gconf_quote_percents(const gchar* src)

[Philip Van Hoof <spamfrommailing freax org>]

Hi there,

While studying the code of GConf, I came across an oddity.

gconf_quote_percents(const gchar* src) in gconf-internals.c sais in a comment it's
wasting memory. I don't see why it would need to do that ... given the fact that it's
just quoting a character.

Note, after differencing with the latest in HEAD the function is now called gchar*
gconf_quote_string (const gchar* src) but it's ways of doing things are exactly
the same as before (it just adds one other quotation-type).

As far as I can see it can, however, very easily be programmed in such a way
that it doesn't need to waste any memory. For example (simplified version):

We have glib so why use pointer tricks :-)? Just use an auto-growing GString...

gchar*
gconf_quote_string (const gchar* src)
{
   const gchar *text = src;
  gint i=0, len = strlen(text);
  GString *str = g_string_new ("");
  gchar *retval = NULL;

  /* You can also loop using the pointer of course (simplified) */
  while (i < len) {

	/* Add one extra '%'-character for quotation */
	if (text[i] == '%')
		str = g_string_append_c (str, '%');


	/* Add one extra '\'-character for quotation */
	if (text[i] == '\\')
		str = g_string_append_c (str, '\\');

	/* Add the character to the result (also the original '%') */
	str = g_string_append_c (str, text[i]);
	i++;
  }

  /* Steal the gchar-pointer of the GString before freeing it */
  retval = str->str;

  /* Free all what we don't need from the GString */
  g_string_free (str, FALSE);

  /* Return the stolen gchar-pointer */
  return retval; 
}

Shall I provide a patch for just gconf-internals.c or immediately commit this (my user is pvanhoof).

-- 
Philip Van Hoof, Software Developer @ Cronos
home: me at freax dot org
gnome: pvanhoof at gnome dot org
work: philip dot vanhoof at cronos dot be
junk: philip dot vanhoof at gmail dot com
http://www.freax.be, http://www.freax.eu.org