Re: Opinions on `defer`?

On 07/01/2025 01:35, Alexis wrote:

 Hi all,
 "Modern C" author Jens Gustedt has been posting on his blog about a
proposed `defer` feature (as provided by e.g. Zig and Go), the most
recent being:
    https://gustedt.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/simple-defer-ready-to-use/
 What do people here think about having such a feature in C?
 

I've used gcc's "cleanup" attribute a couple of times, typically in connection with somewhat messy stuff hidden behind simple macro names.
I think "defer" could be useful on occasion, and could sometimes give clearer and safer code than "goto"-based error handling.  But as with any such feature there is a risk of abuse - too many "defers" in a function will make the code as much a spaghetti monster as multiple goto's.  If people use it to keep code neater and reduce the risk of resource leakage, it can be a good thing.  If they use it as an excuse to write even bigger and more illegible functions, it's bad.