Re: [PATCH] scripts: checkpatch: Check block comments start with /* empty line outside net

[Joe Perches]

On Tue, 2019-03-05 at 13:02 -0500, Alexandre Ghiti wrote:
> This patch ensures that apart from net code, block comments start with an
> empty /* line.

I'm not sure it's useful to try to eliminate these types
of lines as there are ~20K of them in the kernel

$ git grep -P "^\/\*\s*\S" | \
  grep -v "\*/\s*$" | \
  grep -vP "^(drivers/net|net/)" | \
  grep -vP "\/\*\**$" | \
  wc -l
19437

Also, perhaps the code would be simpler using something like:
---
 scripts/checkpatch.pl | 11 +++++++++++
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index d0001fd1112d..c62dbd440c50 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -3262,6 +3262,17 @@ sub process {
 			     "networking block comments don't use an empty /* line, use /* Comment...\n" . $hereprev);
 		}
 
+# Block comments use an initial blank /* unless self contained single line
+# or a continuous header line like /**********************
+# This also allows for introductory kernel-doc /** lines
+		if ($realfile !~ m@(?:drivers/net|net/)@ &&
+		    $rawline =~ m@^\+\s*/\*(?:\s*\*++)?\s*\S@ &&
+		    $rawline !~ m@\*/\s*$@ &&
+		    $realline > 2) {
+			WARN("BLOCK_COMMENT_STYLE",
+			     "Block comments start with only /* on an otherwise blank line\n" . $herecurr);
+		}
+
 # Block comments use * on subsequent lines
 		if ($prevline =~ /$;[ \t]*$/ &&			#ends in comment
 		    $prevrawline =~ /^\+.*?\/\*/ &&		#starting /*