[mlir] Rewrite and modernize the documentation for defining Attributes/Types

The current documentation is super old, crusty, and at times wrong. This commit
rewrites the documentation to focus on the TableGen declarative definition,
expounds on various components, and moves the doc out of Tutorials/ and into
a new top level `AttributesAndTypes.md` doc. As part of this, the AttrDef/TypeDef
documentation in OpDefinitions.md is removed.

Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D120011
This commit is contained in:
River Riddle 2022-02-16 22:53:09 -08:00
parent 1d7120c69a
commit 84d2549e82
4 changed files with 1072 additions and 1036 deletions

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@ -732,8 +732,7 @@ the lighter syntax: `!foo.something<a%%123^^^>>>` because it contains characters
that are not allowed in the lighter syntax, as well as unbalanced `<>`
characters.
See [here](Tutorials/DefiningAttributesAndTypes.md) to learn how to define
dialect types.
See [here](AttributesAndTypes.md) to learn how to define dialect types.
### Builtin Types
@ -840,8 +839,7 @@ valid in the lighter syntax: `#foo.something<a%%123^^^>>>` because it contains
characters that are not allowed in the lighter syntax, as well as unbalanced
`<>` characters.
See [here](Tutorials/DefiningAttributesAndTypes.md) on how to define dialect
attribute values.
See [here](AttributesAndTypes.md) on how to define dialect attribute values.
### Builtin Attribute Values

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@ -1494,344 +1494,6 @@ llvm::Optional<MyBitEnum> symbolizeMyBitEnum(uint32_t value) {
}
```
## Type Definitions
MLIR defines the `TypeDef` class hierarchy to enable generation of data types from
their specifications. A type is defined by specializing the `TypeDef` class with
concrete contents for all the fields it requires. For example, an integer type
could be defined as:
```tablegen
// All of the types will extend this class.
class Test_Type<string name> : TypeDef<Test_Dialect, name> { }
// An alternate int type.
def IntegerType : Test_Type<"TestInteger"> {
let mnemonic = "int";
let summary = "An integer type with special semantics";
let description = [{
An alternate integer type. This type differentiates itself from the
standard integer type by not having a SignednessSemantics parameter, just
a width.
}];
let parameters = (ins "unsigned":$width);
// We define the printer inline.
let printer = [{
$_printer << "int<" << getImpl()->width << ">";
}];
// The parser is defined here also.
let parser = [{
if ($_parser.parseLess())
return Type();
int width;
if ($_parser.parseInteger(width))
return Type();
if ($_parser.parseGreater())
return Type();
return get($_ctxt, width);
}];
}
```
### Type name
The name of the C++ class which gets generated defaults to
`<classParamName>Type` (e.g. `TestIntegerType` in the above example). This can
be overridden via the `cppClassName` field. The field `mnemonic` is to specify
the asm name for parsing. It is optional and not specifying it will imply that
no parser or printer methods are attached to this class.
### Type documentation
The `summary` and `description` fields exist and are to be used the same way as
in Operations. Namely, the summary should be a one-liner and `description`
should be a longer explanation.
### Type parameters
The `parameters` field is a list of the type's parameters. If no parameters are
specified (the default), this type is considered a singleton type. Parameters
are in the `"c++Type":$paramName` format. To use C++ types as parameters which
need allocation in the storage constructor, there are two options:
- Set `hasCustomStorageConstructor` to generate the TypeStorage class with a
constructor which is just declared -- no definition -- so you can write it
yourself.
- Use the `TypeParameter` tablegen class instead of the "c++Type" string.
### TypeParameter tablegen class
This is used to further specify attributes about each of the types parameters.
It includes documentation (`summary` and `syntax`), the C++ type to use, a
custom allocator to use in the storage constructor method, and a custom
comparator to decide if two instances of the parameter type are equal.
```tablegen
// DO NOT DO THIS!
let parameters = (ins "ArrayRef<int>":$dims);
```
The default storage constructor blindly copies fields by value. It does not know
anything about the types. In this case, the ArrayRef<int> requires allocation
with `dims = allocator.copyInto(dims)`.
You can specify the necessary constructor by specializing the `TypeParameter`
tblgen class:
```tablegen
class ArrayRefIntParam :
TypeParameter<"::llvm::ArrayRef<int>", "Array of ints"> {
let allocator = "$_dst = $_allocator.copyInto($_self);";
}
...
let parameters = (ins ArrayRefIntParam:$dims);
```
The `allocator` code block has the following substitutions:
- `$_allocator` is the TypeStorageAllocator in which to allocate objects.
