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Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +00001===================================
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +00002Customizing LLVMC: Reference Manual
3===================================
Mikhail Glushenkov23f522a2008-12-13 17:51:47 +00004..
5 This file was automatically generated by rst2html.
6 Please do not edit directly!
7 The ReST source lives in the directory 'tools/llvmc/doc'.
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +00008
9.. contents::
10
11.. raw:: html
12
13 <div class="doc_author">
14 <p>Written by <a href="mailto:foldr@codedgers.com">Mikhail Glushenkov</a></p>
15 </div>
16
17Introduction
18============
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000019
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000020LLVMC is a generic compiler driver, designed to be customizable and
21extensible. It plays the same role for LLVM as the ``gcc`` program
22does for GCC - LLVMC's job is essentially to transform a set of input
23files into a set of targets depending on configuration rules and user
24options. What makes LLVMC different is that these transformation rules
25are completely customizable - in fact, LLVMC knows nothing about the
26specifics of transformation (even the command-line options are mostly
27not hard-coded) and regards the transformation structure as an
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +000028abstract graph. The structure of this graph is completely determined
29by plugins, which can be either statically or dynamically linked. This
30makes it possible to easily adapt LLVMC for other purposes - for
31example, as a build tool for game resources.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000032
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +000033Because LLVMC employs TableGen_ as its configuration language, you
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000034need to be familiar with it to customize LLVMC.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000035
Mikhail Glushenkov4aecec12009-06-17 02:56:08 +000036.. _TableGen: http://llvm.org/docs/TableGenFundamentals.html
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +000037
38
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000039Compiling with LLVMC
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +000040====================
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000041
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +000042LLVMC tries hard to be as compatible with ``gcc`` as possible,
43although there are some small differences. Most of the time, however,
44you shouldn't be able to notice them::
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000045
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +000046 $ # This works as expected:
Mikhail Glushenkov113ec352008-11-25 21:38:12 +000047 $ llvmc -O3 -Wall hello.cpp
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000048 $ ./a.out
49 hello
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000050
Mikhail Glushenkov4aecec12009-06-17 02:56:08 +000051One nice feature of LLVMC is that one doesn't have to distinguish between
52different compilers for different languages (think ``g++`` vs. ``gcc``) - the
53right toolchain is chosen automatically based on input language names (which
54are, in turn, determined from file extensions). If you want to force files
55ending with ".c" to compile as C++, use the ``-x`` option, just like you would
56do it with ``gcc``::
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000057
Mikhail Glushenkovebdeca72008-11-25 21:34:29 +000058 $ # hello.c is really a C++ file
Mikhail Glushenkov113ec352008-11-25 21:38:12 +000059 $ llvmc -x c++ hello.c
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000060 $ ./a.out
61 hello
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000062
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000063On the other hand, when using LLVMC as a linker to combine several C++
64object files you should provide the ``--linker`` option since it's
65impossible for LLVMC to choose the right linker in that case::
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000066
Mikhail Glushenkov113ec352008-11-25 21:38:12 +000067 $ llvmc -c hello.cpp
68 $ llvmc hello.o
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000069 [A lot of link-time errors skipped]
Mikhail Glushenkov113ec352008-11-25 21:38:12 +000070 $ llvmc --linker=c++ hello.o
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +000071 $ ./a.out
72 hello
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +000073
Mikhail Glushenkove8e4d582009-06-30 00:16:22 +000074By default, LLVMC uses ``llvm-gcc`` to compile the source code. It is also
75possible to choose the ``clang`` compiler with the ``-clang`` option.
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +000076
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +000077
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +000078Predefined options
79==================
80
81LLVMC has some built-in options that can't be overridden in the
Mikhail Glushenkov7e6d70a2008-11-26 22:59:45 +000082configuration libraries:
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +000083
84* ``-o FILE`` - Output file name.
85
86* ``-x LANGUAGE`` - Specify the language of the following input files
87 until the next -x option.
88
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +000089* ``-load PLUGIN_NAME`` - Load the specified plugin DLL. Example:
90 ``-load $LLVM_DIR/Release/lib/LLVMCSimple.so``.
91
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +000092* ``-v`` - Enable verbose mode, i.e. print out all executed commands.
