[Development] Are SiCs through #include cleanups considered acceptable?

[Marc Mutz]

Hi,

I have in the past fixed #include mistakes such as #include <qsharedpointer.h> 
for QSharedDataPointer, and even though each time the issue came up that this 
is a SiC change (but only for users that unduly rely on indirect includes), so 
far they were always accepted.

When splitting off qHash() from qhash.h into qhashfunctions.h, I have come 
across many files that included qhash.h without using it, and likewise some 
for which qhashfunctions.h would suffice. One of them now got a -1 for being 
SiC.

Can we please decide once and for all whether #include cleanups that are 
technically SiC are ok or not, if they only affect users that rely on indirect 
includes?

My vote obviously goes to allowing them.

Rationale: We're also allowing adding new overloads of functions, which is SiC 
for code that takes the address of a functions. We allow it, because there's 
an easy fix that is both forward and backwards-compatible: explcitly cast 
pointers to these functions. Something that should probably have been done 
defensively to begin with. So is #include'ing all required headers yourself.

It makes no sense to allow one and forbit the other.

Thanks,
Marc

-- 
Marc Mutz <marc.mutz at kdab.com> | Senior Software Engineer
KDAB (Deutschland) GmbH & Co.KG, a KDAB Group Company
Tel: +49-30-521325470
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