How to inline assembly into file scope passing Rust-defined constants? - rust

I need the same behavior as the global_asm! macro, but passing constants defined in my Rust code. The obvious choice would be to use a (private) naked function that contains inline asm! instruction, but I don't see any way to prevent such a function from being removed by linker as unused. Can you suggest a proper way of doing that?

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How to document macros from a Rust compiler plugin?

I notice that compiler plugins frequently provide macros that the documentation wont even mention. They're registered and created programmatically rather than being defined in a syntax rustdoc recognizes. Naturally, no documentation can be shown.
I'm looking for a way to get around that, some way of generating documentation for a macro that doesn't exist in the crate at compile time.
I notice the syntax crate could benefit from such a thing as well. quote_item, for instance, is completely undocumented. I can't even find the code that registers it.
One possibility is to do what the compiler does: create an empty macro_rules! macro and attach documentation to that. E.g. if a crate defines foo that takes a single expression, then write something like
/// Documentation
#[macro_export]
macro_rules! foo {
($e: expr) => ({ /* syntax extension */ })
}
I notice the syntax crate could benefit from such a thing as well. quote_item, for instance, is completely undocumented. I can't even find the code that registers it.
You can search the Rust source for quote_item, which is helpful for two reasons: it gives some examples, and also allows you to track down the definition. The latter is easier using Rust's DXR instance which can search for things with quotes (i.e. can find strings), and includes various source code navigation tricks (like jump-to-definition).

How to prevent dead-code removal of utility libraries in Haxe?

I've been tasked with creating conformance tests of user input, the task if fairly tricky and we need very high levels of reliability. The server runs on PHP, the client runs on JS, and I thought Haxe might reduce duplicative work.
However, I'm having trouble with deadcode removal. Since I am just creating helper functions (utilObject.isMeaningOfLife(42)) I don't have a main program that calls each one. I tried adding #:keep: to a utility class, but it was cut out anyway.
I tried to specify that utility class through the -main switch, but I had to add a dummy main() method and this doesn't scale beyond that single class.
You can force the inclusion of all the files defined in a given package and its sub packages to be included in the build using a compiler argument.
haxe --macro include('my.package') ..etc
This is a shortcut to the macro.Compiler.include function.
As you can see the signature of this function allows you to do it recursive and also exclude packages.
static include (pack:String, rec:Bool = true, ?ignore:Array<String>, ?classPaths:Array<String>):Void
I think you don't have to use #:keep in that case for each library class.
I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, I hope it helps.
Otherwise this could be helpful checks:
Is it bad that the code is cut away if you don't use it?
It could also be the case some code is inlined in the final output?
Compile your code using the compiler flag -dce std as mentioned in comments.
If you use the static analyzer, don't use it.
Add #:keep and reference the class+function somewhere.
Otherwise provide minimal setup if you can reproduce.

erlang -import not working

I have an erlang program, compiled with rebar, after the new debian release, it won't compile anymore, complaining about this:
-import(erl_scan).
-import(erl_parse).
-import(io_lib).
saying:
bad import declaration
I don't know erlang, I am just trying to compile this thing.
Apparently something bad happened to -import recently http://erlang.org/pipermail/erlang-questions/2013-March/072932.html
Is there an easy way to fix this?
Well, -import(). is working but it does NOT do what you are expecting it to do. It does NOT "import" the module into your module, nor does it go out, find the module and get all the exported functions and allow you to use them without the module name. You use -import like this:
-import(lists, [map/2,foldl/3,foldr/3]).
Then you can call the explicitly imported functions without module name and the compiler syntactically transforms the call by adding the module name. So the compiler will transform:
map(MyFun, List) ===> lists:map(MyFun, List)
Note that this is ALL it does. There are no checks for whether the module exists or if the function is exported, it is a pure naive syntactic transformation. All it gives you is slightly shorter code. For this reason it is seldom used most people advise not to use it.
Note also that the unit of code for all operations is the module so the compiler does not do any inter-module checking or optimisation at all. Everything between modules like checking a modules existence or which functions it exports is done at run-time when you call a function in the other module.
No, there is no easy way to fix this. The source code has to be updated, and every reference to imported functions prefixed with the module in question. For example, every call to format should be replaced with io_lib:format, though you'd have to know which function was imported from which module.
You could start by removing the -import directives. The compilation should then fail, complaining about undefined functions. That is where you need to provide the correct module name. Look at the documentation pages for io_lib, erl_scan and erl_parse to see which functions are in which module.
Your problem is that you were using the experimental -import(Mod) directive which is part of parameterized modules. These are gone in R16B and onwards.
I often advise against using import. It hurts quick searches and unique naming of foreign calls. Get an editor which can quickly expand names.
Start by looking at what is stored in the location $ERL_LIBS, typically this points to /usr/lib/erlang/lib.

