string-list API
===============
-The string_list API offers a data structure and functions to handle sorted
-and unsorted string lists.
+The string_list API offers a data structure and functions to handle
+sorted and unsorted string lists. A "sorted" list is one whose
+entries are sorted by string value in `strcmp()` order.
The 'string_list' struct used to be called 'path_list', but was renamed
because it is not specific to paths.
member (you need this if you add things later) and you should set the
`nr` and `alloc` members in that case, too.
-. Adds new items to the list, using `string_list_append` or
- `string_list_insert`.
+. Adds new items to the list, using `string_list_append`,
+ `string_list_append_nodup`, `string_list_insert`,
+ `string_list_split`, and/or `string_list_split_in_place`.
. Can check if a string is in the list using `string_list_has_string` or
`unsorted_string_list_has_string` and get it from the list using
. Can sort an unsorted list using `sort_string_list`.
+. Can remove duplicate items from a sorted list using
+ `string_list_remove_duplicates`.
+
. Can remove individual items of an unsorted list using
`unsorted_string_list_delete_item`.
+. Can remove items not matching a criterion from a sorted or unsorted
+ list using `filter_string_list`.
+
. Finally it should free the list using `string_list_clear`.
Example:
----
-struct string_list list;
+struct string_list list = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
int i;
-memset(&list, 0, sizeof(struct string_list));
string_list_append(&list, "foo");
string_list_append(&list, "bar");
for (i = 0; i < list.nr; i++)
* General ones (works with sorted and unsorted lists as well)
+`filter_string_list`::
+
+ Apply a function to each item in a list, retaining only the
+ items for which the function returns true. If free_util is
+ true, call free() on the util members of any items that have
+ to be deleted. Preserve the order of the items that are
+ retained.
+
+`string_list_longest_prefix`::
+
+ Return the longest string within a string_list that is a
+ prefix (in the sense of prefixcmp()) of the specified string,
+ or NULL if no such prefix exists. This function does not
+ require the string_list to be sorted (it does a linear
+ search).
+
`print_string_list`::
Dump a string_list to stdout, useful mainly for debugging purposes. It
Look up a given string in the string_list, returning the containing
string_list_item. If the string is not found, NULL is returned.
+`string_list_remove_duplicates`::
+
+ Remove all but the first of consecutive entries that have the
+ same string value. If free_util is true, call free() on the
+ util members of any items that have to be deleted.
+
* Functions for unsorted lists only
`string_list_append`::
- Append a new string to the end of the string_list.
+ Append a new string to the end of the string_list. If
+ `strdup_string` is set, then the string argument is copied;
+ otherwise the new `string_list_entry` refers to the input
+ string.
+
+`string_list_append_nodup`::
+
+ Append a new string to the end of the string_list. The new
+ `string_list_entry` always refers to the input string, even if
+ `strdup_string` is set. This function can be used to hand
+ ownership of a malloc()ed string to a `string_list` that has
+ `strdup_string` set.
`sort_string_list`::
- Make an unsorted list sorted.
+ Sort the list's entries by string value in `strcmp()` order.
`unsorted_string_list_has_string`::
is set. The third parameter controls if the `util` pointer of the
items should be freed or not.
+`string_list_split`::
+`string_list_split_in_place`::
+
+ Split a string into substrings on a delimiter character and
+ append the substrings to a `string_list`. If `maxsplit` is
+ non-negative, then split at most `maxsplit` times. Return the
+ number of substrings appended to the list.
++
+`string_list_split` requires a `string_list` that has `strdup_strings`
+set to true; it leaves the input string untouched and makes copies of
+the substrings in newly-allocated memory.
+`string_list_split_in_place` requires a `string_list` that has
+`strdup_strings` set to false; it splits the input string in place,
+overwriting the delimiter characters with NULs and creating new
+string_list_items that point into the original string (the original
+string must therefore not be modified or freed while the `string_list`
+is in use).
+
+
Data structures
---------------