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Auto merge of #47158 - rkruppe:repr-transparent, r=eddyb
Implement repr(transparent) r? @eddyb for the functional changes. The bulk of the PR is error messages and docs, might be good to have a doc person look over those. cc #43036 cc @nox
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src/doc/unstable-book/src/language-features/repr-transparent.md
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# `repr_transparent` | ||
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The tracking issue for this feature is: [#43036] | ||
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[#43036]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/43036 | ||
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------------------------ | ||
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This feature enables the `repr(transparent)` attribute on structs, which enables | ||
the use of newtypes without the usual ABI implications of wrapping the value in | ||
a struct. | ||
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## Background | ||
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It's sometimes useful to add additional type safety by introducing *newtypes*. | ||
For example, code that handles numeric quantities in different units such as | ||
millimeters, centimeters, grams, kilograms, etc. may want to use the type system | ||
to rule out mistakes such as adding millimeters to grams: | ||
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```rust | ||
use std::ops::Add; | ||
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struct Millimeters(f64); | ||
struct Grams(f64); | ||
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impl Add<Millimeters> for Millimeters { | ||
type Output = Millimeters; | ||
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fn add(self, other: Millimeters) -> Millimeters { | ||
Millimeters(self.0 + other.0) | ||
} | ||
} | ||
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// Likewise: impl Add<Grams> for Grams {} | ||
``` | ||
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Other uses of newtypes include using `PhantomData` to add lifetimes to raw | ||
pointers or to implement the "phantom types" pattern. See the [PhantomData] | ||
documentation and [the Nomicon][nomicon-phantom] for more details. | ||
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The added type safety is especially useful when interacting with C or other | ||
languages. However, in those cases we need to ensure the newtypes we add do not | ||
introduce incompatibilities with the C ABI. | ||
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## Newtypes in FFI | ||
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Luckily, `repr(C)` newtypes are laid out just like the type they wrap on all | ||
platforms which Rust currently supports, and likely on many more. For example, | ||
consider this C declaration: | ||
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```C | ||
struct Object { | ||
double weight; //< in grams | ||
double height; //< in millimeters | ||
// ... | ||
} | ||
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void frobnicate(struct Object *); | ||
``` | ||
While using this C code from Rust, we could add `repr(C)` to the `Grams` and | ||
`Millimeters` newtypes introduced above and use them to add some type safety | ||
while staying compatible with the memory layout of `Object`: | ||
```rust,no_run | ||
#[repr(C)] | ||
struct Grams(f64); | ||
#[repr(C)] | ||
struct Millimeters(f64); | ||
#[repr(C)] | ||
struct Object { | ||
weight: Grams, | ||
height: Millimeters, | ||
// ... | ||
} | ||
extern { | ||
fn frobnicate(_: *mut Object); | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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This works even when adding some `PhantomData` fields, because they are | ||
zero-sized and therefore don't have to affect the memory layout. | ||
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However, there's more to the ABI than just memory layout: there's also the | ||
question of how function call arguments and return values are passed. Many | ||
common ABI treat a struct containing a single field differently from that field | ||
itself, at least when the field is a scalar (e.g., integer or float or pointer). | ||
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To continue the above example, suppose the C library also exposes a function | ||
like this: | ||
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```C | ||
double calculate_weight(double height); | ||
``` | ||
Using our newtypes on the Rust side like this will cause an ABI mismatch on many | ||
platforms: | ||
```rust,ignore | ||
extern { | ||
fn calculate_weight(height: Millimeters) -> Grams; | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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For example, on x86_64 Linux, Rust will pass the argument in an integer | ||
register, while the C function expects the argument to be in a floating-point | ||
register. Likewise, the C function will return the result in a floating-point | ||
register while Rust will expect it in an integer register. | ||
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Note that this problem is not specific to floats: To give another example, | ||
32-bit x86 linux will pass and return `struct Foo(i32);` on the stack while | ||
`i32` is placed in registers. | ||
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## Enter `repr(transparent)` | ||
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So while `repr(C)` happens to do the right thing with respect to memory layout, | ||
it's not quite the right tool for newtypes in FFI. Instead of declaring a C | ||
struct, we need to communicate to the Rust compiler that our newtype is just for | ||
type safety on the Rust side. This is what `repr(transparent)` does. | ||
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The attribute can be applied to a newtype-like structs that contains a single | ||
field. It indicates that the newtype should be represented exactly like that | ||
field's type, i.e., the newtype should be ignored for ABI purpopses: not only is | ||
it laid out the same in memory, it is also passed identically in function calls. | ||
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In the above example, the ABI mismatches can be prevented by making the newtypes | ||
`Grams` and `Millimeters` transparent like this: | ||
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```rust | ||
#![feature(repr_transparent)] | ||
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#[repr(transparent)] | ||
struct Grams(f64); | ||
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#[repr(transparent)] | ||
struct Millimeters(f64); | ||
``` | ||
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In addition to that single field, any number of zero-sized fields are permitted, | ||
including but not limited to `PhantomData`: | ||
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```rust | ||
#![feature(repr_transparent)] | ||
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use std::marker::PhantomData; | ||
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struct Foo { /* ... */ } | ||
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#[repr(transparent)] | ||
struct FooPtrWithLifetime<'a>(*const Foo, PhantomData<&'a Foo>); | ||
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#[repr(transparent)] | ||
struct NumberWithUnit<T, U>(T, PhantomData<U>); | ||
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struct CustomZst; | ||
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#[repr(transparent)] | ||
struct PtrWithCustomZst<'a> { | ||
ptr: FooPtrWithLifetime<'a>, | ||
some_marker: CustomZst, | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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Transparent structs can be nested: `PtrWithCustomZst` is also represented | ||
exactly like `*const Foo`. | ||
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Because `repr(transparent)` delegates all representation concerns to another | ||
type, it is incompatible with all other `repr(..)` attributes. It also cannot be | ||
applied to enums, unions, empty structs, structs whose fields are all | ||
zero-sized, or structs with *multiple* non-zero-sized fields. | ||
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[PhantomData]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/marker/struct.PhantomData.html | ||
[nomicon-phantom]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nomicon/phantom-data.html |
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