93
Mikhail Glushenkov294f5072009-06-25 18:20:44 +000094* ``--save-temps`` - Write temporary files to the current directory and do not
95 delete them on exit. This option can also take an argument: the
96 ``--save-temps=obj`` switch will write files into the directory specified with
97 the ``-o`` option. The ``--save-temps=cwd`` and ``--save-temps`` switches are
98 both synonyms for the default behaviour.
99
Mikhail Glushenkov792f1822009-07-09 19:39:16 +0000100* ``--temp-dir`` - Write temporary files to the specified directory. This option
101 overrides ``--save-temps``.
102
Mikhail Glushenkov4ad0d572009-03-27 12:58:29 +0000103* ``--check-graph`` - Check the compilation for common errors like mismatched
104 output/input language names, multiple default edges and cycles. Because of
Mikhail Glushenkov530f3992009-06-16 00:13:52 +0000105 plugins, these checks can't be performed at compile-time. Exit with code zero
106 if no errors were found, and return the number of found errors
107 otherwise. Hidden option, useful for debugging LLVMC plugins.
Mikhail Glushenkovf8c430b2009-01-09 16:16:27 +0000108
Mikhail Glushenkov4ad0d572009-03-27 12:58:29 +0000109* ``--view-graph`` - Show a graphical representation of the compilation graph
110 and exit. Requires that you have ``dot`` and ``gv`` programs installed. Hidden
111 option, useful for debugging LLVMC plugins.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000112
Mikhail Glushenkov4ad0d572009-03-27 12:58:29 +0000113* ``--write-graph`` - Write a ``compilation-graph.dot`` file in the current
114 directory with the compilation graph description in Graphviz format (identical
Mikhail Glushenkov530f3992009-06-16 00:13:52 +0000115 to the file used by the ``--view-graph`` option). The ``-o`` option can be
116 used to set the output file name. Hidden option, useful for debugging LLVMC
117 plugins.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000118
Mikhail Glushenkov73296102008-05-30 06:29:17 +0000119* ``--help``, ``--help-hidden``, ``--version`` - These options have
120 their standard meaning.
121
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000122Compiling LLVMC plugins
123=======================
124
125It's easiest to start working on your own LLVMC plugin by copying the
126skeleton project which lives under ``$LLVMC_DIR/plugins/Simple``::
127
128 $ cd $LLVMC_DIR/plugins
129 $ cp -r Simple MyPlugin
130 $ cd MyPlugin
131 $ ls
132 Makefile PluginMain.cpp Simple.td
133
134As you can see, our basic plugin consists of only two files (not
135counting the build script). ``Simple.td`` contains TableGen
136description of the compilation graph; its format is documented in the
137following sections. ``PluginMain.cpp`` is just a helper file used to
138compile the auto-generated C++ code produced from TableGen source. It
139can also contain hook definitions (see `below`__).
140
141__ hooks_
142
143The first thing that you should do is to change the ``LLVMC_PLUGIN``
144variable in the ``Makefile`` to avoid conflicts (since this variable
145is used to name the resulting library)::
146
147 LLVMC_PLUGIN=MyPlugin
148
149It is also a good idea to rename ``Simple.td`` to something less
150generic::
151
152 $ mv Simple.td MyPlugin.td
153
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000154To build your plugin as a dynamic library, just ``cd`` to its source
155directory and run ``make``. The resulting file will be called
Mikhail Glushenkov4aecec12009-06-17 02:56:08 +0000156``plugin_llvmc_$(LLVMC_PLUGIN).$(DLL_EXTENSION)`` (in our case,
157``plugin_llvmc_MyPlugin.so``). This library can be then loaded in with the
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000158``-load`` option. Example::
159
160 $ cd $LLVMC_DIR/plugins/Simple
161 $ make
Mikhail Glushenkov4aecec12009-06-17 02:56:08 +0000162 $ llvmc -load $LLVM_DIR/Release/lib/plugin_llvmc_Simple.so
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000163
Mikhail Glushenkov530f3992009-06-16 00:13:52 +0000164Compiling standalone LLVMC-based drivers
165========================================
166
167By default, the ``llvmc`` executable consists of a driver core plus several
168statically linked plugins (``Base`` and ``Clang`` at the moment). You can
169produce a standalone LLVMC-based driver executable by linking the core with your
170own plugins. The recommended way to do this is by starting with the provided
171``Skeleton`` example (``$LLVMC_DIR/example/Skeleton``)::
172
173 $ cd $LLVMC_DIR/example/
174 $ cp -r Skeleton mydriver
175 $ cd mydriver
176 $ vim Makefile
177 [...]