- `$_dst` is the variable in which to place the allocated data.
The `comparator` code block has the following substitutions:
- `$_lhs` is an instance of the parameter type.
- `$_rhs` is an instance of the parameter type.
MLIR includes several specialized classes for common situations:
- `StringRefParameter<descriptionOfParam>` for StringRefs.
- `ArrayRefParameter<arrayOf, descriptionOfParam>` for ArrayRefs of value
types
- `SelfAllocationParameter<descriptionOfParam>` for C++ classes which contain
a method called `allocateInto(StorageAllocator &allocator)` to allocate
itself into `allocator`.
- `ArrayRefOfSelfAllocationParameter<arrayOf, descriptionOfParam>` for arrays
of objects which self-allocate as per the last specialization.
If we were to use one of these included specializations:
```tablegen
let parameters = (ins
ArrayRefParameter<"int", "The dimensions">:$dims
);
```
### Parsing and printing
If a mnemonic is specified, the `printer` and `parser` code fields are active.
The rules for both are:
- If null, generate just the declaration.
- If non-null and non-empty, use the code in the definition. The `$_printer`
or `$_parser` substitutions are valid and should be used.
- It is an error to have an empty code block.
For each dialect, two "dispatch" functions will be created: one for parsing and
one for printing. You should add calls to these in your `Dialect::printType` and
`Dialect::parseType` methods. They are static functions placed alongside the
type class definitions and have the following function signatures:
```c++
static Type generatedTypeParser(MLIRContext* ctxt, DialectAsmParser& parser, StringRef mnemonic);
LogicalResult generatedTypePrinter(Type type, DialectAsmPrinter& printer);
```
The mnemonic, parser, and printer fields are optional. If they're not defined,
the generated code will not include any parsing or printing code and omit the
type from the dispatch functions above. In this case, the dialect author is
responsible for parsing/printing the types in `Dialect::printType` and
`Dialect::parseType`.
### Other fields
- If the `genStorageClass` field is set to 1 (the default) a storage class is
generated with member variables corresponding to each of the specified
`parameters`.
- If the `genAccessors` field is 1 (the default) accessor methods will be
generated on the Type class (e.g. `int getWidth() const` in the example
above).
- If the `genVerifyDecl` field is set, a declaration for a method `static
LogicalResult verify(emitErrorFn, parameters...)` is added to the class as
well as a `getChecked(emitErrorFn, parameters...)` method which checks the
result of `verify` before calling `get`.
- The `storageClass` field can be used to set the name of the storage class.
- The `storageNamespace` field is used to set the namespace where the storage
class should sit. Defaults to "detail".
- The `extraClassDeclaration` field is used to include extra code in the class
declaration.
### Type builder methods
For each type, there are a few builders(`get`/`getChecked`) automatically
generated based on the parameters of the type. For example, given the following
type definition:
```tablegen
def MyType : ... {
let parameters = (ins "int":$intParam);
}
```
The following builders are generated:
```c++
// Type builders are named `get`, and return a new instance of a type for a
// given set of parameters.
static MyType get(MLIRContext *context, int intParam);
// If `genVerifyDecl` is set to 1, the following method is also generated.
static MyType getChecked(function_ref<InFlightDiagnostic()> emitError,
MLIRContext *context, int intParam);
```
If these autogenerated methods are not desired, such as when they conflict with
a custom builder method, a type can set `skipDefaultBuilders` to 1 to signal
that they should not be generated.
#### Custom type builder methods
The default build methods may cover a majority of the simple cases related to
type construction, but when they cannot satisfy a type's needs, you can define
additional convenience 'get' methods in the `builders` field as follows:
```tablegen
def MyType : ... {
let parameters = (ins "int":$intParam);
let builders = [
TypeBuilder<(ins "int":$intParam)>,
TypeBuilder<(ins CArg<"int", "0">:$intParam)>,
TypeBuilder<(ins CArg<"int", "0">:$intParam), [{
// Write the body of the `get` builder inline here.
return Base::get($_ctxt, intParam);
}]>,
TypeBuilderWithInferredContext<(ins "Type":$typeParam), [{
// This builder states that it can infer an MLIRContext instance from
// its arguments.
