68761 - JS_NewUCString fn should take a const jschar*

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Core :: JavaScript Engine, defect)

Description

[Suresh]

All the use of  JS_NewUCString fn uses a const jschar*, but the implementation 
takes just a jschar*.

Comment 1

[Phil Schwartau]

cc'ing Brendan on this one -

Comment 2

[Brendan Eich [:brendan]]

What's the motivation behind this bug?  JS_NewString and JS_NewUCString both
entail handing of memory (at bytes and chars, respectively) to the JS engine,
which is theoretically free to modify that memory, and is definitly "free"
(sorry, pun) to free() it when the string becomes garbage -- note that free()
takes a void *, not a const void *.  A pointer to such memory should not be
const; the lack of const implies ownership transfer.

It's true that users of JS_GetStringChars should have only const access to the
character memory; ditto JS_GetStringBytes.  Those are the APIs to question.  But
I don't see a bug with JS_NewString and JS_NewUCString, which should continue to
eschew const, to signify memory ownership transfer.

/be

Comment 3

[Phil Schwartau]

Marking Verified -