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authorEric Fiselier <eric@efcs.ca>2019-06-11 22:53:49 +0000
committerEric Fiselier <eric@efcs.ca>2019-06-11 22:53:49 +0000
commit4959542657ba7965db0f34f630830000bbdd6563 (patch)
tree0cc694079fe88ed9700993d0e984e0b0b6a39ead /libcxx/docs/DesignDocs
parent6691f1b6cdebaee3ee52141e3235bc759bece2cf (diff)
downloadbcm5719-llvm-4959542657ba7965db0f34f630830000bbdd6563.tar.gz
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Add documentation and tests for Clangs C++11 extensions in C++03.
As we gear up to drop support for GCC in C++03, we should make clear what our C++03 mode is, the C++11 extensions it provides, and the C++11 extensions it depends on. The section of this document discussing user-facing extensions has been left blank while the community discusses new directions. For now it's just a warning to users. Additionally, the document contains examples of how these extensions should be used and why. For example, using alias templates over class templates. llvm-svn: 363110
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+=======================
+Extended C++03 Support
+=======================
+
+.. contents::
+ :local:
+
+Overview
+========
+
+libc++ is an implementation of the C++ standard library targeting C++11 or later.
+
+In C++03, the library implements the C++11 standard using C++11 language extensions provided
+by Clang.
+
+This document tracks the C++11 extensions libc++ requires, the C++11 extensions it provides,
+and how to write minimal C++11 inside libc++.
+
+Required C++11 Compiler Extensions
+==================================
+
+Clang provides a large subset of C++11 in C++03 as an extension. The features
+libc++ expects Clang to provide are:
+
+* Variadic templates.
+* RValue references and perfect forwarding.
+* Alias templates
+* defaulted and deleted Functions.
+* reference qualified Functions
+
+There are also features that Clang *does not* provide as an extension in C++03
+mode. These include:
+
+* ``constexpr`` and ``noexcept``
+* ``auto``
+* Trailing return types.
+* ``>>`` without a space.
+
+
+Provided C++11 Library Extensions
+=================================
+
+.. warning::
+ The C++11 extensions libc++ provides in C++03 are currently undergoing change. Existing extensions
+ may be removed in the future. New users are strongly discouraged depending on these extension
+ in new code.
+
+ This section will be updated once the libc++ developer community has further discussed the
+ future of C++03 with libc++.
+
+
+Using Minimal C++11 in libc++
+=============================
+
+This section is for developers submitting patches to libc++. It describes idioms that should be
+used in libc++ code, even in C++03, and the reasons behind them.
+
+
+Use Alias Templates over Class Templates
+----------------------------------------
+
+Alias templates should be used instead of class templates in metaprogramming. Unlike class templates,
+Alias templates do not produce a new instantiation every time they are used. This significantly
+decreases the amount of memory used by the compiler.
+
+For example, libc++ should not use ``add_const`` internally. Instead it should use an alias template
+like
+
+.. code-block:: cpp
+
+ template <class _Tp>
+ using _AddConst = const _Tp;
+
+Use Default Template Parameters for SFINAE
+------------------------------------------
+
+There are three places in a function declaration that SFINAE may occur: In the template parameter list,
+in the function parameter list, and in the return type. For example:
+
+.. code-block:: cpp
+
+ template <class _Tp, class _ = enable_if_t</*...*/ >
+ void foo(_Tp); // #1
+
+ template <class _Tp>
+ void bar(_Tp, enable_if_t</*...*/>* = nullptr); // # 2
+
+ template <class _Tp>
+ enable_if_t</*...*/> baz(_Tp); // # 3
+
+Using default template parameters for SFINAE (#1) should always be prefered.
+
+Option #2 has two problems. First, users can observe and accidentally pass values to the SFINAE
+function argument. Second, the default arguement creates a live variable, which causes debug
+information to be emitted containing the text of the SFINAE.
+
+Option #3 can also cause more debug information to be emitted than is needed, because the function
+return type will appear in the debug information.
+
+Use ``unique_ptr`` when allocating memory
+------------------------------------------
+
+The standard library often needs to allocate memory and then construct a user type in it.
+If the users constructor throws, the library needs to deallocate that memory. The idiomatic way to
+achieve this is with ``unique_ptr``.
+
+``__builtin_new_allocator`` is an example of this idiom. Example usage would look like:
+
+.. code-block:: cpp
+
+ template <class T>
+ T* __create() {
+ using _UniquePtr = unique_ptr<void*, __default_new_allocator::__default_new_deleter>;
+ _UniquePtr __p = __default_new_allocator::__allocate_bytes(sizeof(T), alignof(T));
+ T* __res = ::new(__p.get()) T();
+ (void)__p.release();
+ return __res;
+ }
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