return Base::get(typeParam.getContext(), ...);
}]>,
];
}
```
The `builders` field is a list of custom builders that are added to the type
class. In this example, we provide several different convenience builders that
are useful in different scenarios. The `ins` prefix is common to many function
declarations in ODS, which use a TableGen [`dag`](#tablegen-syntax). What
follows is a comma-separated list of types (quoted string or `CArg`) and names
prefixed with the `$` sign. The use of `CArg` allows for providing a default
value to that argument. Let's take a look at each of these builders individually
The first builder will generate the declaration of a builder method that looks
like:
```tablegen
let builders = [
TypeBuilder<(ins "int":$intParam)>,
];
```
```c++
class MyType : /*...*/ {
/*...*/
static MyType get(::mlir::MLIRContext *context, int intParam);
};
```
This builder is identical to the one that will be automatically generated for
`MyType`. The `context` parameter is implicitly added by the generator, and is
used when building the Type instance (with `Base::get`). The distinction
here is that we can provide the implementation of this `get` method. With this
style of builder definition only the declaration is generated, the implementor
of `MyType` will need to provide a definition of `MyType::get`.
The second builder will generate the declaration of a builder method that looks
like:
```tablegen
let builders = [
TypeBuilder<(ins CArg<"int", "0">:$intParam)>,
];
```
```c++
class MyType : /*...*/ {
/*...*/
static MyType get(::mlir::MLIRContext *context, int intParam = 0);
};
```
The constraints here are identical to the first builder example except for the
fact that `intParam` now has a default value attached.
The third builder will generate the declaration of a builder method that looks
like:
```tablegen
let builders = [
TypeBuilder<(ins CArg<"int", "0">:$intParam), [{
// Write the body of the `get` builder inline here.
return Base::get($_ctxt, intParam);
}]>,
];
```
```c++
class MyType : /*...*/ {
/*...*/
static MyType get(::mlir::MLIRContext *context, int intParam = 0);
};
MyType MyType::get(::mlir::MLIRContext *context, int intParam) {
// Write the body of the `get` builder inline here.
return Base::get(context, intParam);
}
```
This is identical to the second builder example. The difference is that now, a
definition for the builder method will be generated automatically using the
provided code block as the body. When specifying the body inline, `$_ctxt` may
be used to access the `MLIRContext *` parameter.
The fourth builder will generate the declaration of a builder method that looks
like:
```tablegen
let builders = [
TypeBuilderWithInferredContext<(ins "Type":$typeParam), [{
// This builder states that it can infer an MLIRContext instance from
// its arguments.
return Base::get(typeParam.getContext(), ...);
}]>,
];
```
```c++
class MyType : /*...*/ {
/*...*/
static MyType get(Type typeParam);
};
MyType MyType::get(Type typeParam) {
// This builder states that it can infer an MLIRContext instance from its
// arguments.
return Base::get(typeParam.getContext(), ...);
}
```
In this builder example, the main difference from the third builder example
there is that the `MLIRContext` parameter is no longer added. This is because
the type builder used `TypeBuilderWithInferredContext` implies that the context
parameter is not necessary as it can be inferred from the arguments to the
builder.
## Debugging Tips
### Run `mlir-tblgen` to see the generated content

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@ -1,694 +0,0 @@
# Defining Dialect Attributes and Types
This document is a quickstart to defining dialect specific extensions to the
[attribute](../LangRef.md/#attributes) and [type](../LangRef.md/#type-system)
systems in MLIR. The main part of this tutorial focuses on defining types, but
the instructions are nearly identical for defining attributes.
See [MLIR specification](../LangRef.md) for more information about MLIR, the
structure of the IR, operations, etc.
## Types
Types in MLIR (like attributes, locations, and many other things) are
value-typed. This means that instances of `Type` are passed around by-value, as
opposed to by-pointer or by-reference. The `Type` class in itself acts as a
wrapper around an internal storage object that is uniqued within an instance of
an `MLIRContext`.
### Defining the type class
As described above, `Type` objects in MLIR are value-typed and rely on having an
implicit internal storage object that holds the actual data for the type. When
defining a new `Type` it isn't always necessary to define a new storage class.
So before defining the derived `Type`, it's important to know which of the two
classes of `Type` we are defining:
Some types are *singleton* in nature, meaning they have no parameters and only
ever have one instance, like the
[`index` type](../Dialects/Builtin.md/#indextype).
