Merge remote-tracking branch 'oli-obk/master'

Author: nikomatsakis

text/0000-compile-time-asserts.md

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+- Feature Name: compile_time_asserts
+- Start Date: 2015-07-30
+- RFC PR: (leave this empty)
+- Rust Issue: (leave this empty)
+
+# Summary
+
+If the constant evaluator encounters erronous code during the evaluation of
+an expression that is not part of a true constant evaluation context a warning
+must be emitted and the expression needs to be translated normally.
+
+# Definition of constant evaluation context
+
+There are exactly five places where an expression needs to be constant.
+
+- the initializer of a constant `const foo: ty = EXPR` or `static foo: ty = EXPR`
+- the size of an array `[T; EXPR]`
+- the length of a repeat expression `[VAL; LEN_EXPR]`
+- C-Like enum variant discriminant values
+- patterns
+
+In the future the body of `const fn` might also be interpreted as a constant
+evaluation context.
+
+Any other expression might still be constant evaluated, but it could just
+as well be compiled normally and executed at runtime.
+
+# Motivation
+
+Expressions are const-evaluated even when they are not in a const environment.
+
+For example
+
+```rust
+fn blub<T>(t: T) -> T { t }
+let x = 5 << blub(42);
+```
+
+will not cause a compiler error currently, while `5 << 42` will.
+If the constant evaluator gets smart enough, it will be able to const evaluate
+the `blub` function. This would be a breaking change, since the code would not
+compile anymore. (this occurred in https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/26848).
+
+# Detailed design
+
+The PRs https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/26848 and https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/25570 will be setting a precedent
+for warning about such situations (WIP, not pushed yet).
+
+When the constant evaluator fails while evaluating a normal expression,
+a warning will be emitted and normal translation needs to be resumed.
+
+# Drawbacks
+
+None, if we don't do anything, the const evaluator cannot get much smarter.
+
+# Alternatives
+
+## allow breaking changes
+
+Let the compiler error on things that will unconditionally panic at runtime.
+
+## insert an unconditional panic instead of generating regular code
+
+GNAT (an Ada compiler) does this already:
+
+```ada
+procedure Hello is
+  Var: Integer range 15 .. 20 := 21;
+begin
+  null;
+end Hello;
+```
+
+The anonymous subtype `Integer range 15 .. 20` only accepts values in `[15, 20]`.
+This knowledge is used by GNAT to emit the following warning during compilation:
+
+```
+warning: value not in range of subtype of "Standard.Integer" defined at line 2
+warning: "Constraint_Error" will be raised at run time
+```
+
+I don't have a GNAT with `-emit-llvm` handy, but here's the asm with `-O0`:
+
+```asm
+.cfi_startproc
+pushq   %rbp
+.cfi_def_cfa_offset 16
+.cfi_offset 6, -16
+movq    %rsp, %rbp
+.cfi_def_cfa_register 6
+movl    $2, %esi
+movl    $.LC0, %edi
+movl    $0, %eax
+call    __gnat_rcheck_CE_Range_Check
+```
+
+
+# Unresolved questions
+
+## Const-eval the body of `const fn` that are never used in a constant environment
+
+Currently a `const fn` that is called in non-const code is treated just like a normal function.
+
+In case there is a statically known erroneous situation in the body of the function,
+the compiler should raise an error, even if the function is never called.
+
+The same applies to unused associated constants.