[PATCH] checkpatch: Describe --min-conf-desc-length

From: Philipp Hahn
Date: Mon Mar 10 2025 - 07:24:12 EST


Neither the warning nor the help message gives any hint on the unit for
length: Could be meters, inches, bytes, characters or ... lines.

Extend the output of `--help` to name the unit "lines" and the default:
- --min-conf-desc-length=n set the min description length, if shorter, warn
+ --min-conf-desc-length=n set the minimum description length for config symbols
+ in lines, if shorter, warn (default 4)

Include the minimum number of lines as other error messages already do:
- WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol
+ WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least 4 lines

Cc: Andy Whitcroft <apw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Joe Perches <joe@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dwaipayan Ray <dwaipayanray1@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@xxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Philipp Hahn <p.hahn@xxxxxx>
---
scripts/checkpatch.pl | 5 +++--
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index 7b28ad331742..784912f570e9 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ Options:
--max-line-length=n set the maximum line length, (default $max_line_length)
if exceeded, warn on patches
requires --strict for use with --file
- --min-conf-desc-length=n set the min description length, if shorter, warn
+ --min-conf-desc-length=n set the minimum description length for config symbols
+ in lines, if shorter, warn (default $min_conf_desc_length)
--tab-size=n set the number of spaces for tab (default $tabsize)
--root=PATH PATH to the kernel tree root
--no-summary suppress the per-file summary
@@ -3645,7 +3646,7 @@ sub process {
$help_length < $min_conf_desc_length) {
my $stat_real = get_stat_real($linenr, $ln - 1);
WARN("CONFIG_DESCRIPTION",
- "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
+ "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least $min_conf_desc_length lines\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
}
}

--
2.34.1