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5 <title>TableGen Fundamentals</title>
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7</head>
8<body>
9
10<div class="doc_title">TableGen Fundamentals</div>
11
12<div class="doc_text">
13<ul>
14 <li><a href="#introduction">Introduction</a>
15 <ol>
16 <li><a href="#concepts">Basic concepts</a></li>
17 <li><a href="#example">An example record</a></li>
18 <li><a href="#running">Running TableGen</a></li>
19 </ol></li>
20 <li><a href="#syntax">TableGen syntax</a>
21 <ol>
22 <li><a href="#primitives">TableGen primitives</a>
23 <ol>
24 <li><a href="#comments">TableGen comments</a></li>
25 <li><a href="#types">The TableGen type system</a></li>
26 <li><a href="#values">TableGen values and expressions</a></li>
27 </ol></li>
28 <li><a href="#classesdefs">Classes and definitions</a>
29 <ol>
30 <li><a href="#valuedef">Value definitions</a></li>
31 <li><a href="#recordlet">'let' expressions</a></li>
32 <li><a href="#templateargs">Class template arguments</a></li>
33 <li><a href="#multiclass">Multiclass definitions and instances</a></li>
34 </ol></li>
35 <li><a href="#filescope">File scope entities</a>
36 <ol>
37 <li><a href="#include">File inclusion</a></li>
38 <li><a href="#globallet">'let' expressions</a></li>
39 </ol></li>
40 </ol></li>
41 <li><a href="#backends">TableGen backends</a>
42 <ol>
43 <li><a href="#">todo</a></li>
44 </ol></li>
45</ul>
46</div>
47
48<div class="doc_author">
49 <p>Written by <a href="mailto:sabre@nondot.org">Chris Lattner</a></p>
50</div>
51
52<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
53<div class="doc_section"><a name="introduction">Introduction</a></div>
54<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
55
56<div class="doc_text">
57
58<p>TableGen's purpose is to help a human develop and maintain records of
59domain-specific information. Because there may be a large number of these
60records, it is specifically designed to allow writing flexible descriptions and
61for common features of these records to be factored out. This reduces the
62amount of duplication in the description, reduces the chance of error, and
63makes it easier to structure domain specific information.</p>
64
65<p>The core part of TableGen <a href="#syntax">parses a file</a>, instantiates
66the declarations, and hands the result off to a domain-specific "<a
67href="#backends">TableGen backend</a>" for processing. The current major user
68of TableGen is the <a href="CodeGenerator.html">LLVM code generator</a>.</p>
69
70<p>Note that if you work on TableGen much, and use emacs or vim, that you can
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +000071find an emacs "TableGen mode" and a vim language file in the
72<tt>llvm/utils/emacs</tt> and <tt>llvm/utils/vim</tt> directories of your LLVM
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +000073distribution, respectively.</p>
74
75</div>
76
77<!-- ======================================================================= -->
78<div class="doc_subsection"><a name="concepts">Basic concepts</a></div>
79
80<div class="doc_text">
81
82<p>TableGen files consist of two key parts: 'classes' and 'definitions', both
83of which are considered 'records'.</p>
84
85<p><b>TableGen records</b> have a unique name, a list of values, and a list of
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +000086superclasses. The list of values is the main data that TableGen builds for each
87record; it is this that holds the domain specific information for the
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +000088application. The interpretation of this data is left to a specific <a
89href="#backends">TableGen backend</a>, but the structure and format rules are
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +000090taken care of and are fixed by TableGen.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +000091
92<p><b>TableGen definitions</b> are the concrete form of 'records'. These
93generally do not have any undefined values, and are marked with the
94'<tt>def</tt>' keyword.</p>
95
96<p><b>TableGen classes</b> are abstract records that are used to build and
97describe other records. These 'classes' allow the end-user to build
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +000098abstractions for either the domain they are targeting (such as "Register",
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +000099"RegisterClass", and "Instruction" in the LLVM code generator) or for the
100implementor to help factor out common properties of records (such as "FPInst",
101which is used to represent floating point instructions in the X86 backend).