178 $ make
179
180If you're compiling LLVM with different source and object directories, then you
181must perform the following additional steps before running ``make``::
182
183 # LLVMC_SRC_DIR = $LLVM_SRC_DIR/tools/llvmc/
184 # LLVMC_OBJ_DIR = $LLVM_OBJ_DIR/tools/llvmc/
185 $ cp $LLVMC_SRC_DIR/example/mydriver/Makefile \
186 $LLVMC_OBJ_DIR/example/mydriver/
187 $ cd $LLVMC_OBJ_DIR/example/mydriver
188 $ make
189
190Another way to do the same thing is by using the following command::
191
192 $ cd $LLVMC_DIR
193 $ make LLVMC_BUILTIN_PLUGINS=MyPlugin LLVMC_BASED_DRIVER_NAME=mydriver
194
Mikhail Glushenkov4aecec12009-06-17 02:56:08 +0000195This works with both srcdir == objdir and srcdir != objdir, but assumes that the
Mikhail Glushenkov530f3992009-06-16 00:13:52 +0000196plugin source directory was placed under ``$LLVMC_DIR/plugins``.
197
Mikhail Glushenkovf80f0aa2008-11-25 21:34:01 +0000198Sometimes, you will want a 'bare-bones' version of LLVMC that has no
199built-in plugins. It can be compiled with the following command::
200
201 $ cd $LLVMC_DIR
Mikhail Glushenkov530f3992009-06-16 00:13:52 +0000202 $ make LLVMC_BUILTIN_PLUGINS=""
Mikhail Glushenkovf80f0aa2008-11-25 21:34:01 +0000203
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000204
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000205Customizing LLVMC: the compilation graph
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000206========================================
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000207
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000208Each TableGen configuration file should include the common
209definitions::
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000210
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000211 include "llvm/CompilerDriver/Common.td"
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000212
213Internally, LLVMC stores information about possible source
214transformations in form of a graph. Nodes in this graph represent
215tools, and edges between two nodes represent a transformation path. A
216special "root" node is used to mark entry points for the
217transformations. LLVMC also assigns a weight to each edge (more on
218this later) to choose between several alternative edges.
219
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000220The definition of the compilation graph (see file
221``plugins/Base/Base.td`` for an example) is just a list of edges::
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000222
223 def CompilationGraph : CompilationGraph<[
Mikhail Glushenkov01088772008-11-17 17:29:18 +0000224 Edge<"root", "llvm_gcc_c">,
225 Edge<"root", "llvm_gcc_assembler">,
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000226 ...
227
Mikhail Glushenkov01088772008-11-17 17:29:18 +0000228 Edge<"llvm_gcc_c", "llc">,
229 Edge<"llvm_gcc_cpp", "llc">,
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000230 ...
231
Mikhail Glushenkov536637f2008-11-25 21:34:53 +0000232 OptionalEdge<"llvm_gcc_c", "opt", (case (switch_on "opt"),
233 (inc_weight))>,
234 OptionalEdge<"llvm_gcc_cpp", "opt", (case (switch_on "opt"),
235 (inc_weight))>,
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000236 ...
237
Mikhail Glushenkov01088772008-11-17 17:29:18 +0000238 OptionalEdge<"llvm_gcc_assembler", "llvm_gcc_cpp_linker",
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000239 (case (input_languages_contain "c++"), (inc_weight),
240 (or (parameter_equals "linker", "g++"),
241 (parameter_equals "linker", "c++")), (inc_weight))>,
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000242 ...
243
244 ]>;
245
246As you can see, the edges can be either default or optional, where
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000247optional edges are differentiated by an additional ``case`` expression
Mikhail Glushenkov01088772008-11-17 17:29:18 +0000248used to calculate the weight of this edge. Notice also that we refer
Mikhail Glushenkovf80f0aa2008-11-25 21:34:01 +0000249to tools via their names (as strings). This makes it possible to add
250edges to an existing compilation graph in plugins without having to
251know about all tool definitions used in the graph.
