[libc++] Correct outdated documentation about __config_site

The way we handle __config_site changed 1-2 years ago, and the
documentation was never updated -- this commit does that.
This commit is contained in:
Louis Dionne 2022-03-23 13:40:15 -04:00
parent d2663fcc39
commit cb1598cf6e
1 changed files with 42 additions and 56 deletions

View File

@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
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Capturing configuration information during installation
=======================================================
==================================================
Capturing configuration information in the headers
==================================================
.. contents::
:local:
@ -8,75 +8,61 @@ Capturing configuration information during installation
The Problem
===========
Currently the libc++ supports building the library with a number of different
configuration options. Unfortunately all of that configuration information is
lost when libc++ is installed. In order to support "persistent"
configurations libc++ needs a mechanism to capture the configuration options
in the INSTALLED headers.
libc++ supports building the library with a number of different configuration options.
In order to support persistent configurations and reduce arbitrary preprocessor logic
in the headers, libc++ has a mechanism to capture configuration options in the
installed headers so they can be used in the rest of the code.
Design Goals
============
* The solution should not INSTALL any additional headers. We don't want an extra
#include slowing everybody down.
* The solution should be simple, consistent and robust to avoid subtle bugs.
* The solution should not unduly affect libc++ developers. The problem is limited
to installed versions of libc++ and the solution should be as well.
* Developers should test the code the same way it will be deployed -- in other words,
the headers used to run tests should be the same that we install in order
to avoid bugs creeping up.
* The solution should not modify any existing headers EXCEPT during installation.
It makes developers lives harder if they have to regenerate the libc++ headers
every time they are modified.
* The solution should not make any of the libc++ headers dependent on
files generated by the build system. The headers should be able to compile
out of the box without any modification.
* The solution should not have ANY effect on users who don't need special
configuration options. The vast majority of users will never need this so it
shouldn't cost them.
* It should allow different targets or flavors of the library to use a different
configuration without having to duplicate all the libc++ headers.
The Solution
============
When you first configure libc++ using CMake we check to see if we need to
capture any options. If we haven't been given any "persistent" options then
we do NOTHING.
When you first configure libc++ using CMake, a ``__config_site`` file is generated
to capture the various configuration options you selected. The ``__config`` header
used by all other headers includes this ``__config_site`` header first in order to
get the correct configuration.
Otherwise we create a custom installation rule that modifies the installed __config
header. The rule first generates a dummy "__config_site" header containing the required
#defines. The contents of the dummy header are then prepended to the installed
__config header. By manually prepending the files we avoid the cost of an
extra #include and we allow the __config header to be ignorant of the extra
configuration all together. An example "__config" header generated when
-DLIBCXX_ENABLE_THREADS=OFF is given to CMake would look something like:
The ``__config_site`` header is hence the only place where persistent configuration
is stored in the library. That header essentially reflects how the vendor configured
the library. As we evolve the library, we can lift configuration options into that
header in order to reduce arbitrary hardcoded choices elsewhere in the code. For
example, instead of assuming that a specific platform doesn't provide some functionality,
we can create a generic macro to guard it and vendors can define the macro when
configuring the library on that platform. This makes the "carve off" reusable in
other circumstances instead of tying it tightly to a single platform.
.. code-block:: cpp
Furthermore, the Clang driver now looks for headers in a target-specific directory
for libc++. By installing the ``__config_site`` header (and only that header) to
this target-specific directory, it is possible to share the libc++ headers for
multiple targets, and only duplicate the persistent information located in the
``__config_site`` header. For example:
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
//
// Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
// See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
//
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
.. code-block:: bash
#ifndef _LIBCPP_CONFIG_SITE
#define _LIBCPP_CONFIG_SITE
include/c++/v1/
vector
map
etc...
#define _LIBCPP_HAS_NO_THREADS
/* #undef _LIBCPP_HAS_NO_MONOTONIC_CLOCK */
include/<targetA>/c++/v1/
__config_site
#endif
// -*- C++ -*-
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
//
// Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
// See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
//
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
include/<targetB>/c++/v1/
__config_site
#ifndef _LIBCPP_CONFIG
#define _LIBCPP_CONFIG
When compiling for ``targetA``, Clang will use the ``__config_site`` inside
``include/<targetA>/c++/v1/``, and the corresponding ``__config_site`` for
``targetB``.