102TableGen keeps track of all of the classes that are used to build up a
103definition, so the backend can find all definitions of a particular class, such
104as "Instruction".</p>
105
106<p><b>TableGen multiclasses</b> are groups of abstract records that are
David Greene60b5acc2009-04-22 16:42:54 +0000107instantiated all at once. Each instantiation can result in multiple
108TableGen definitions. If a multiclass inherits from another multiclass,
109the definitions in the sub-multiclass become part of the current
110multiclass, as if they were declared in the current multiclass.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000111
112</div>
113
114<!-- ======================================================================= -->
115<div class="doc_subsection"><a name="example">An example record</a></div>
116
117<div class="doc_text">
118
119<p>With no other arguments, TableGen parses the specified file and prints out
120all of the classes, then all of the definitions. This is a good way to see what
121the various definitions expand to fully. Running this on the <tt>X86.td</tt>
122file prints this (at the time of this writing):</p>
123
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000124<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000125<pre>
126...
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000127<b>def</b> ADD32rr { <i>// Instruction X86Inst I</i>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000128 <b>string</b> Namespace = "X86";
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000129 <b>dag</b> OutOperandList = (outs GR32:$dst);
130 <b>dag</b> InOperandList = (ins GR32:$src1, GR32:$src2);
131 <b>string</b> AsmString = "add{l}\t{$src2, $dst|$dst, $src2}";
132 <b>list</b>&lt;dag&gt; Pattern = [(set GR32:$dst, (add GR32:$src1, GR32:$src2))];
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000133 <b>list</b>&lt;Register&gt; Uses = [];
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000134 <b>list</b>&lt;Register&gt; Defs = [EFLAGS];
135 <b>list</b>&lt;Predicate&gt; Predicates = [];
136 <b>int</b> CodeSize = 3;
137 <b>int</b> AddedComplexity = 0;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000138 <b>bit</b> isReturn = 0;
139 <b>bit</b> isBranch = 0;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000140 <b>bit</b> isIndirectBranch = 0;
141 <b>bit</b> isBarrier = 0;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000142 <b>bit</b> isCall = 0;
Dan Gohman5574cc72008-12-03 18:15:48 +0000143 <b>bit</b> canFoldAsLoad = 0;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000144 <b>bit</b> mayLoad = 0;
145 <b>bit</b> mayStore = 0;
146 <b>bit</b> isImplicitDef = 0;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000147 <b>bit</b> isTwoAddress = 1;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000148 <b>bit</b> isConvertibleToThreeAddress = 1;
149 <b>bit</b> isCommutable = 1;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000150 <b>bit</b> isTerminator = 0;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000151 <b>bit</b> isReMaterializable = 0;
152 <b>bit</b> isPredicable = 0;
153 <b>bit</b> hasDelaySlot = 0;
154 <b>bit</b> usesCustomDAGSchedInserter = 0;
155 <b>bit</b> hasCtrlDep = 0;
156 <b>bit</b> isNotDuplicable = 0;
157 <b>bit</b> hasSideEffects = 0;
158 <b>bit</b> mayHaveSideEffects = 0;
159 <b>bit</b> neverHasSideEffects = 0;
160 InstrItinClass Itinerary = NoItinerary;
161 <b>string</b> Constraints = "";
162 <b>string</b> DisableEncoding = "";
163 <b>bits</b>&lt;8&gt; Opcode = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 };
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000164 Format Form = MRMDestReg;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000165 <b>bits</b>&lt;6&gt; FormBits = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1 };
166 ImmType ImmT = NoImm;
167 <b>bits</b>&lt;3&gt; ImmTypeBits = { 0, 0, 0 };
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000168 <b>bit</b> hasOpSizePrefix = 0;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000169 <b>bit</b> hasAdSizePrefix = 0;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000170 <b>bits</b>&lt;4&gt; Prefix = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000171 <b>bit</b> hasREX_WPrefix = 0;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000172 FPFormat FPForm = ?;
173 <b>bits</b>&lt;3&gt; FPFormBits = { 0, 0, 0 };
174}
175...
