many real-world errors.
Consider:
unsigned area(unsigned height, unsigned width) { return height*width; } // [see also](#Ri-expects)
// ...
int height;
cin>>height;
auto a = area(height,2); // if the input is -2 a becomes 4294967292
Remember that `-1` when assigned to an `unsigned int` becomes the largest `unsigned int`.
Also, since unsigned arithmetic is modulo arithmentic the multiplication didn't overflow, it wrapped around.
##### Example
unsigned max = 100000; // "accidental typo", I mean to say 10'000
unsigned short x = 100;
while (x<max) x += 100; // infinite loop
Had `x` been a signed `short`, we could have warned about the undefined behavior upon overflow.
##### Alternatives
* use signed integers and check for `x>= 0`
* use a positive integer type
* use an integer subrange type
* `Assert(-1<x)`
For example
struct Positive {
int val;
Positive(int x) :val{x} { Assert(0<x); }
operator int() { return val; }
};
int f(Positive arg) {return arg };
int r1 = f(2);
int r2 = f(-2); // throws
##### Note
???
##### Enforcement
Hard: there is a lot of code using `unsigned` and we don't offer a practical positive number type.
### <a name="Res-subscripts"></a>ES.107: Don't use `unsigned` for subscripts
##### Reason
To avoid signed/unsigned confusion.
To enable better optimization.
To enable better error detection.
##### Example, bad
vector<int> vec {1,2,3,4,5};
for (int i=0; i<vec.size(); i+=2) cout << vec[i] << '\n'; // mix int and unsigned
for (unsigned i=0; i<vec.size(); i+=2) cout << vec[i] << '\n'; // risk wraparound
for (vector<int>::size_type i=0; i<vec.size(); i+=2) cout << vec[i] << '\n'; // verbose
for (auto i=0; i<vec.size(); i+=2) cout << vec[i] << '\n'; // mix int and unsigned
##### Note
The built-in array uses signed subscripts.
The standard-library containers use unsigned sunscripts.
Thus, no perfect and fully compatible solution is possible.
Given the known problems with unsigned and signed/unsigned mixtures, better stick to (signed) integers.
##### Example
template<typename T>
struct My_container {
public:
// ...
T& operator[](int i); // not unsigned
// ...
};
##### Example
??? demonstrate improved code generation and potential for error detection ???
##### Alternatives
Alternatives for users
* use algorithms
* use range-for
* use iterators/pointers
##### Enforcement
Very tricky as long as the standard-library containers get it wrong.
# <a name="S-performance"></a>Per: Performance
??? should this section be in the main guide???