bytes_after_return in XGetWindowProperty man pages

[Peter Kozich (GM)]

Dear,

Everywhere in all manuals on XGetWindowProperty() I see these formulas:

                 N = actual length of the stored property in bytes
                      (even if the format is 16 or 32)
                 I = 4 * long_offset
                 T = N - I
                 L = MINIMUM(T, 4 * long_length)
                 A = N - (I + L)


It was difficult for me to understand them, and at first I thought it
was because they were merely anti-intutive a little bit. But then, my
opinion changed, and now I think they are plain wrong.


What I think is correct is this:

                 N = actual length of the stored property in bytes
                      (even if the format is 16 or 32)
                 I = 4 * long_offset
===>             T = N + I
                 L = MINIMUM(T, 4 * long_length)
===>             A = N - (L - I)


Now, with a too small buffer we have:
	
	A  =  N - (4*long_length - I)  =  I + N - 4*long_length

and with a large one:

	A  =  N - (N + I - I)  =  0


And now, all of a sudden, this is intuitive:
- T is the total needed buffer size (or, even better: T = I + N),
- L is the index one past the retrieved data,
- L - I is the length of the retrieved data, which is either
  4*long_length - I  or  N.


Whats's your opinion?


br
PK