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000252
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000253The default edges are assigned a weight of 1, and optional edges get a
254weight of 0 + 2*N where N is the number of tests that evaluated to
255true in the ``case`` expression. It is also possible to provide an
256integer parameter to ``inc_weight`` and ``dec_weight`` - in this case,
257the weight is increased (or decreased) by the provided value instead
Mikhail Glushenkov7e6d70a2008-11-26 22:59:45 +0000258of the default 2. It is also possible to change the default weight of
259an optional edge by using the ``default`` clause of the ``case``
260construct.
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000261
262When passing an input file through the graph, LLVMC picks the edge
263with the maximum weight. To avoid ambiguity, there should be only one
264default edge between two nodes (with the exception of the root node,
265which gets a special treatment - there you are allowed to specify one
266default edge *per language*).
267
Mikhail Glushenkov7e6d70a2008-11-26 22:59:45 +0000268When multiple plugins are loaded, their compilation graphs are merged
Mikhail Glushenkov3321b0f2008-11-28 00:12:09 +0000269together. Since multiple edges that have the same end nodes are not
270allowed (i.e. the graph is not a multigraph), an edge defined in
Mikhail Glushenkov7e6d70a2008-11-26 22:59:45 +0000271several plugins will be replaced by the definition from the plugin
272that was loaded last. Plugin load order can be controlled by using the
273plugin priority feature described above.
274
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000275To get a visual representation of the compilation graph (useful for
Mikhail Glushenkov113ec352008-11-25 21:38:12 +0000276debugging), run ``llvmc --view-graph``. You will need ``dot`` and
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000277``gsview`` installed for this to work properly.
278
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000279Describing options
280==================
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000281
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000282Command-line options that the plugin supports are defined by using an
283``OptionList``::
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000284
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000285 def Options : OptionList<[
286 (switch_option "E", (help "Help string")),
287 (alias_option "quiet", "q")
288 ...
289 ]>;
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000290
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000291As you can see, the option list is just a list of DAGs, where each DAG
292is an option description consisting of the option name and some
293properties. A plugin can define more than one option list (they are
294all merged together in the end), which can be handy if one wants to
295separate option groups syntactically.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000296
297* Possible option types:
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000298
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000299 - ``switch_option`` - a simple boolean switch without arguments, for example
300 ``-O2`` or ``-time``. At most one occurrence is allowed.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000301
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000302 - ``parameter_option`` - option that takes one argument, for example
303 ``-std=c99``. It is also allowed to use spaces instead of the equality
304 sign: ``-std c99``. At most one occurrence is allowed.
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000305
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000306 - ``parameter_list_option`` - same as the above, but more than one option
307 occurence is allowed.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000308
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000309 - ``prefix_option`` - same as the parameter_option, but the option name and
310 argument do not have to be separated. Example: ``-ofile``. This can be also
311 specified as ``-o file``; however, ``-o=file`` will be parsed incorrectly
312 (``=file`` will be interpreted as option value). At most one occurrence is
313 allowed.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000314
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000315 - ``prefix_list_option`` - same as the above, but more than one occurence of
316 the option is allowed; example: ``-lm -lpthread``.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000317
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000318 - ``alias_option`` - a special option type for creating aliases. Unlike other
319 option types, aliases are not allowed to have any properties besides the
320 aliased option name. Usage example: ``(alias_option "preprocess", "E")``
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000321
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000322
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000323* Possible option properties:
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000324
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000325 - ``help`` - help string associated with this option. Used for ``--help``
326 output.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000327
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000328 - ``required`` - this option must be specified exactly once (or, in case of
329 the list options without the ``multi_val`` property, at least
330 once). Incompatible with ``zero_or_one`` and ``one_or_more``.
331
332 - ``one_or_more`` - the option must be specified at least one time. Useful
333 only for list options in conjunction with ``multi_val``; for ordinary lists
334 it is synonymous with ``required``. Incompatible with ``required`` and
335 ``zero_or_one``.
336
337 - ``zero_or_one`` - the option can be specified zero or one times. Useful
338 only for list options in conjunction with ``multi_val``. Incompatible with
339 ``required`` and ``one_or_more``.
