lockfile.c: document the various states of lock_file objects

Document the valid states of lock_file objects, how they get into each
state, and how the state is encoded in the object's fields.

Signed-off-by: Michael Haggerty <mhagger@alum.mit.edu>
Reviewed-by: Ronnie Sahlberg <sahlberg@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

1 files changed, 42 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/lockfile.c b/lockfile.c
index 81143e55ad..2680dc949d 100644
--- a/lockfile.c
+++ b/lockfile.c
@@ -4,6 +4,48 @@
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "sigchain.h"
 
+/*
+ * File write-locks as used by Git.
+ *
+ * For an overview of how to use the lockfile API, please see
+ *
+ *     Documentation/technical/api-lockfile.txt
+ *
+ * This module keeps track of all locked files in lock_file_list for
+ * use at cleanup. This list and the lock_file objects that comprise
+ * it must be kept in self-consistent states at all time, because the
+ * program can be interrupted any time by a signal, in which case the
+ * signal handler will walk through the list attempting to clean up
+ * any open lock files.
+ *
+ * A lockfile is owned by the process that created it. The lock_file
+ * object has an "owner" field that records its owner. This field is
+ * used to prevent a forked process from closing a lockfile created by
+ * its parent.
+ *
+ * A lock_file object can be in several states:
+ *
+ * - Uninitialized.  In this state the object's on_list field must be
+ *   zero but the rest of its contents need not be initialized.  As
+ *   soon as the object is used in any way, it is irrevocably
+ *   registered in the lock_file_list, and on_list is set.
+ *
+ * - Locked, lockfile open (after hold_lock_file_for_update(),
+ *   hold_lock_file_for_append(), or reopen_lock_file()). In this
+ *   state, the lockfile exists, filename holds the filename of the
+ *   lockfile, fd holds a file descriptor open for writing to the
+ *   lockfile, and owner holds the PID of the process that locked the
+ *   file.
+ *
+ * - Locked, lockfile closed (after close_lock_file()).  Same as the
+ *   previous state, except that the lockfile is closed and fd is -1.
+ *
+ * - Unlocked (after commit_lock_file(), rollback_lock_file(), or a
+ *   failed attempt to lock).  In this state, filename[0] == '\0' and
+ *   fd is -1.  The object is left registered in the lock_file_list,
+ *   and on_list is set.
+ */
+
 static struct lock_file *lock_file_list;
 
 static void remove_lock_file(void)