checklinks.awk validation too strict
Hi, The latest version of checklinks.awk includes the following check: if (backcheck && FILENAME != backcheck && $3 != "GMT") { printf "%s: Link should be in '%s'\n", $3, backcheck status = 1 } The effect of the check is to insist that all Links are in the backward file. I understand this makes sense for TZDB's default dataset, as it now contains no Links in the main set of data files. In my opinion however it is perfectly valid to have a Link in the main set of files. This has been long-standing practice for TZDB. We know that some downstream consumers edit the source files before compiling them, so it seems highly likely that someone will still be wanting to have a Link in one of the main files. (And no, I don't think a command line option to turn it off is the right solution. If the check needs retaining there should be a "strict" mode only used by the default TZDB dataset) In summary, I think that this check should be removed since it is complaining about perfectly valid input files. thanks Stephen
On 2022-10-29 16:00, Stephen Colebourne via tz wrote:
We know that some downstream consumers edit the source files before compiling them, so it seems highly likely that someone will still be wanting to have a Link in one of the main files.
I installed the attached patch for the benefit of such users. They can use "make check_mild" instead of "make check".
(And no, I don't think a command line option to turn it off is the right solution. If the check needs retaining there should be a "strict" mode only used by the default TZDB dataset)
One needs a command line argument to do any checking, as plain "make" doesn't do checking. It's no real burden to ask people who want less-strict checking to type "make check_mild" instead of "make check".
I think that this check should be removed since it is complaining about perfectly valid input files.
If that were the criterion, we'd have to remove most of the checks, as most of them complain about perfectly valid input files. They are style checks, not correctness checks.
participants (2)
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Paul Eggert -
Stephen Colebourne