dbg function names

[Raimo Niskanen]

On Tue, Aug 10, 2021 at 11:12:04AM +0200, Thomas Depierre wrote:
> Would it make sense to also consider adding "long names" to the API,
> possibly deprecating the short one over time ?

I find the short names handy, but it would certainly not hurt to
spell out the acronyms in the documentation and dbg:h().

/ Raimo Niskanen



> 
> Thomas Depierre
> 
> 
> On Tue, 10 Aug 2021 at 08:58, Lukas Larsson <lukas@REDACTED> wrote:
> 
> > Hello!
> >
> > On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 8:42 AM Trevor Brown <admin@REDACTED> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi, I've used the dbg module a fair bit over the years, and I am curious
> >> about the names of the functions. Looking at the list of functions, I
> >> came up with what I think each function name means:
> >>
> >> The function names are all acronyms (except for the ones that clearly
> >> aren't like `get_tracer/0` and `stop/0`) and stand for the following:
> >>
> >> * `c` stands for *c*lear
> >>
> >
> > I believe that the solitary `c` stands for *c*all.
> >
> >
> >> * `cn` stands for *c*lear *n*ode
> >> * `ctp` stands for *c*lear *t*race *p*attern
> >> * `ctpe` stands for *c*lear *t*race *p*attern *e*vent
> >> * `ctpg` stands for *c*lear *t*race *p*attern *g*lobal
> >> * `ctpl` stands for *c*lear *t*race *p*attern *l*ocal
> >> * `dtp` stands for *d*elete *t*race *p*attern (not sure if it's delete,
> >> drop, discard, etc...)
> >>
> >
> > If you type "dbg:h(dtp)" it prints:
> >
> > dtp() -> ok
> >  - Deletes all saved match_spec's.
> > dtp(N) -> ok
> >  - Deletes a specific saved match_spec.
> >
> > So it is `delete`, just as you guessed.
> >
> >
> >> * `wtp` stands for *w*rite *t*race *p*attern
> >> * `rtp` stands for *r*ead *t*race *p*attern
> >> * `n` stands for *n*ode
> >> * `i` stands for *i*nformation
> >> * `p` stands for *p*rocess
> >> * `tp` stands for *t*race *p*attern (implicitly global)
> >> * `tpl` stands for *t*race *p*attern *l*ocal
> >> * `h` stands for *h*elp
> >> * `ln` stands for *l*ist *n*odes
> >> * `ltp` stands for *l*ist *t*race *p*atterns
> >>
> >> Can anyone confirm if I am correct here? And if so, reference any docs
> >> explaining this? I personally find that understanding the acronyms makes
> >> the functions easier to remember, so it's a shame the official docs
> >> don't explain this if I am correct.
> >>
> >
> > I use the same words to describe the acronyms as you have done. I believe
> > the person that designed the dbg API has left the Erlang world for the time
> > being, so if we are incorrect we may never know.
> >
> > If you want to create a PR that adds the names that you have proposed into
> > the documentation I think that it could be a good starting point in making
> > the words behind the acronyms official.
> >
> >
> >> Also, I've always assumed the module name stood for debug, but is that
> >> true? I haven't found any docs on that either.
> >>
> >
> > I believe that you are correct, but I do not know for sure.
> >

-- 

/ Raimo Niskanen, Erlang/OTP, Ericsson AB