Mikhail Glushenkov77ddce92008-05-06 18:17:19 +0000340
Mikhail Glushenkovf9b1d792009-01-15 02:42:40 +0000341 - ``hidden`` - the description of this option will not appear in
342 the ``--help`` output (but will appear in the ``--help-hidden``
343 output).
Mikhail Glushenkov739c7202008-11-28 00:13:25 +0000344
Mikhail Glushenkovf9b1d792009-01-15 02:42:40 +0000345 - ``really_hidden`` - the option will not be mentioned in any help
Mikhail Glushenkov739c7202008-11-28 00:13:25 +0000346 output.
347
Mikhail Glushenkov19d3e822009-01-28 03:47:20 +0000348 - ``multi_val n`` - this option takes *n* arguments (can be useful in some
349 special cases). Usage example: ``(parameter_list_option "foo", (multi_val
350 3))``. Only list options can have this attribute; you can, however, use
351 the ``one_or_more`` and ``zero_or_one`` properties.
352
Mikhail Glushenkovdad78202009-07-07 16:09:29 +0000353 - ``init`` - this option has a default value, either a string (if it is a
354 parameter), or a boolean (if it is a switch; boolean constants are called
355 ``true`` and ``false``). List options can't have this attribute. Usage
356 examples: ``(switch_option "foo", (init true))``; ``(prefix_option "bar",
357 (init "baz"))``.
358
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000359 - ``extern`` - this option is defined in some other plugin, see below.
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000360
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000361External options
362----------------
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000363
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000364Sometimes, when linking several plugins together, one plugin needs to
365access options defined in some other plugin. Because of the way
Mikhail Glushenkovf9b1d792009-01-15 02:42:40 +0000366options are implemented, such options must be marked as
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000367``extern``. This is what the ``extern`` option property is
368for. Example::
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000369
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000370 ...
371 (switch_option "E", (extern))
372 ...
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000373
Mikhail Glushenkovbb41b2d2009-07-07 16:43:49 +0000374If an external option has additional attributes besides 'extern', they are
375ignored. See also the section on plugin `priorities`__.
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000376
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000377__ priorities_
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000378
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000379.. _case:
Mikhail Glushenkov83237482008-10-15 09:29:13 +0000380
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000381Conditional evaluation
382======================
Mikhail Glushenkov0ab8ac32008-05-30 06:28:00 +0000383
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000384The 'case' construct is the main means by which programmability is
385achieved in LLVMC. It can be used to calculate edge weights, program
386actions and modify the shell commands to be executed. The 'case'
387expression is designed after the similarly-named construct in
388functional languages and takes the form ``(case (test_1), statement_1,
389(test_2), statement_2, ... (test_N), statement_N)``. The statements
390are evaluated only if the corresponding tests evaluate to true.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000391
392Examples::
393
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000394 // Edge weight calculation
395
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000396 // Increases edge weight by 5 if "-A" is provided on the
397 // command-line, and by 5 more if "-B" is also provided.
398 (case
399 (switch_on "A"), (inc_weight 5),
400 (switch_on "B"), (inc_weight 5))
401
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000402
403 // Tool command line specification
404
405 // Evaluates to "cmdline1" if the option "-A" is provided on the
406 // command line; to "cmdline2" if "-B" is provided;
407 // otherwise to "cmdline3".
408
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000409 (case
410 (switch_on "A"), "cmdline1",
411 (switch_on "B"), "cmdline2",
412 (default), "cmdline3")
413
414Note the slight difference in 'case' expression handling in contexts
415of edge weights and command line specification - in the second example
416the value of the ``"B"`` switch is never checked when switch ``"A"`` is
417enabled, and the whole expression always evaluates to ``"cmdline1"`` in
418that case.
419
420Case expressions can also be nested, i.e. the following is legal::
421
422 (case (switch_on "E"), (case (switch_on "o"), ..., (default), ...)
423 (default), ...)
424
425You should, however, try to avoid doing that because it hurts
426readability. It is usually better to split tool descriptions and/or
427use TableGen inheritance instead.
