[Python-Dev] more pychecker warnings from python-current

[Tim Peters]

>> doctest.py:528: Parameter (prefix) not used
>> 	docstring says prefix is used, but it isn't

> Tim?

No, the docstring says prefix is ignored:

def is_private(prefix, base):
    """prefix, base -> true iff name prefix + "." + base is "private".

    Prefix may be an empty string, and base does not contain a period.
    Prefix is ignored (although functions you write conforming to this
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    protocol may make use of it).
    ...

is_private is a user-replaceable function, and doctest is careful to *pass*
the correct prefix to it, but the default implementation makes no use of
prefix.  It's there for advanced users who want to factor in, e.g., the name
of a containing class, when making an "is this name private?" decision.

I wouldn't be averse to adding, e.g.,

    if 0:
        prefix  # make prefix appear used to checking tools

but sooner or later checking tools will complain about that too.

In my last job, we resorted to a C++ macro of the flavor

#define UNUSED_VAR_OK(VAR) (void)ignore_var((void*)&(VAR))

to shut up compiler wngs about intentionally ignored vrbls, and actually had
a do-nothing extern void ignore_var(void*) function -- nothing short of that
shut up every compiler we used.

can't-win-ly y'rs  - tim