[ARROW-14960] [C++] Add exception to Arrow style guide based on changes in Google style guide that we are not adopting

• Type: Bug
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 8.0.0
• Component/s: C++
• Labels: pull-request-available
• External issue URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues/30482
• Assignee: Weston Pace
• Reporter: Ben Kietzman
• Created: 01/Dec/21 20:36
• Updated: 11/Jan/23 08:43
• Resolved: 22/Mar/22 03:40

Description

As of https://github.com/google/styleguide/commit/7a7a2f510efe7d7fc5ea8fbed549ddb31fac8f3e the Google Style Guide no longer forbids use of mutable references for output arguments, and actually encourages using them when the output argument is not optional.

This puts arrow c++ style out of sync since we've continued to police toward usage of pointers for output arguments. We could:

• keep the ban and note this as a deviation from google style in development.rst
• open JIRA(s) for deprecating/replacing pointer-output APIs where applicable

Issue Links

• links to: GitHub Pull Request #12661