The g_object_{set,get} class of functions seem strange

[Skip Montanaro <skip pobox com>]

In trying to figure out how I can get a list of property names for an
object, I came across the g_object_set and g_object_get functions and their
_valist versions.  Their signatures seem rather bizarre to me.  The get
functions are declared to return void while the set functions are declared
to return a gpointer.  How does g_object_get return values to its caller
(g_object_get_valist does something weird with its var_args argument)?  Why
doesn't it just allocate an array of gpointers and return them?  Why does
g_object_set need to return its first argument to its caller?

-- 
Skip Montanaro (skip pobox com)
(847)971-7098