Other types are *parametric*, and contain additional information that
differentiates different instances of the same `Type`. For example the
[`integer` type](../Dialects/Builtin.md/#integertype) contains a bitwidth, with
`i8` and `i16` representing different instances of
[`integer` type](../Dialects/Builtin.md/#integertype). *Parametric* may also
contain a mutable component, which can be used, for example, to construct
self-referring recursive types. The mutable component *cannot* be used to
differentiate instances of a type class, so usually such types contain other
parametric components that serve to identify them.
#### Singleton types
For singleton types, we can jump straight into defining the derived type class.
Given that only one instance of such types may exist, there is no need to
provide our own storage class.
```c++
/// This class defines a simple parameterless singleton type. All derived types
/// must inherit from the CRTP class 'Type::TypeBase'. It takes as template
/// parameters the concrete type (SimpleType), the base class to use (Type),
/// the internal storage class (the default TypeStorage here), and an optional
/// set of type traits and interfaces(detailed below).
class SimpleType : public Type::TypeBase<SimpleType, Type, TypeStorage> {
public:
/// Inherit some necessary constructors from 'TypeBase'.
using Base::Base;
/// The `TypeBase` class provides the following utility methods for
/// constructing instances of this type:
/// static SimpleType get(MLIRContext *ctx);
};
```
#### Parametric types
Parametric types are those with additional construction or uniquing constraints,
that allow for representing multiple different instances of a single class. As
such, these types require defining a type storage class to contain the
parametric data.
##### Defining a type storage
Type storage objects contain all of the data necessary to construct and unique a
parametric type instance. The storage classes must obey the following:
* Inherit from the base type storage class `TypeStorage`.
* Define a type alias, `KeyTy`, that maps to a type that uniquely identifies
an instance of the derived type.
* Provide a construction method that is used to allocate a new instance of the
storage class.
- `static Storage *construct(TypeStorageAllocator &, const KeyTy &key)`
* Provide a comparison method between the storage and `KeyTy`.
- `bool operator==(const KeyTy &) const`
* Provide a method to generate the `KeyTy` from a list of arguments passed to
the uniquer. (Note: This is only necessary if the `KeyTy` cannot be default
constructed from these arguments).
- `static KeyTy getKey(Args...&& args)`
* Provide a method to hash an instance of the `KeyTy`. (Note: This is not
necessary if an `llvm::DenseMapInfo<KeyTy>` specialization exists)
- `static llvm::hash_code hashKey(const KeyTy &)`
Let's look at an example:
```c++
/// Here we define a storage class for a ComplexType, that holds a non-zero
/// integer and an integer type.
struct ComplexTypeStorage : public TypeStorage {
ComplexTypeStorage(unsigned nonZeroParam, Type integerType)
: nonZeroParam(nonZeroParam), integerType(integerType) {}
/// The hash key for this storage is a pair of the integer and type params.
using KeyTy = std::pair<unsigned, Type>;
/// Define the comparison function for the key type.
bool operator==(const KeyTy &key) const {
return key == KeyTy(nonZeroParam, integerType);
}
/// Define a hash function for the key type.
/// Note: This isn't necessary because std::pair, unsigned, and Type all have
/// hash functions already available.
static llvm::hash_code hashKey(const KeyTy &key) {
return llvm::hash_combine(key.first, key.second);
}
/// Define a construction function for the key type.
/// Note: This isn't necessary because KeyTy can be directly constructed with
/// the given parameters.
static KeyTy getKey(unsigned nonZeroParam, Type integerType) {
return KeyTy(nonZeroParam, integerType);
}
/// Define a construction method for creating a new instance of this storage.
static ComplexTypeStorage *construct(TypeStorageAllocator &allocator,
const KeyTy &key) {
return new (allocator.allocate<ComplexTypeStorage>())
ComplexTypeStorage(key.first, key.second);
}
/// The parametric data held by the storage class.
unsigned nonZeroParam;
Type integerType;
};
```
##### Type class definition
Now that the storage class has been created, the derived type class can be
defined. This structure is similar to [singleton types](#singleton-types),
except that a bit more of the functionality provided by `Type::TypeBase` is put
to use.
