[llvm] ff66e9b - [Docs] Update frontend perfomance tips about loads/stores (#83833)

[via llvm-commits]

Author: Nikita Popov
Date: 2024-03-05T09:34:06+01:00
New Revision: ff66e9b7e2fad71d1c65e884d6f94fb6ea5bdc21

URL: https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/commit/ff66e9b7e2fad71d1c65e884d6f94fb6ea5bdc21
DIFF: https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/commit/ff66e9b7e2fad71d1c65e884d6f94fb6ea5bdc21.diff

LOG: [Docs] Update frontend perfomance tips about loads/stores (#83833)

This contains two updates:

* Generalize the "no loads stores of aggregates" to "no values of
aggregate type" in general, and be clearer about the exceptions where it
is okay to use them.
 * Mention that you should not load/store non-byte-size types.

Added: 
    

Modified: 
    llvm/docs/Frontend/PerformanceTips.rst

Removed: 
    


################################################################################
diff  --git a/llvm/docs/Frontend/PerformanceTips.rst b/llvm/docs/Frontend/PerformanceTips.rst
index dfa3ccdd1ddd1e..289106cd1e28ea 100644
--- a/llvm/docs/Frontend/PerformanceTips.rst
+++ b/llvm/docs/Frontend/PerformanceTips.rst
@@ -64,16 +64,36 @@ SSA is the canonical form expected by much of the optimizer; if allocas can
 not be eliminated by Mem2Reg or SROA, the optimizer is likely to be less
 effective than it could be.
 
-Avoid loads and stores of large aggregate type
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+Avoid creating values of aggregate type
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Avoid creating values of :ref:`aggregate types <t_aggregate>` (i.e. structs and
+arrays). In particular, avoid loading and storing them, or manipulating them
+with insertvalue and extractvalue instructions. Instead, only load and store
+individual fields of the aggregate.
+
+There are some exceptions to this rule:
+
+* It is fine to use values of aggregate type in global variable initializers.
+* It is fine to return structs, if this is done to represent the return of
+  multiple values in registers.
+* It is fine to work with structs returned by LLVM intrinsics, such as the
+  ``with.overflow`` family of intrinsics.
+* It is fine to use aggregate *types* without creating values. For example,
+  they are commonly used in ``getelementptr`` instructions or attributes like
+  ``sret``.
+
+Avoid loads and stores of non-byte-sized types
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Avoid loading or storing non-byte-sized types like ``i1``. Instead,
+appropriately extend them to the next byte-sized type.
 
-LLVM currently does not optimize well loads and stores of large :ref:`aggregate
-types <t_aggregate>` (i.e. structs and arrays).  As an alternative, consider
-loading individual fields from memory.
+For example, when working with boolean values, store them by zero-extending
+``i1`` to ``i8`` and load them by loading ``i8`` and truncating to ``i1``.
 
-Aggregates that are smaller than the largest (performant) load or store
-instruction supported by the targeted hardware are well supported.  These can
-be an effective way to represent collections of small packed fields.
+If you do use loads/stores on non-byte-sized types, make sure that you *always*
+use those types. For example, do not first store ``i8`` and then load ``i1``.
 
 Prefer zext over sext when legal
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^