176</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000177</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000178
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000179<p>This definition corresponds to a 32-bit register-register add instruction in
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000180the X86. The string after the '<tt>def</tt>' string indicates the name of the
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000181record&mdash;"<tt>ADD32rr</tt>" in this case&mdash;and the comment at the end of
182the line indicates the superclasses of the definition. The body of the record
183contains all of the data that TableGen assembled for the record, indicating that
184the instruction is part of the "X86" namespace, the pattern indicating how the
185the instruction should be emitted into the assembly file, that it is a
186two-address instruction, has a particular encoding, etc. The contents and
187semantics of the information in the record is specific to the needs of the X86
188backend, and is only shown as an example.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000189
190<p>As you can see, a lot of information is needed for every instruction
191supported by the code generator, and specifying it all manually would be
192unmaintainble, prone to bugs, and tiring to do in the first place. Because we
193are using TableGen, all of the information was derived from the following
194definition:</p>
195
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000196<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000197<pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000198let Defs = [EFLAGS],
199 isCommutable = 1, <i>// X = ADD Y,Z --&gt; X = ADD Z,Y</i>
200 isConvertibleToThreeAddress = 1 <b>in</b> <i>// Can transform into LEA.</i>
201def ADD32rr : I&lt;0x01, MRMDestReg, (outs GR32:$dst),
202 (ins GR32:$src1, GR32:$src2),
203 "add{l}\t{$src2, $dst|$dst, $src2}",
204 [(set GR32:$dst, (add GR32:$src1, GR32:$src2))]&gt;;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000205</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000206</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000207
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000208<p>This definition makes use of the custom class <tt>I</tt> (extended from the
209custom class <tt>X86Inst</tt>), which is defined in the X86-specific TableGen
210file, to factor out the common features that instructions of its class share. A
211key feature of TableGen is that it allows the end-user to define the
212abstractions they prefer to use when describing their information.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000213
214</div>
215
216<!-- ======================================================================= -->
217<div class="doc_subsection"><a name="running">Running TableGen</a></div>
218
219<div class="doc_text">
220
221<p>TableGen runs just like any other LLVM tool. The first (optional) argument
222specifies the file to read. If a filename is not specified, <tt>tblgen</tt>
223reads from standard input.</p>
224
225<p>To be useful, one of the <a href="#backends">TableGen backends</a> must be
226used. These backends are selectable on the command line (type '<tt>tblgen
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000227-help</tt>' for a list). For example, to get a list of all of the definitions
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000228that subclass a particular type (which can be useful for building up an enum
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000229list of these records), use the <tt>-print-enums</tt> option:</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000230
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000231<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000232<pre>
233$ tblgen X86.td -print-enums -class=Register
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000234AH, AL, AX, BH, BL, BP, BPL, BX, CH, CL, CX, DH, DI, DIL, DL, DX, EAX, EBP, EBX,
235ECX, EDI, EDX, EFLAGS, EIP, ESI, ESP, FP0, FP1, FP2, FP3, FP4, FP5, FP6, IP,
236MM0, MM1, MM2, MM3, MM4, MM5, MM6, MM7, R10, R10B, R10D, R10W, R11, R11B, R11D,
237R11W, R12, R12B, R12D, R12W, R13, R13B, R13D, R13W, R14, R14B, R14D, R14W, R15,
238R15B, R15D, R15W, R8, R8B, R8D, R8W, R9, R9B, R9D, R9W, RAX, RBP, RBX, RCX, RDI,
239RDX, RIP, RSI, RSP, SI, SIL, SP, SPL, ST0, ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST6, ST7,
240XMM0, XMM1, XMM10, XMM11, XMM12, XMM13, XMM14, XMM15, XMM2, XMM3, XMM4, XMM5,
241XMM6, XMM7, XMM8, XMM9,
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000242
243$ tblgen X86.td -print-enums -class=Instruction
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000244ABS_F, ABS_Fp32, ABS_Fp64, ABS_Fp80, ADC32mi, ADC32mi8, ADC32mr, ADC32ri,
245ADC32ri8, ADC32rm, ADC32rr, ADC64mi32, ADC64mi8, ADC64mr, ADC64ri32, ADC64ri8,
246ADC64rm, ADC64rr, ADD16mi, ADD16mi8, ADD16mr, ADD16ri, ADD16ri8, ADD16rm,
247ADD16rr, ADD32mi, ADD32mi8, ADD32mr, ADD32ri, ADD32ri8, ADD32rm, ADD32rr,
248ADD64mi32, ADD64mi8, ADD64mr, ADD64ri32, ...
