RULE-8-7: Flags functions that are called in only one unit, different than the unit it is defined in

[picardb]

Affected rules

• RULE-8-7

Description

The query flags all functions that are called in only one unit, even if that unit is not the one where the function is defined. Technically, if we understand the term "referenced" as "called", this would indeed be a violation of the rule. But according to a MISRA official in this forum post, "referenced" should also include the definition of the function.

Example

Example taken from the forum post mentioned above. Here, bar() is flagged as a violation of the rule even if it is called from main.c.

/* foo.h*/
#ifndef FOO_H
#define FOO_H

extern void foo(void);
extern void bar(void);

#endif

/* foo.c*/
#include "foo.h"

void foo(void)
{
}

void bar(void)
{
  foo();
}

/* main.c*/
#include "foo.h"

int main(void)
{
  bar();
  return 0;
}

[lcartey]

@picardb Thanks for the report! I agree that we shouldn't flag cases where the reference and the definition occur in different translation units.