Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] Inconsistent availability of proto_tree values during the fi

From: Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2017 22:42:56 -0700
On Apr 9, 2017, at 10:37 PM, Paul Offord <Paul.Offord@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Ah that was going to be my next question :-)
> 
> Any ideas?

Given that there are no such APIs, one would have to be added and, if we're going  to be adding APIs, an API by which a post-dissector can specify that, at least on the first pass through the packets, it requires a protocol tree would be better, as it wouldn't encourage people to write code that works only in Wireshark but not in TShark.  (The only such code should be taps with a GUI.  Even the taps that produce tables of information shouldn't be program-dependent - there should be a layer that shows the table in text form in TShark and as a table window in Wireshark.)

So would you need the full protocol tree *every* time the packet is dissected, or just the *first* time (meaning you'd save the results of the first-pass processing and not require it later)?