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000249</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000250</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000251
252<p>The default backend prints out all of the records, as described <a
253href="#example">above</a>.</p>
254
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000255<p>If you plan to use TableGen, you will most likely have to <a
256href="#backends">write a backend</a> that extracts the information specific to
257what you need and formats it in the appropriate way.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000258
259</div>
260
261
262<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
263<div class="doc_section"><a name="syntax">TableGen syntax</a></div>
264<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
265
266<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000267
268<p>TableGen doesn't care about the meaning of data (that is up to the backend to
269define), but it does care about syntax, and it enforces a simple type system.
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000270This section describes the syntax and the constructs allowed in a TableGen file.
271</p>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000272
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000273</div>
274
275<!-- ======================================================================= -->
276<div class="doc_subsection"><a name="primitives">TableGen primitives</a></div>
277
278<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
279<div class="doc_subsubsection"><a name="comments">TableGen comments</a></div>
280
281<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000282
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000283<p>TableGen supports BCPL style "<tt>//</tt>" comments, which run to the end of
284the line, and it also supports <b>nestable</b> "<tt>/* */</tt>" comments.</p>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000285
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000286</div>
287
288<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
289<div class="doc_subsubsection">
290 <a name="types">The TableGen type system</a>
291</div>
292
293<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000294
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000295<p>TableGen files are strongly typed, in a simple (but complete) type-system.
296These types are used to perform automatic conversions, check for errors, and to
297help interface designers constrain the input that they allow. Every <a
298href="#valuedef">value definition</a> is required to have an associated type.
299</p>
300
301<p>TableGen supports a mixture of very low-level types (such as <tt>bit</tt>)
302and very high-level types (such as <tt>dag</tt>). This flexibility is what
303allows it to describe a wide range of information conveniently and compactly.
304The TableGen types are:</p>
305
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000306<dl>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000307<dt><tt><b>bit</b></tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000308 <dd>A 'bit' is a boolean value that can hold either 0 or 1.</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000309
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000310<dt><tt><b>int</b></tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000311 <dd>The 'int' type represents a simple 32-bit integer value, such as 5.</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000312
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000313<dt><tt><b>string</b></tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000314 <dd>The 'string' type represents an ordered sequence of characters of
315 arbitrary length.</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000316
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000317<dt><tt><b>bits</b>&lt;n&gt;</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000318 <dd>A 'bits' type is an arbitrary, but fixed, size integer that is broken up
319 into individual bits. This type is useful because it can handle some bits
320 being defined while others are undefined.</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000321
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000322<dt><tt><b>list</b>&lt;ty&gt;</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000323 <dd>This type represents a list whose elements are some other type. The
324 contained type is arbitrary: it can even be another list type.</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000325
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000326<dt>Class type</dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000327 <dd>Specifying a class name in a type context means that the defined value
328 must be a subclass of the specified class. This is useful in conjunction with
329 the <b><tt>list</tt></b> type, for example, to constrain the elements of the
330 list to a common base class (e.g., a <tt><b>list</b>&lt;Register&gt;</tt> can
331 only contain definitions derived from the "<tt>Register</tt>" class).</dd>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000332
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000333<dt><tt><b>dag</b></tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000334 <dd>This type represents a nestable directed graph of elements.</dd>
335
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000336<dt><tt><b>code</b></tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000337 <dd>This represents a big hunk of text. NOTE: I don't remember why this is
338 distinct from string!</dd>
339</dl>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000340
341<p>To date, these types have been sufficient for describing things that
342TableGen has been used for, but it is straight-forward to extend this list if
343needed.</p>
344
345</div>
346
347<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
348<div class="doc_subsubsection">
349 <a name="values">TableGen values and expressions</a>
350</div>
351
352<div class="doc_text">
353
354<p>TableGen allows for a pretty reasonable number of different expression forms
355when building up values. These forms allow the TableGen file to be written in a
356natural syntax and flavor for the application. The current expression forms
357supported include:</p>
358
