[llvm-bugs] [Bug 34600] New: Add function __attribute__((idempotent))
via llvm-bugs
llvm-bugs at lists.llvm.org
Thu Sep 14 02:55:15 PDT 2017
https://bugs.llvm.org/show_bug.cgi?id=34600
Bug ID: 34600
Summary: Add function __attribute__((idempotent))
Product: clang
Version: trunk
Hardware: PC
OS: Linux
Status: NEW
Severity: enhancement
Priority: P
Component: -New Bugs
Assignee: unassignedclangbugs at nondot.org
Reporter: bugzilla at tecnocode.co.uk
CC: llvm-bugs at lists.llvm.org
(Copied from a similar gcc bug here:
https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=32911)
tl;dr: It would be useful for GObject-based C code if Clang supported a new
__attribute__((idempotent)) to mark functions as doing something (and probably
changing global state) the first time they are called, but being effectively
__attribute__((const)) for every subsequent call.
In GNOME's gobject object-oriented code, each type has a "get_type" function.
Something like, eg:
GType
pango_layout_line_get_type(void)
{
static GType our_type = 0;
if (our_type == 0)
our_type = g_boxed_type_register_static (I_("PangoLayoutLine"),
(GBoxedCopyFunc) pango_layout_line_ref,
(GBoxedFreeFunc) pango_layout_line_unref);
return our_type;
}
Since these functions are called quite frequently (as part of casts among other
things), people have started marking them with __attribute__((const)) so the
compiler can optimize away multiple calls to them. However, there is a down
side to it. Sometimes one needs to make sure the type is registered, so they
call the _get_type() function to ensure that, but the compiler, seeing the
((const)) attribute, optimizes away the call.
This is of course a bug to mark functions with side-effects as ((const)).
That's why a new function attribute like "idempotent" is useful. What it means
is that subsequent calls to this function return the same value as the first
call, have no side-effect, and can be optimized away, but not the first call...
More information about GObject requirements here:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=64994
This would presumably also be useful for various implementations of singletons
in other idiomatic C code.
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