```c++
/// This class defines a parametric type. All derived types must inherit from
/// the CRTP class 'Type::TypeBase'. It takes as template parameters the
/// concrete type (ComplexType), the base class to use (Type), the storage
/// class (ComplexTypeStorage), and an optional set of traits and
/// interfaces(detailed below).
class ComplexType : public Type::TypeBase<ComplexType, Type,
ComplexTypeStorage> {
public:
/// Inherit some necessary constructors from 'TypeBase'.
using Base::Base;
/// This method is used to get an instance of the 'ComplexType'. This method
/// asserts that all of the construction invariants were satisfied. To
/// gracefully handle failed construction, getChecked should be used instead.
static ComplexType get(unsigned param, Type type) {
// Call into a helper 'get' method in 'TypeBase' to get a uniqued instance
// of this type. All parameters to the storage class are passed after the
// context.
return Base::get(type.getContext(), param, type);
}
/// This method is used to get an instance of the 'ComplexType'. If any of the
/// construction invariants are invalid, errors are emitted with the provided
/// `emitError` function and a null type is returned.
/// Note: This method is completely optional.
static ComplexType getChecked(function_ref<InFlightDiagnostic()> emitError,
unsigned param, Type type) {
// Call into a helper 'getChecked' method in 'TypeBase' to get a uniqued
// instance of this type. All parameters to the storage class are passed
// after the context.
return Base::getChecked(emitError, type.getContext(), param, type);
}
/// This method is used to verify the construction invariants passed into the
/// 'get' and 'getChecked' methods. Note: This method is completely optional.
static LogicalResult verify(function_ref<InFlightDiagnostic()> emitError,
unsigned param, Type type) {
// Our type only allows non-zero parameters.
if (param == 0)
return emitError() << "non-zero parameter passed to 'ComplexType'";
// Our type also expects an integer type.
if (!type.isa<IntegerType>())
return emitError() << "non integer-type passed to 'ComplexType'";
return success();
}
/// Return the parameter value.
unsigned getParameter() {
// 'getImpl' returns a pointer to our internal storage instance.
return getImpl()->nonZeroParam;
}
/// Return the integer parameter type.
IntegerType getParameterType() {
// 'getImpl' returns a pointer to our internal storage instance.
return getImpl()->integerType;
}
};
```
#### Mutable types
Types with a mutable component are special instances of parametric types that
allow for mutating certain parameters after construction.
##### Defining a type storage
In addition to the requirements for the type storage class for parametric types,
the storage class for types with a mutable component must additionally obey the
following.
* The mutable component must not participate in the storage `KeyTy`.
* Provide a mutation method that is used to modify an existing instance of the
storage. This method modifies the mutable component based on arguments,
using `allocator` for any newly dynamically-allocated storage, and indicates
whether the modification was successful.
- `LogicalResult mutate(StorageAllocator &allocator, Args ...&& args)`
Let's define a simple storage for recursive types, where a type is identified by
its name and may contain another type including itself.
```c++
/// Here we define a storage class for a RecursiveType that is identified by its
/// name and contains another type.
struct RecursiveTypeStorage : public TypeStorage {
/// The type is uniquely identified by its name. Note that the contained type
/// is _not_ a part of the key.
using KeyTy = StringRef;
/// Construct the storage from the type name. Explicitly initialize the
/// containedType to nullptr, which is used as marker for the mutable
/// component being not yet initialized.
RecursiveTypeStorage(StringRef name) : name(name), containedType(nullptr) {}
/// Define the comparison function.
bool operator==(const KeyTy &key) const { return key == name; }
/// Define a construction method for creating a new instance of the storage.
static RecursiveTypeStorage *construct(StorageAllocator &allocator,
const KeyTy &key) {
// Note that the key string is copied into the allocator to ensure it
// remains live as long as the storage itself.
return new (allocator.allocate<RecursiveTypeStorage>())
RecursiveTypeStorage(allocator.copyInto(key));
}
/// Define a mutation method for changing the type after it is created. In
/// many cases, we only want to set the mutable component once and reject
/// any further modification, which can be achieved by returning failure from
/// this function.
LogicalResult mutate(StorageAllocator &, Type body) {
// If the contained type has been initialized already, and the call tries
// to change it, reject the change.
if (containedType && containedType != body)
return failure();
// Change the body successfully.
containedType = body;
return success();
}
StringRef name;
Type containedType;
};
```
##### Type class definition
Having defined the storage class, we can define the type class itself.
`Type::TypeBase` provides a `mutate` method that forwards its arguments to the
`mutate` method of the storage and ensures the mutation happens safely.