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000359<dl>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000360<dt><tt>?</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000361 <dd>uninitialized field</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000362<dt><tt>0b1001011</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000363 <dd>binary integer value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000364<dt><tt>07654321</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000365 <dd>octal integer value (indicated by a leading 0)</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000366<dt><tt>7</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000367 <dd>decimal integer value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000368<dt><tt>0x7F</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000369 <dd>hexadecimal integer value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000370<dt><tt>"foo"</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000371 <dd>string value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000372<dt><tt>[{ ... }]</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000373 <dd>code fragment</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000374<dt><tt>[ X, Y, Z ]</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000375 <dd>list value.</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000376<dt><tt>{ a, b, c }</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000377 <dd>initializer for a "bits&lt;3&gt;" value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000378<dt><tt>value</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000379 <dd>value reference</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000380<dt><tt>value{17}</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000381 <dd>access to one bit of a value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000382<dt><tt>value{15-17}</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000383 <dd>access to multiple bits of a value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000384<dt><tt>DEF</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000385 <dd>reference to a record definition</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000386<dt><tt>CLASS&lt;val list&gt;</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000387 <dd>reference to a new anonymous definition of CLASS with the specified
388 template arguments.</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000389<dt><tt>X.Y</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000390 <dd>reference to the subfield of a value</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000391<dt><tt>list[4-7,17,2-3]</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000392 <dd>A slice of the 'list' list, including elements 4,5,6,7,17,2, and 3 from
393 it. Elements may be included multiple times.</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000394<dt><tt>(DEF a, b)</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000395 <dd>a dag value. The first element is required to be a record definition, the
396 remaining elements in the list may be arbitrary other values, including nested
397 `<tt>dag</tt>' values.</dd>
Bill Wendlingd5f12012008-02-12 07:09:05 +0000398<dt><tt>!strconcat(a, b)</tt></dt>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000399 <dd>A string value that is the result of concatenating the 'a' and 'b'
400 strings.</dd>
David Greenef02acf02009-04-23 21:27:58 +0000401<dt><tt>!nameconcat&lt;type&gt;(a, b)</tt></dt>
David Greene790e1222009-04-22 20:18:10 +0000402 <dd>A value that is the result of concatenating the 'a' and 'b'
403 strings and looking up the resulting name in the symbol table. The symbol type
David Greene64ad38d2009-04-23 21:25:15 +0000404 determines the type of the resulting value. If the symbol is not found
405 or the symbol type does not match 'type,' TableGen emits an error and aborts.</dd>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000406</dl>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000407
408<p>Note that all of the values have rules specifying how they convert to values
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000409for different types. These rules allow you to assign a value like "<tt>7</tt>"
410to a "<tt>bits&lt;4&gt;</tt>" value, for example.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000411
412</div>
413
414<!-- ======================================================================= -->
415<div class="doc_subsection">
416 <a name="classesdefs">Classes and definitions</a>
417</div>
418
419<div class="doc_text">
420
421<p>As mentioned in the <a href="#concepts">intro</a>, classes and definitions
422(collectively known as 'records') in TableGen are the main high-level unit of
423information that TableGen collects. Records are defined with a <tt>def</tt> or
424<tt>class</tt> keyword, the record name, and an optional list of "<a
425href="#templateargs">template arguments</a>". If the record has superclasses,
426they are specified as a comma separated list that starts with a colon character
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000427("<tt>:</tt>"). If <a href="#valuedef">value definitions</a> or <a
428href="#recordlet">let expressions</a> are needed for the class, they are
429enclosed in curly braces ("<tt>{}</tt>"); otherwise, the record ends with a
430semicolon.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000431
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000432<p>Here is a simple TableGen file:</p>
433
434<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000435<pre>
436<b>class</b> C { <b>bit</b> V = 1; }
437<b>def</b> X : C;
438<b>def</b> Y : C {
439 <b>string</b> Greeting = "hello";
440}
441</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000442</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000443
444<p>This example defines two definitions, <tt>X</tt> and <tt>Y</tt>, both of
445which derive from the <tt>C</tt> class. Because of this, they both get the
446<tt>V</tt> bit value. The <tt>Y</tt> definition also gets the Greeting member
447as well.</p>
448
449<p>In general, classes are useful for collecting together the commonality
450between a group of records and isolating it in a single place. Also, classes
451permit the specification of default values for their subclasses, allowing the
452subclasses to override them as they wish.</p>
453
454</div>
455
456<!---------------------------------------------------------------------------->
457<div class="doc_subsubsection">
458 <a name="valuedef">Value definitions</a>
459</div>
460
461<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000462
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000463<p>Value definitions define named entries in records. A value must be defined
464before it can be referred to as the operand for another value definition or
465before the value is reset with a <a href="#recordlet">let expression</a>. A
466value is defined by specifying a <a href="#types">TableGen type</a> and a name.
