How to de-lint files

Warning: Please don't change anything if you're not sure it's okay. You could hide bugs that way.

For more information about lint's diagnostics, see the tests in /usr/tests/usr.bin/xlint/lint1.

What do I do when I get the following error from lint?

  • bitwise '%s' on signed value possibly nonportable [117]

    Try to do the same with an unsigned variable. ISO C11 6.2.6.2p4 does not guarantee the results of any shifts where the left hand side operand is not an unsigned int.

  • argument '%s' unused in function '%s' [231]

    If it's not a real error, use /* ARGSUSEDn */ to tell lint how many arguments to check (n being that number).

  • converting '%s' to '%s' increases alignment from %u to %u [135]

    If lint is overzealous, you can avoid the warning by a void cast: p = (foo *)(void *)q. You should do that only if you are certain that the pointer is aligned, otherwise you will be masking real bugs.

  • pointer cast from '%s' to '%s' may be troublesome [247]

    If lint is overzealous, you can avoid the warning by a void cast: p = (foo *)(void *)q.

  • conversion from '%s' to '%s' may lose accuracy [132]

    If you're sure the accuracy loss is acceptable, cast the variable to the new type. Another tactic is to use an additional [unsigned] [long] long variable for intermediate calculations and only cast the result at the end.

  • cast discards 'const' from type '%s' [275]

    If you're sure it's okay, add a /* LINTED const cast-away */ above the line producing the warning.

  • extra bits set to 0 in conversion of '%s' to '%s', op '%s' [309]

    One case where this happens is when you logically combine (for example with &) some long value with a constant, which is int by default. In this case, you can fix it by making the constant a long, too: long & 0xffffffff -> long & 0x00000000ffffffffULL


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