```c++
class RecursiveType : public Type::TypeBase<RecursiveType, Type,
RecursiveTypeStorage> {
public:
/// Inherit parent constructors.
using Base::Base;
/// Creates an instance of the Recursive type. This only takes the type name
/// and returns the type with uninitialized body.
static RecursiveType get(MLIRContext *ctx, StringRef name) {
// Call into the base to get a uniqued instance of this type. The parameter
// (name) is passed after the context.
return Base::get(ctx, name);
}
/// Now we can change the mutable component of the type. This is an instance
/// method callable on an already existing RecursiveType.
void setBody(Type body) {
// Call into the base to mutate the type.
LogicalResult result = Base::mutate(body);
// Most types expect the mutation to always succeed, but types can implement
// custom logic for handling mutation failures.
assert(succeeded(result) &&
"attempting to change the body of an already-initialized type");
// Avoid unused-variable warning when building without assertions.
(void) result;
}
/// Returns the contained type, which may be null if it has not been
/// initialized yet.
Type getBody() {
return getImpl()->containedType;
}
/// Returns the name.
StringRef getName() {
return getImpl()->name;
}
};
```
### Registering types with a Dialect
Once the dialect types have been defined, they must then be registered with a
`Dialect`. This is done via a similar mechanism to
[operations](../LangRef.md/#operations), with the `addTypes` method. The one
distinct difference with operations, is that when a type is registered the
definition of its storage class must be visible.
```c++
struct MyDialect : public Dialect {
MyDialect(MLIRContext *context) : Dialect(/*name=*/"mydialect", context) {
/// Add these defined types to the dialect.
addTypes<SimpleType, ComplexType, RecursiveType>();
}
};
```
### Parsing and Printing
As a final step after registration, a dialect must override the `printType` and
`parseType` hooks. These enable native support for round-tripping the type in
the textual `.mlir`.
```c++
class MyDialect : public Dialect {
public:
/// Parse an instance of a type registered to the dialect.
Type parseType(DialectAsmParser &parser) const override;
/// Print an instance of a type registered to the dialect.
void printType(Type type, DialectAsmPrinter &printer) const override;
};
```
These methods take an instance of a high-level parser or printer that allows for
easily implementing the necessary functionality. As described in the
[MLIR language reference](../LangRef.md/#dialect-types), dialect types are
generally represented as: `! dialect-namespace < type-data >`, with a pretty
form available under certain circumstances. The responsibility of our parser and
printer is to provide the `type-data` bits.
### Traits
Similarly to operations, `Type` classes may attach `Traits` that provide
additional mixin methods and other data. `Trait` classes may be specified via
the trailing template argument of the `Type::TypeBase` class. See the main
[`Trait`](../Traits.md) documentation for more information on defining and using
traits.
### Interfaces
Similarly to operations, `Type` classes may attach `Interfaces` to provide an
abstract interface into the type. See the main [`Interface`](../Interfaces.md)
documentation for more information on defining and using interfaces.
## Attributes
As stated in the introduction, the process for defining dialect attributes is
nearly identical to that of defining dialect types. That key difference is that
the things named `*Type` are generally now named `*Attr`.
* `Type::TypeBase` -> `Attribute::AttrBase`
* `TypeStorageAllocator` -> `AttributeStorageAllocator`
* `addTypes` -> `addAttributes`
Aside from that, all of the interfaces for uniquing and storage construction are
all the same.
## Defining Custom Parsers and Printers using Assembly Formats
Attributes and types defined in ODS with a mnemonic can define an
`assemblyFormat` to declaratively describe custom parsers and printers. The
assembly format consists of literals, variables, and directives.
* A literal is a keyword or valid punctuation enclosed in backticks, e.g. ``
`keyword` `` or `` `<` ``.
* A variable is a parameter name preceeded by a dollar sign, e.g. `$param0`,
which captures one attribute or type parameter.
* A directive is a keyword followed by an optional argument list that defines
special parser and printer behaviour.
```tablegen
// An example type with an assembly format.
def MyType : TypeDef<My_Dialect, "MyType"> {
// Define a mnemonic to allow the dialect's parser hook to call into the
// generated parser.
let mnemonic = "my_type";
// Define two parameters whose C++ types are indicated in string literals.
let parameters = (ins "int":$count, "AffineMap":$map);
// Define the assembly format. Surround the format with less `<` and greater
// `>` so that MLIR's printers use the pretty format.
let assemblyFormat = "`<` $count `,` `map` `=` $map `>`";
}
```
The declarative assembly format for `MyType` results in the following format in
the IR:
```mlir
!my_dialect.my_type<42, map = affine_map<(i, j) -> (j, i)>
```
### Parameter Parsing and Printing
For many basic parameter types, no additional work is needed to define how these
parameters are parsed or printed.