467If an initial value is available, it may be specified after the type with an
468equal sign. Value definitions require terminating semicolons.</p>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000469
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000470</div>
471
472<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
473<div class="doc_subsubsection">
474 <a name="recordlet">'let' expressions</a>
475</div>
476
477<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000478
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000479<p>A record-level let expression is used to change the value of a value
480definition in a record. This is primarily useful when a superclass defines a
481value that a derived class or definition wants to override. Let expressions
482consist of the '<tt>let</tt>' keyword followed by a value name, an equal sign
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000483("<tt>=</tt>"), and a new value. For example, a new class could be added to the
484example above, redefining the <tt>V</tt> field for all of its subclasses:</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000485
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000486<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000487<pre>
488<b>class</b> D : C { let V = 0; }
489<b>def</b> Z : D;
490</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000491</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000492
493<p>In this case, the <tt>Z</tt> definition will have a zero value for its "V"
494value, despite the fact that it derives (indirectly) from the <tt>C</tt> class,
495because the <tt>D</tt> class overrode its value.</p>
496
497</div>
498
499<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
500<div class="doc_subsubsection">
501 <a name="templateargs">Class template arguments</a>
502</div>
503
504<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000505
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000506<p>TableGen permits the definition of parameterized classes as well as normal
507concrete classes. Parameterized TableGen classes specify a list of variable
508bindings (which may optionally have defaults) that are bound when used. Here is
509a simple example:</p>
510
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000511<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000512<pre>
513<b>class</b> FPFormat&lt;<b>bits</b>&lt;3&gt; val&gt; {
514 <b>bits</b>&lt;3&gt; Value = val;
515}
516<b>def</b> NotFP : FPFormat&lt;0&gt;;
517<b>def</b> ZeroArgFP : FPFormat&lt;1&gt;;
518<b>def</b> OneArgFP : FPFormat&lt;2&gt;;
519<b>def</b> OneArgFPRW : FPFormat&lt;3&gt;;
520<b>def</b> TwoArgFP : FPFormat&lt;4&gt;;
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000521<b>def</b> CompareFP : FPFormat&lt;5&gt;;
522<b>def</b> CondMovFP : FPFormat&lt;6&gt;;
523<b>def</b> SpecialFP : FPFormat&lt;7&gt;;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000524</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000525</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000526
527<p>In this case, template arguments are used as a space efficient way to specify
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000528a list of "enumeration values", each with a "<tt>Value</tt>" field set to the
529specified integer.</p>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000530
531<p>The more esoteric forms of <a href="#values">TableGen expressions</a> are
532useful in conjunction with template arguments. As an example:</p>
533
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000534<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000535<pre>
536<b>class</b> ModRefVal&lt;<b>bits</b>&lt;2&gt; val&gt; {
537 <b>bits</b>&lt;2&gt; Value = val;
538}
539
540<b>def</b> None : ModRefVal&lt;0&gt;;
541<b>def</b> Mod : ModRefVal&lt;1&gt;;
542<b>def</b> Ref : ModRefVal&lt;2&gt;;
543<b>def</b> ModRef : ModRefVal&lt;3&gt;;
544
545<b>class</b> Value&lt;ModRefVal MR&gt; {
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000546 <i>// Decode some information into a more convenient format, while providing
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000547 // a nice interface to the user of the "Value" class.</i>
548 <b>bit</b> isMod = MR.Value{0};
549 <b>bit</b> isRef = MR.Value{1};
550
551 <i>// other stuff...</i>
552}
553
554<i>// Example uses</i>
555<b>def</b> bork : Value&lt;Mod&gt;;
556<b>def</b> zork : Value&lt;Ref&gt;;
557<b>def</b> hork : Value&lt;ModRef&gt;;
558</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000559</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000560
561<p>This is obviously a contrived example, but it shows how template arguments
562can be used to decouple the interface provided to the user of the class from the
563actual internal data representation expected by the class. In this case,
564running <tt>tblgen</tt> on the example prints the following definitions:</p>
565
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000566<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000567<pre>
568<b>def</b> bork { <i>// Value</i>
569 <b>bit</b> isMod = 1;
570 <b>bit</b> isRef = 0;
571}
572<b>def</b> hork { <i>// Value</i>
573 <b>bit</b> isMod = 1;
574 <b>bit</b> isRef = 1;
575}
576<b>def</b> zork { <i>// Value</i>
577 <b>bit</b> isMod = 0;
578 <b>bit</b> isRef = 1;
579}
580</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000581</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000582
583<p> This shows that TableGen was able to dig into the argument and extract a
584piece of information that was requested by the designer of the "Value" class.