Are All Dynamic Languages Typo-friendly?

With Java on one side and Ruby/Groovy on the other, I know that in the second camp I'm free to make typos which will not get caught until run-time. Is this true of all dynamically-typed languages?
Edit: I've been asked to elaborate on the type of typo. In Ruby and in Groovy, you can assign to a variable with an accidental name that is never read. You can call methods that don't exist (obviously your tests should catch this, it's been said). You can refer to classes that don't exist, etc. etc. Basically any valid syntax, even with typographical errors, is valid in both Ruby and Groovy.
In Perl, if you declare use strict in your code, then you must declare your variables with my. Typos in variable names will then be caught at compile-time. This is one of the biggest things I miss when coding in Python.
Python is typo-friendly in the way you described in your question.
But this does not mean that these 'typos' can only be caught # runtime.
When using a code analyzer like pylint (ideally integrated into your development environment) you'll catch 'most' of these consistently before hitting 'run'.
For the most part, yes. Dynamic typing and not requiring declaration of variables are language properties that are frequently found together.
However, these are not inherently related. A language can easily have dynamic typing while requiring variable names to be declared before use. As ire_and_curses mentions, this can be achieved in Perl via the "use strict" directive.
Here's what happens when I try to get into the pitfalls you mentioned in Squeak and Dolphin, two implementations of the dynamic language Smalltalk 80.
You can assign to a variable with an accidental name that is never read
The Smalltalk language requires temp and instance variables to be declared. If I try to compile a method containing an undefined variable I get a compile-time error.
| anArray |
anArrray := Array with: 2 with: 1. "Unknown variable anArrray"
Creating variables dynamically is not something dynamic languages have to allow. There's a difference between typeless declarations and no declaration at all.
You can call methods that don't exist
The compiler issue a warning if you use a selector (i.e. method name) that is entirely unknown.
The compiler won't bother if I call the method paint on an array because there's another class in the system implementing paint. That error will only be caught at runtime.
If however I call the method sortt (while I intend to call sort) the compiler generates a warning. When developing top-down you can proceed pass these warnings.
| anArray |
anArray := Array with: 2 with: 1.
anArray paint. "Runtime error. You can't paint an array but perhaps a Shape"
anArray sortt. "Compile-time warning"
You can refer to classes that don't
exist
This is not allowed. Though in Squeak you can quickly create a new class from the error dialog if needed.

What is the difference between dllexport and dllimport?

I'm just looking for a simple, concise explanation of the difference between these two. MSDN doesn't go into a hell of a lot of detail here.
__declspec( dllexport ) - The class or function so tagged will be exported from the DLL it is built in. If you're building a DLL and you want an API, you'll need to use this or a separate .DEF file that defines the exports (MSDN). This is handy because it keeps the definition in one place, but the .DEF file provides more options.
__declspec( dllimport ) - The class or function so tagged will be imported from a DLL. This is not actually required - you need an import library anyway to make the linker happy. But when properly marked with dllimport, the compiler and linker have enough information to optimize the call; without it, you get normal static linking to a stub function in the import library, which adds unnecessary indirection. ONT1 ONT2
__declspec(dllexport) tells the linker that you want this object to be made available for other DLL's to import. It is used when creating a DLL that others can link to.
__declspec(dllimport) imports the implementation from a DLL so your application can use it.
I'm only a novice C/C++ developer, so perhaps someone's got a better explanation than I.
Two different use cases:
1) You are defining a class implementation within a dll. You want another program to use the class. Here you use dllexport as you are creating a class that you wish the dll to expose.
2) You are using a function provided by a dll. You include a header supplied with the dll. Here the header uses dllimport to bring in the implementation to be used by the current program.
Often the same header file is used in both cases and a macro defined. The build configuration defines the macro to be import or export depending which it needs.
Dllexport is used to mark a function as exported. You implement the function in your DLL and export it so it becomes available to anyone using your DLL.
Dllimport is the opposite: it marks a function as being imported from a DLL. In this case you only declare the function's signature and link your code with the library.

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