* The default printer for any parameter is `$_printer << $_self`, where
`$_self` is the C++ value of the parameter and `$_printer` is an
`AsmPrinter`.
* The default parser for a parameter is
`FieldParser<$cppClass>::parse($_parser)`, where `$cppClass` is the C++ type
of the parameter and `$_parser` is an `AsmParser`.
Printing and parsing behaviour can be added to additional C++ types by
overloading these functions or by defining a `parser` and `printer` in an ODS
parameter class.
Example of overloading:
```c++
using MyParameter = std::pair<int, int>;
AsmPrinter &operator<<(AsmPrinter &printer, MyParameter param) {
printer << param.first << " * " << param.second;
}
template <> struct FieldParser<MyParameter> {
static FailureOr<MyParameter> parse(AsmParser &parser) {
int a, b;
if (parser.parseInteger(a) || parser.parseStar() ||
parser.parseInteger(b))
return failure();
return MyParameter(a, b);
}
};
```
Example of using ODS parameter classes:
```
def MyParameter : TypeParameter<"std::pair<int, int>", "pair of ints"> {
let printer = [{ $_printer << $_self.first << " * " << $_self.second }];
let parser = [{ [&] -> FailureOr<std::pair<int, int>> {
int a, b;
if ($_parser.parseInteger(a) || $_parser.parseStar() ||
$_parser.parseInteger(b))
return failure();
return std::make_pair(a, b);
}() }];
}
```
A type using this parameter with the assembly format `` `<` $myParam `>` `` will
look as follows in the IR:
```mlir
!my_dialect.my_type<42 * 24>
```
#### Non-POD Parameters
Parameters that aren't plain-old-data (e.g. references) may need to define a
`cppStorageType` to contain the data until it is copied into the allocator. For
example, `StringRefParameter` uses `std::string` as its storage type, whereas
`ArrayRefParameter` uses `SmallVector` as its storage type. The parsers for
these parameters are expected to return `FailureOr<$cppStorageType>`.
#### Optional Parameters
Optional parameters in the assembly format can be indicated by setting
`isOptional`. The C++ type of an optional parameter is required to satisfy the
following requirements:
* is default-constructible
* is contextually convertible to `bool`
* only the default-constructed value is `false`
The parameter parser should return the default-constructed value to indicate "no
value present". The printer will guard on the presence of a value to print the
parameter.
If a value was not parsed for an optional parameter, then the parameter will be
set to its default-constructed C++ value. For example, `Optional<int>` will be
set to `llvm::None` and `Attribute` will be set to `nullptr`.
Only optional parameters or directives that only capture optional parameters can
be used in optional groups. An optional group is a set of elements optionally
printed based on the presence of an anchor. Suppose parameter `a` is an
`IntegerAttr`.
```
( `(` $a^ `)` ) : (`x`)?
```
In the above assembly format, if `a` is present (non-null), then it will be
printed as `(5 : i32)`. If it is not present, it will be `x`. Directives that
are used inside optional groups are allowed only if all captured parameters are
also optional.
#### Default-Valued Parameters
Optional parameters can be given default values by setting `defaultValue`, a
string of the C++ default value, or by using `DefaultValuedParameter`. If a
value for the parameter was not encountered during parsing, it is set to this
default value. If a parameter is equal to its default value, it is not printed.
The `comparator` field of the parameter is used, but if one is not specified,
the equality operator is used.
For example:
```
let parameters = (ins DefaultValuedParameter<"Optional<int>", "5">:$a)
let mnemonic = "default_valued";
let assemblyFormat = "(`<` $a^ `>`)?";
```
Which will look like:
```
!test.default_valued // a = 5
!test.default_valued<10> // a = 10
```
For optional `Attribute` or `Type` parameters, the current MLIR context is
available through `$_ctx`. E.g.
```
DefaultValuedParameter<"IntegerType", "IntegerType::get($_ctx, 32)">
```
### Assembly Format Directives
Attribute and type assembly formats have the following directives:
* `params`: capture all parameters of an attribute or type.
* `qualified`: mark a parameter to be printed with its leading dialect and
mnemonic.
* `struct`: generate a "struct-like" parser and printer for a list of
key-value pairs.
