Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] alloc: fix dangling pointer in alloc_state cleanup

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:01:42 -0700

Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]> writes:

>> Style nit, we tend to use the "imperative form" here in Git,
>> like this:
>>
>> - Rename allocate_alloc_state() → alloc_state_alloc().
>> - Replace ...
>> - Update ...
>
> Thanks.  We also tend to avoid bulleted list.

Perhaps it needs a bit of clarification.  

If you truly require a bulleted list to enumerate what you did in
the patch, then you may be doing too many things in a single patch.

But in this case, the changes do not even have to be broken down
into bullets.  If you change a called function, it goes without
saying that you have to adjust existing callers.  Perhaps something
like

    All callers of clear_alloc_state() immediately free what they
    cleared, so currently it does not hurt anybody that the
    alloc_state is left in an unreusable state, but it is an
    error-prone API.  Replace it with a new function that clears but
    in addition frees the structure, as well as NULLing the pointer
    that points at it and adjust existing callers.

    While at it, rename allocate_alloc_state() and name the new
    function alloc_state_free_and_null(), to follow more closely the
    function naming convention specified in the CodingGuidelines
    (namely, functions about S are named with S_ prefix and then
    verb).

should be more in line with what we usually do.

Thanks.