585For more realistic examples, please see existing users of TableGen, such as the
586X86 backend.</p>
587
588</div>
589
590<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
591<div class="doc_subsubsection">
592 <a name="multiclass">Multiclass definitions and instances</a>
593</div>
594
595<div class="doc_text">
596
597<p>
598While classes with template arguments are a good way to factor commonality
599between two instances of a definition, multiclasses allow a convenient notation
600for defining multiple definitions at once (instances of implicitly constructed
601classes). For example, consider an 3-address instruction set whose instructions
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000602come in two forms: "<tt>reg = reg op reg</tt>" and "<tt>reg = reg op imm</tt>"
603(e.g. SPARC). In this case, you'd like to specify in one place that this
604commonality exists, then in a separate place indicate what all the ops are.
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000605</p>
606
607<p>
608Here is an example TableGen fragment that shows this idea:
609</p>
610
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000611<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000612<pre>
613<b>def</b> ops;
614<b>def</b> GPR;
615<b>def</b> Imm;
616<b>class</b> inst&lt;<b>int</b> opc, <b>string</b> asmstr, <b>dag</b> operandlist&gt;;
617
618<b>multiclass</b> ri_inst&lt;<b>int</b> opc, <b>string</b> asmstr&gt; {
619 def _rr : inst&lt;opc, !strconcat(asmstr, " $dst, $src1, $src2"),
620 (ops GPR:$dst, GPR:$src1, GPR:$src2)&gt;;
621 def _ri : inst&lt;opc, !strconcat(asmstr, " $dst, $src1, $src2"),
622 (ops GPR:$dst, GPR:$src1, Imm:$src2)&gt;;
623}
624
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000625<i>// Instantiations of the ri_inst multiclass.</i>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000626<b>defm</b> ADD : ri_inst&lt;0b111, "add"&gt;;
627<b>defm</b> SUB : ri_inst&lt;0b101, "sub"&gt;;
628<b>defm</b> MUL : ri_inst&lt;0b100, "mul"&gt;;
629...
630</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000631</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000632
633<p>The name of the resultant definitions has the multidef fragment names
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000634 appended to them, so this defines <tt>ADD_rr</tt>, <tt>ADD_ri</tt>,
David Greene080d2152009-04-22 22:17:51 +0000635 <tt>SUB_rr</tt>, etc. A defm may inherit from multiple multiclasses,
636 instantiating definitions from each multiclass. Using a multiclass
637 this way is exactly equivalent to instantiating the classes multiple
638 times yourself, e.g. by writing:</p>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000639
640<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000641<pre>
642<b>def</b> ops;
643<b>def</b> GPR;
644<b>def</b> Imm;
645<b>class</b> inst&lt;<b>int</b> opc, <b>string</b> asmstr, <b>dag</b> operandlist&gt;;
646
647<b>class</b> rrinst&lt;<b>int</b> opc, <b>string</b> asmstr&gt;
648 : inst&lt;opc, !strconcat(asmstr, " $dst, $src1, $src2"),
649 (ops GPR:$dst, GPR:$src1, GPR:$src2)&gt;;
650
651<b>class</b> riinst&lt;<b>int</b> opc, <b>string</b> asmstr&gt;
652 : inst&lt;opc, !strconcat(asmstr, " $dst, $src1, $src2"),
653 (ops GPR:$dst, GPR:$src1, Imm:$src2)&gt;;
654
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000655<i>// Instantiations of the ri_inst multiclass.</i>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000656<b>def</b> ADD_rr : rrinst&lt;0b111, "add"&gt;;
657<b>def</b> ADD_ri : riinst&lt;0b111, "add"&gt;;
658<b>def</b> SUB_rr : rrinst&lt;0b101, "sub"&gt;;
659<b>def</b> SUB_ri : riinst&lt;0b101, "sub"&gt;;
660<b>def</b> MUL_rr : rrinst&lt;0b100, "mul"&gt;;
661<b>def</b> MUL_ri : riinst&lt;0b100, "mul"&gt;;
662...