428
429* Possible tests are:
430
Mikhail Glushenkov536637f2008-11-25 21:34:53 +0000431 - ``switch_on`` - Returns true if a given command-line switch is
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000432 provided by the user. Example: ``(switch_on "opt")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000433
434 - ``parameter_equals`` - Returns true if a command-line parameter equals
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000435 a given value.
436 Example: ``(parameter_equals "W", "all")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000437
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000438 - ``element_in_list`` - Returns true if a command-line parameter
439 list contains a given value.
440 Example: ``(parameter_in_list "l", "pthread")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000441
442 - ``input_languages_contain`` - Returns true if a given language
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000443 belongs to the current input language set.
444 Example: ``(input_languages_contain "c++")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000445
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000446 - ``in_language`` - Evaluates to true if the input file language
447 equals to the argument. At the moment works only with ``cmd_line``
448 and ``actions`` (on non-join nodes).
449 Example: ``(in_language "c++")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000450
451 - ``not_empty`` - Returns true if a given option (which should be
452 either a parameter or a parameter list) is set by the
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000453 user.
454 Example: ``(not_empty "o")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000455
Mikhail Glushenkov5c2b6b22008-12-17 02:47:01 +0000456 - ``empty`` - The opposite of ``not_empty``. Equivalent to ``(not (not_empty
457 X))``. Provided for convenience.
458
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000459 - ``default`` - Always evaluates to true. Should always be the last
460 test in the ``case`` expression.
461
462 - ``and`` - A standard logical combinator that returns true iff all
463 of its arguments return true. Used like this: ``(and (test1),
464 (test2), ... (testN))``. Nesting of ``and`` and ``or`` is allowed,
465 but not encouraged.
466
467 - ``or`` - Another logical combinator that returns true only if any
468 one of its arguments returns true. Example: ``(or (test1),
469 (test2), ... (testN))``.
470
Mikhail Glushenkovcd0858e2008-05-30 06:14:42 +0000471
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000472Writing a tool description
473==========================
474
475As was said earlier, nodes in the compilation graph represent tools,
476which are described separately. A tool definition looks like this
477(taken from the ``include/llvm/CompilerDriver/Tools.td`` file)::
478
479 def llvm_gcc_cpp : Tool<[
480 (in_language "c++"),
481 (out_language "llvm-assembler"),
482 (output_suffix "bc"),
483 (cmd_line "llvm-g++ -c $INFILE -o $OUTFILE -emit-llvm"),
484 (sink)
485 ]>;
486
487This defines a new tool called ``llvm_gcc_cpp``, which is an alias for
488``llvm-g++``. As you can see, a tool definition is just a list of
489properties; most of them should be self-explanatory. The ``sink``
490property means that this tool should be passed all command-line
491options that aren't mentioned in the option list.
492
493The complete list of all currently implemented tool properties follows.
494
495* Possible tool properties:
496
497 - ``in_language`` - input language name. Can be either a string or a
498 list, in case the tool supports multiple input languages.
499
500 - ``out_language`` - output language name. Tools are not allowed to
501 have multiple output languages.
502
503 - ``output_suffix`` - output file suffix. Can also be changed
504 dynamically, see documentation on actions.
505
506 - ``cmd_line`` - the actual command used to run the tool. You can
507 use ``$INFILE`` and ``$OUTFILE`` variables, output redirection
508 with ``>``, hook invocations (``$CALL``), environment variables
509 (via ``$ENV``) and the ``case`` construct.
510
511 - ``join`` - this tool is a "join node" in the graph, i.e. it gets a
512 list of input files and joins them together. Used for linkers.
513
514 - ``sink`` - all command-line options that are not handled by other
515 tools are passed to this tool.
516
517 - ``actions`` - A single big ``case`` expression that specifies how
518 this tool reacts on command-line options (described in more detail
519 below).
