[Dwarf-discuss] "null entry"

[Chris Quenelle]

Terminology discussion:

Using the term "null entry" to describe a DIE
body with only a zero abbrev index in it seems
like a poor choice of terms because usually "null"
is used to describe the value of a *pointer* not
the value of an *object*.

Perhaps "empty DIE" might be a better term for such
a DIE.

--chris


Bishop, John E wrote:
> I'm sure everyone eles knows what this phrase means,
> but there's no index hit for it, and so far in my reading
> it's been used in the specification without explanation.
> 
> See 2.3, and 7.3.5 for such uses.
> 
> So how should you mark the last sibling in a tree-level
> as having no more sibs?
> 
> One way, with doesn't seem to be the preferred one,
> is to use a different abbreviation for the last sib
> which has DW_CHILDREN_no but is otherwise identical to
> the one used by the other siblings.
> 
> The other, apparently preferred way, is to use a "null
> entry".  Is this an entry with the same abbreviation 
> as the other sibs, but with all fields zero?  Is it an
> entry with abbreviation code zero (and thus no body)? 
> 
> 	-John
> 
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