Use of const arg in KConfigGroup constructors doesn't work with language bindings

[Lubos Lunak]

On Tuesday 04 of March 2008, Richard Dale wrote:
> I've had a problem with these two pairs of constructors in kconfiggroup.h:
>
>     KConfigGroup(KConfigBase *master, const QString &group);
>     KConfigGroup(KConfigBase *master, const char *group);
>
>      KConfigGroup(const KConfigBase *master, const QString &group);
>     KConfigGroup(const KConfigBase *master, const char *group);
>
> They only differ by the const-ness of the first argument, and this is
> impossible to get working with any other language than c++. I would prefer
> an enum to be passed, like KConfigBase::AccessType to specify whether or
> not the KConfigGroup can be written too. I've worked round the problem by
> just ignoring the read-only const method calls, and so bindings will always
> get a writable KConfigGroup.

 If that's the only way to get it working with the bindings, then that's 
probably the way you need to go.

> I think something like this is clearer and less error prone:
>
>     KConfigGroup(KConfigBase *master, const QString &group, AccessType mode
> = ReadOnly);
>     KConfigGroup(KConfigBase *master, const char *group, AccessType mode =
> ReadOnly);

 No. In fact it is less clear and more error prone. Using 'const' is a normal 
C++ way and it lets the language to handle constness automatically. The code 
you posted will not work (compile) if the KConfigBase is already const and it 
forces the developer to do manually what the compiler can do on its own (and 
the compiler is not human, so unlike the developer it should not do 
mistakes :) ). It is rather common to overload methods in C++ based on 
constness and I'm surprised this is the first time you've run into it.

-- 
Lubos Lunak
KDE developer
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