520
521Actions
522-------
523
524A tool often needs to react to command-line options, and this is
525precisely what the ``actions`` property is for. The next example
526illustrates this feature::
527
528 def llvm_gcc_linker : Tool<[
529 (in_language "object-code"),
530 (out_language "executable"),
531 (output_suffix "out"),
532 (cmd_line "llvm-gcc $INFILE -o $OUTFILE"),
533 (join),
534 (actions (case (not_empty "L"), (forward "L"),
535 (not_empty "l"), (forward "l"),
536 (not_empty "dummy"),
537 [(append_cmd "-dummy1"), (append_cmd "-dummy2")])
538 ]>;
539
540The ``actions`` tool property is implemented on top of the omnipresent
541``case`` expression. It associates one or more different *actions*
542with given conditions - in the example, the actions are ``forward``,
543which forwards a given option unchanged, and ``append_cmd``, which
544appends a given string to the tool execution command. Multiple actions
545can be associated with a single condition by using a list of actions
546(used in the example to append some dummy options). The same ``case``
547construct can also be used in the ``cmd_line`` property to modify the
548tool command line.
549
550The "join" property used in the example means that this tool behaves
551like a linker.
552
553The list of all possible actions follows.
554
555* Possible actions:
556
557 - ``append_cmd`` - append a string to the tool invocation
558 command.
Mikhail Glushenkov5c2b6b22008-12-17 02:47:01 +0000559 Example: ``(case (switch_on "pthread"), (append_cmd
560 "-lpthread"))``
561
562 - ``error` - exit with error.
563 Example: ``(error "Mixing -c and -S is not allowed!")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000564
565 - ``forward`` - forward an option unchanged.
566 Example: ``(forward "Wall")``.
567
568 - ``forward_as`` - Change the name of an option, but forward the
569 argument unchanged.
Mikhail Glushenkove89331b2009-05-06 01:41:19 +0000570 Example: ``(forward_as "O0", "--disable-optimization")``.
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000571
572 - ``output_suffix`` - modify the output suffix of this
573 tool.
574 Example: ``(output_suffix "i")``.
575
576 - ``stop_compilation`` - stop compilation after this tool processes
577 its input. Used without arguments.
578
579 - ``unpack_values`` - used for for splitting and forwarding
580 comma-separated lists of options, e.g. ``-Wa,-foo=bar,-baz`` is
581 converted to ``-foo=bar -baz`` and appended to the tool invocation
582 command.
583 Example: ``(unpack_values "Wa,")``.
584
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000585Language map
Mikhail Glushenkov270cae32008-05-30 06:25:24 +0000586============
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000587
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000588If you are adding support for a new language to LLVMC, you'll need to
589modify the language map, which defines mappings from file extensions
590to language names. It is used to choose the proper toolchain(s) for a
591given input file set. Language map definition looks like this::
Anton Korobeynikovac67b7e2008-03-23 08:57:20 +0000592
593 def LanguageMap : LanguageMap<
594 [LangToSuffixes<"c++", ["cc", "cp", "cxx", "cpp", "CPP", "c++", "C"]>,
595 LangToSuffixes<"c", ["c"]>,
596 ...
597 ]>;
598
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000599For example, without those definitions the following command wouldn't work::
600
601 $ llvmc hello.cpp
602 llvmc: Unknown suffix: cpp
603
604The language map entries should be added only for tools that are
605linked with the root node. Since tools are not allowed to have
606multiple output languages, for nodes "inside" the graph the input and
607output languages should match. This is enforced at compile-time.