* `custom`: dispatch a call to user-define parser and printer functions
* `ref`: in a custom directive, references a previously bound variable
#### `params` Directive
This directive is used to refer to all parameters of an attribute or type. When
used as a top-level directive, `params` generates a parser and printer for a
comma-separated list of the parameters. For example:
```tablegen
def MyPairType : TypeDef<My_Dialect, "MyPairType"> {
let parameters = (ins "int":$a, "int":$b);
let mnemonic = "pair";
let assemblyFormat = "`<` params `>`";
}
```
In the IR, this type will appear as:
```mlir
!my_dialect.pair<42, 24>
```
The `params` directive can also be passed to other directives, such as `struct`,
as an argument that refers to all parameters in place of explicitly listing all
parameters as variables.
#### `qualified` Directive
This directive can be used to wrap attribute or type parameters such that they
are printed in a fully qualified form, i.e., they include the dialect name and
mnemonic prefix.
For example:
```tablegen
def OuterType : TypeDef<My_Dialect, "MyOuterType"> {
let parameters = (ins MyPairType:$inner);
let mnemonic = "outer";
let assemblyFormat = "`<` pair `:` $inner `>`";
}
def OuterQualifiedType : TypeDef<My_Dialect, "MyOuterQualifiedType"> {
let parameters = (ins MyPairType:$inner);
let mnemonic = "outer_qual";
let assemblyFormat = "`<` pair `:` qualified($inner) `>`";
}
```
In the IR, the types will appear as:
```mlir
!my_dialect.outer<pair : <42, 24>>
!my_dialect.outer_qual<pair : !mydialect.pair<42, 24>>
```
If optional parameters are present, they are not printed in the parameter list
if they are not present.
#### `struct` Directive
The `struct` directive accepts a list of variables to capture and will generate
a parser and printer for a comma-separated list of key-value pairs. If an
optional parameter is included in the `struct`, it can be elided. The variables
are printed in the order they are specified in the argument list **but can be
parsed in any order**. For example:
```tablegen
def MyStructType : TypeDef<My_Dialect, "MyStructType"> {
let parameters = (ins StringRefParameter<>:$sym_name,
"int":$a, "int":$b, "int":$c);
let mnemonic = "struct";
let assemblyFormat = "`<` $sym_name `->` struct($a, $b, $c) `>`";
}
```
In the IR, this type can appear with any permutation of the order of the
parameters captured in the directive.
```mlir
!my_dialect.struct<"foo" -> a = 1, b = 2, c = 3>
!my_dialect.struct<"foo" -> b = 2, c = 3, a = 1>
```
Passing `params` as the only argument to `struct` makes the directive capture
all the parameters of the attribute or type. For the same type above, an
assembly format of `` `<` struct(params) `>` `` will result in:
```mlir
!my_dialect.struct<b = 2, sym_name = "foo", c = 3, a = 1>
```
The order in which the parameters are printed is the order in which they are
declared in the attribute's or type's `parameter` list.
#### `custom` and `ref` directive
The `custom` directive is used to dispatch calls to user-defined printer and
parser functions. For example, suppose we had the following type:
```tablegen
let parameters = (ins "int":$foo, "int":$bar);
let assemblyFormat = "custom<Foo>($foo) custom<Bar>($bar, ref($foo))";
```
The `custom` directive `custom<Foo>($foo)` will in the parser and printer
respectively generate calls to:
```c++
LogicalResult parseFoo(AsmParser &parser, FailureOr<int> &foo);
void printFoo(AsmPrinter &printer, int foo);
```
A previously bound variable can be passed as a parameter to a `custom` directive
by wrapping it in a `ref` directive. In the previous example, `$foo` is bound by
the first directive. The second directive references it and expects the
following printer and parser signatures:
```c++
LogicalResult parseBar(AsmParser &parser, FailureOr<int> &bar, int foo);
void printBar(AsmPrinter &printer, int bar, int foo);
```
More complex C++ types can be used with the `custom` directive. The only caveat
is that the parameter for the parser must use the storage type of the parameter.
For example, `StringRefParameter` expects the parser and printer signatures as:
```c++
LogicalResult parseStringParam(AsmParser &parser,
FailureOr<std::string> &value);
void printStringParam(AsmPrinter &printer, StringRef value);
```
The custom parser is considered to have failed if it returns failure or if any
bound parameters have failure values afterwards.