Julia Lawall [off-list ref] wrote:

list_for_each_entry{_safe} is able to handle an empty list.
The only effect of avoiding the loop is not initializing the
index variable.
Drop list_empty tests in cases where these variables are not
used.

Note that list_for_each_entry{_safe} is defined in terms of
list_first_entry, which indicates that it should not be used on an
empty list.  But in list_for_each_entry{_safe}, the element obtained
by list_first_entry is not really accessed, only the address of its
list_head field is compared to the address of the list head, so the
list_first_entry is safe.

The semantic patch that makes this change for the list_for_each_entry
case is as follows: (http://coccinelle.lip6.fr/)

<smpl>
@@
expression x,e;
statement S;
identifier i;
@@

-if (!(list_empty(x)))
   list_for_each_entry(i,x,...) S
 ... when != i
? i = e
</smpl>

Signed-off-by: Julia Lawall <Julia.Lawall@inria.fr>
Signed-off-by: Kalle Valo <redacted>

Patch applied to ath-next branch of ath.git, thanks.

18c25b4019ca ath: drop unnecessary list_empty

-- 
https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11685677/

https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/developers/documentation/submittingpatches