[erlang-questions] Port is NULL verification in the start callback of a linked-in driver

[Sverker Eriksson]

ErlDrvPort is an opaque type. 
Comparing it to NULL is not only unnecessary but wrong.

/Sverker, Erlang/OTP


Zhemzhitsky Sergey wrote:
> Hi erlangers,
>
>  
>
> I'm wondering whether it’s necessary to check that port is not NULL in the start 
> callback of the driver:
>
> ErlDrvData (*start)(ErlDrvPort port, char *command);
>
>  
>
> I’m asking because there are some samples that do such a verification, i.e.
>
> https://github.com/dlfen/erlang-db-driver/blob/master/c_src/base/AsyncDrv.cpp#L29
>
> https://github.com/norton/lets/blob/master/c_src/lets_drv.cc#L251
>
> and a lot of port drivers that do not.
>
>  
>
> As I understand (according to the otp sources) port parameter is only a number 
> of the port in the erts_port array 
> (https://github.com/erlang/otp/blob/maint/erts/emulator/beam/io.c#L60) and 0 
> (zero) is a valid value for it.
>
>  
>
> So I have two questions:
>
>  
>
> 1.       Is it necessary to check that the port parameter in the start callback 
> of the driver is not NULL (not 0) and why?
>
> 2.       If 0 (zero) is a legal value for the port parameter in the start 
> callback of the driver, why there are drivers which require that parameter to be 
> not NULL (or this is a kind of a bug)?
>
>  
>
>  
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Sergey
>
>  
>
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