Re: [glib] Why is g_ptr_array_set_size take a gint instead of guint for the length parameter?

[jcupitt gmail com]

> > > > I'm looking for the rational of using 'gint' instead of 'guint' in the
> > > > call:
> > > >
> > > > g_ptr_array_set_size (GPtrArray *array, gint length);
> >
> > > I imagine that the use of a signed integer was an oversight at the time
> > > which can now not be corrected without breaking API. It's not worth
> > > that.

I remember (a long, long time ago) there was a dislike for uint.
Mixing uint and int can be fiddly and produce a range of bugs, some
more subtle than others, and the extra bit of range you get is
unimportant. int-only code is usually simpler and safer. The uints
scattered through xlib are a good example of the confusion they can
cause.

The argument the other way would be that declaring it unsigned gives
extra information about what "length" means (it's a number of things,
not a distance). I guess that point of view won out.

I agree that the inconsistency is annoying and puzzling.

John