kernel: align height parameters to int32_t in btck API #35096

1. 
   alexanderwiederin commented at 8:59 AM on April 17, 2026: contributor

   Follow-up to #34885 (review)

   Summary

   Align height-related parameters and return values in the kernel API to use int32_t.

   Motivation

   The convention in the API is to use fixed-width types like int32_t for data values (e.g. heights), and plain int/unsigned int for boolean-like values and flags. Two functions were not following this:

   • btck_chain_get_height: header declared int32_t but implementation used int
   • btck_chain_get_by_height: both header and implementation used plain int

   Changes

   • btck_chain_get_height: align .cpp to match header (int -> int32_t)
   • btck_chain_get_by_height: update both header and .cpp (int -> int32_t)
   • CountEntries in bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h: align return type to int32_t
   • GetByHeight in bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h: align parameter type to int32_t
   • Document integer type conventions in the @page remarks section of bitcoinkernel.h

   Note: This is technically a breaking change for C consumers who have function pointer declarations matching the old signature. The Rust, Go, Java and Python bindings should not be affected.

2. DrahtBot added the label Validation on Apr 17, 2026
3. 
   DrahtBot commented at 8:59 AM on April 17, 2026: contributor

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   ACK	musaHaruna, sedited, stringintech
   Concept ACK	stickies-v

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4. 
   stickies-v commented at 2:19 PM on April 17, 2026: contributor

   Concept ACK. Might be useful to document this in the @page remarks section? The c++ wrapper looks like it should be updated too.

5. kernel: align height parameters to int32_t in btck API

   Aligns btck_chain_get_height and btck_chain_get_by_height to use int32_t
   for height parameters and return values. Updates the C++ wrapper
   accordingly.

   ba6287a449
6. doc: add integer type conventions in btck api remarks 07b9b13b45
7. alexanderwiederin force-pushed on Apr 17, 2026
8. 
   musaHaruna commented at 8:41 AM on April 20, 2026: contributor

   Code review ACK 07b9b13

   Changes look good to me. The switch to int32_t for height-related parameters and return values aligns with the documented type conventions and improves consistency across the API.

   Verified that declarations and implementations are consistent, and wrapper updates match the API.

   The breaking change for C consumers is noted and seems acceptable given the API goals.

9. DrahtBot requested review from stickies-v on Apr 20, 2026
10. sedited approved
11. 
    sedited commented at 12:45 PM on April 20, 2026: contributor

    ACK 07b9b13b45fa3e9197f992c55d0ca94c964f4fc4

12. 
    stringintech commented at 1:48 PM on April 20, 2026: contributor

    ACK 07b9b13

    Perhaps as a follow-up we can also document that we use size_t for container sizes and indices, and address any inconsistencies.

13. fanquake merged this on Apr 20, 2026
14. fanquake closed this on Apr 20, 2026

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Review Requested
stickies-v