608
609
610More advanced topics
611====================
612
613.. _hooks:
614
615Hooks and environment variables
616-------------------------------
617
618Normally, LLVMC executes programs from the system ``PATH``. Sometimes,
Mikhail Glushenkova298bb72009-01-21 13:04:00 +0000619this is not sufficient: for example, we may want to specify tool paths
620or names in the configuration file. This can be easily achieved via
621the hooks mechanism. To write your own hooks, just add their
622definitions to the ``PluginMain.cpp`` or drop a ``.cpp`` file into the
623your plugin directory. Hooks should live in the ``hooks`` namespace
Mikhail Glushenkovb6b51412009-01-21 13:04:33 +0000624and have the signature ``std::string hooks::MyHookName ([const char*
Mikhail Glushenkova298bb72009-01-21 13:04:00 +0000625Arg0 [ const char* Arg2 [, ...]]])``. They can be used from the
626``cmd_line`` tool property::
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000627
628 (cmd_line "$CALL(MyHook)/path/to/file -o $CALL(AnotherHook)")
629
Mikhail Glushenkova298bb72009-01-21 13:04:00 +0000630To pass arguments to hooks, use the following syntax::
631
632 (cmd_line "$CALL(MyHook, 'Arg1', 'Arg2', 'Arg # 3')/path/to/file -o1 -o2")
633
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000634It is also possible to use environment variables in the same manner::
635
636 (cmd_line "$ENV(VAR1)/path/to/file -o $ENV(VAR2)")
637
638To change the command line string based on user-provided options use
639the ``case`` expression (documented `above`__)::
640
641 (cmd_line
642 (case
643 (switch_on "E"),
644 "llvm-g++ -E -x c $INFILE -o $OUTFILE",
645 (default),
646 "llvm-g++ -c -x c $INFILE -o $OUTFILE -emit-llvm"))
647
648__ case_
649
650.. _priorities:
651
652How plugins are loaded
653----------------------
654
655It is possible for LLVMC plugins to depend on each other. For example,
656one can create edges between nodes defined in some other plugin. To
657make this work, however, that plugin should be loaded first. To
658achieve this, the concept of plugin priority was introduced. By
659default, every plugin has priority zero; to specify the priority
660explicitly, put the following line in your plugin's TableGen file::
661
662 def Priority : PluginPriority<$PRIORITY_VALUE>;
663 # Where PRIORITY_VALUE is some integer > 0
664
665Plugins are loaded in order of their (increasing) priority, starting
666with 0. Therefore, the plugin with the highest priority value will be
667loaded last.
668
Mikhail Glushenkov9ecd30c2008-09-22 20:48:48 +0000669Debugging
Mikhail Glushenkov4410e322008-12-07 16:47:42 +0000670---------
Mikhail Glushenkov9ecd30c2008-09-22 20:48:48 +0000671
672When writing LLVMC plugins, it can be useful to get a visual view of
673the resulting compilation graph. This can be achieved via the command
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +0000674line option ``--view-graph``. This command assumes that Graphviz_ and
Mikhail Glushenkov4ad0d572009-03-27 12:58:29 +0000675Ghostview_ are installed. There is also a ``--write-graph`` option that
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +0000676creates a Graphviz source file (``compilation-graph.dot``) in the
Mikhail Glushenkov9ecd30c2008-09-22 20:48:48 +0000677current directory.
678
Mikhail Glushenkovf9b1d792009-01-15 02:42:40 +0000679Another useful ``llvmc`` option is ``--check-graph``. It checks the
680compilation graph for common errors like mismatched output/input
681language names, multiple default edges and cycles. These checks can't
682be performed at compile-time because the plugins can load code
683dynamically. When invoked with ``--check-graph``, ``llvmc`` doesn't
684perform any compilation tasks and returns the number of encountered
685errors as its status code.
Mikhail Glushenkovf8c430b2009-01-09 16:16:27 +0000686
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +0000687.. _Graphviz: http://www.graphviz.org/
688.. _Ghostview: http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/
Mikhail Glushenkov68319f82008-12-11 23:24:40 +0000689
Mikhail Glushenkov875ace52009-06-30 00:16:00 +0000690Conditioning on the executable name
691-----------------------------------
692
693For now, the executable name (the value passed to the driver in ``argv[0]``) is
694accessible only in the C++ code (i.e. hooks). Use the following code::
695
696 namespace llvmc {
697 extern const char* ProgramName;
698 }
699
700 std::string MyHook() {
701 //...
702 if (strcmp(ProgramName, "mydriver") == 0) {
703 //...
704
705 }
706
707In general, you're encouraged not to make the behaviour dependent on the
708executable file name, and use command-line switches instead. See for example how
709the ``Base`` plugin behaves when it needs to choose the correct linker options
710(think ``g++`` vs. ``gcc``).
711
Mikhail Glushenkov68319f82008-12-11 23:24:40 +0000712.. raw:: html
Mikhail Glushenkovd5652032008-12-13 02:28:58 +0000713
714 <hr />
715 <address>
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721 alt="Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional"/></a>
722
723 <a href="mailto:foldr@codedgers.com">Mikhail Glushenkov</a><br />
724 <a href="http://llvm.org">LLVM Compiler Infrastructure</a><br />
725
726 Last modified: $Date: 2008-12-11 11:34:48 -0600 (Thu, 11 Dec 2008) $
727 </address>