[llvm-dev] Separate LoopVectorize LLVM pass

[Alex Susu via llvm-dev]

   Hi.
     I managed to find the reason why my own LoopVectorize pass does not vectorize.
     Actually, the loop-simplify pass was getting executed, but because it did not run the 
passes loop-rotate and licm before it did not generate a proper loop preheader and the 
loops were not valid for vectorization.

     To make my own LoopVectorize pass vectorize I got inspired from the arguments 
displayed on stdout of:
       opt -debug-pass=Arguments -O3 ...
     and looked at what other passes are being executed before and after -loop-vectorize .

     So I chose the following:
       opt -mem2reg -loop-rotate -licm -loop-unswitch -simplifycfg -domtree -basicaa -aa 
-instcombine -loops -loop-simplify \
           -force-vector-width=128 -load MyLoopVectorize.so -my-loop-vectorize \
           -loop-simplify -scalar-evolution -aa -loop-accesses -loop-load-elim -basicaa 
-aa -instcombine -scalar-evolution -demanded-bits -slp-vectorizer


   Best regards,
     Alex

On 4/14/2017 11:04 PM, Alex Susu wrote:
>   Hello.
>     I am trying to create my own LoopVectorize.cpp pass as a separate pass from the LLVM
> trunk, as described in http://llvm.org/docs/CMake.html#embedding-llvm-in-your-project. Did
> anybody try something like this?
>     I added close to the end of the .cpp file:
>     /* this line seems to be required - it allows to run this pass
>        as an embedded pass by giving opt -my-loop-vectorize */
>     static RegisterPass<LoopVectorize> Z("my-loop-vectorize",
>                                     "Write comments in source file.");
>
>     Note that I did NOT register my new pass in
> llvm/lib/Transforms/IPO/PassManagerBuilder.cpp - the original LoopVectorize module is
> registered there.
>
>     However, when I give:
>       opt -debug -load NewLoopVectorize.so -my-loop-vectorize test.c
>      it does not vectorize a loop that was normally vectorized by the original
> LoopVectorize module in LLVM. My module gives:
>         <<loop not vectorized: loop control flow is not understood by vectorizer
>         LV: Not vectorizing: Cannot prove legality.>>
>
>     So I tried to explicitly run a few more passes before my new LoopVectorize to help it
> (I think the most important one is -loop-simplify, which canonicalizes the loop):
>       opt -debug -loop-simplify -mem2reg -lcssa -load NewLoopVectorize.so
> -my-loop-vectorize test.c
>     However, I do not see any line in the output of opt starting with "LoopSimplify" (when
> I have success, when I give opt -O3, I get "LoopSimplify: Creating pre-header
> for.body.preheader; LoopSimplify: Creating dedicated exit block for.end.loopexit" before
> LoopVectorize) and my LoopVectorize still does not vectorize the loop.
>
>     Can anybody help me run explicitly the LoopSimplify pass (before my LoopVectorize pass)?
>
>   Thank you. And wish you happy Easter holidays!
>     Alex