663</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000664</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000665
666</div>
667
668<!-- ======================================================================= -->
669<div class="doc_subsection">
670 <a name="filescope">File scope entities</a>
671</div>
672
673<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
674<div class="doc_subsubsection">
675 <a name="include">File inclusion</a>
676</div>
677
678<div class="doc_text">
679<p>TableGen supports the '<tt>include</tt>' token, which textually substitutes
680the specified file in place of the include directive. The filename should be
681specified as a double quoted string immediately after the '<tt>include</tt>'
682keyword. Example:</p>
683
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000684<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000685<pre>
686<b>include</b> "foo.td"
687</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000688</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000689
690</div>
691
692<!-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------->
693<div class="doc_subsubsection">
694 <a name="globallet">'let' expressions</a>
695</div>
696
697<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000698
699<p>"Let" expressions at file scope are similar to <a href="#recordlet">"let"
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000700expressions within a record</a>, except they can specify a value binding for
701multiple records at a time, and may be useful in certain other cases.
702File-scope let expressions are really just another way that TableGen allows the
703end-user to factor out commonality from the records.</p>
704
705<p>File-scope "let" expressions take a comma-separated list of bindings to
Matthijs Kooijman16bb03a2008-10-20 08:45:34 +0000706apply, and one or more records to bind the values in. Here are some
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000707examples:</p>
708
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000709<div class="doc_code">
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000710<pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000711<b>let</b> isTerminator = 1, isReturn = 1, isBarrier = 1, hasCtrlDep = 1 <b>in</b>
712 <b>def</b> RET : I&lt;0xC3, RawFrm, (outs), (ins), "ret", [(X86retflag 0)]&gt;;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000713
714<b>let</b> isCall = 1 <b>in</b>
715 <i>// All calls clobber the non-callee saved registers...</i>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000716 <b>let</b> Defs = [EAX, ECX, EDX, FP0, FP1, FP2, FP3, FP4, FP5, FP6, ST0,
717 MM0, MM1, MM2, MM3, MM4, MM5, MM6, MM7,
718 XMM0, XMM1, XMM2, XMM3, XMM4, XMM5, XMM6, XMM7, EFLAGS] <b>in</b> {
Dan Gohman8e58bc52008-10-14 17:00:38 +0000719 <b>def</b> CALLpcrel32 : Ii32&lt;0xE8, RawFrm, (outs), (ins i32imm:$dst,variable_ops),
720 "call\t${dst:call}", []&gt;;
721 <b>def</b> CALL32r : I&lt;0xFF, MRM2r, (outs), (ins GR32:$dst, variable_ops),
722 "call\t{*}$dst", [(X86call GR32:$dst)]&gt;;
723 <b>def</b> CALL32m : I&lt;0xFF, MRM2m, (outs), (ins i32mem:$dst, variable_ops),
724 "call\t{*}$dst", []&gt;;
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000725 }
726</pre>
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000727</div>
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000728
729<p>File-scope "let" expressions are often useful when a couple of definitions
730need to be added to several records, and the records do not otherwise need to be
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000731opened, as in the case with the <tt>CALL*</tt> instructions above.</p>
732
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000733</div>
734
735<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
736<div class="doc_section"><a name="backends">TableGen backends</a></div>
737<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
738
739<div class="doc_text">
Bill Wendling707b6ab2008-02-12 07:06:19 +0000740
741<p>TODO: How they work, how to write one. This section should not contain
742details about any particular backend, except maybe -print-enums as an example.
743This should highlight the APIs in <tt>TableGen/Record.h</tt>.</p>
744
Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000745</div>
746
747<!-- *********************************************************************** -->
748
749<hr>
750<address>
751 <a href="http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/check/referer"><img
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Dan Gohmanf17a25c2007-07-18 16:29:46 +0000755
756 <a href="mailto:sabre@nondot.org">Chris Lattner</a><br>
757 <a href="http://llvm.org">LLVM Compiler Infrastructure</a><br>
758 Last modified: $Date$
759</address>
760
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