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| <!--*********************************************************************--> |
| <h1>"libc++" C++ Standard Library</h1> |
| <!--*********************************************************************--> |
| |
| <p>libc++ is a new implementation of the C++ standard library, targeting |
| C++11.</p> |
| |
| <p>All of the code in libc++ is <a |
| href="http://llvm.org/docs/DeveloperPolicy.html#license">dual licensed</a> |
| under the MIT license and the UIUC License (a BSD-like license).</p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2 id="goals">Features and Goals</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Correctness as defined by the C++11 standard.</li> |
| <li>Fast execution.</li> |
| <li>Minimal memory use.</li> |
| <li>Fast compile times.</li> |
| <li>ABI compatibility with gcc's libstdc++ for some low-level features |
| such as exception objects, rtti and memory allocation.</li> |
| <li>Extensive unit tests.</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2 id="why">Why a new C++ Standard Library for C++11?</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p>After its initial introduction, many people have asked "why start a new |
| library instead of contributing to an existing library?" (like Apache's |
| libstdcxx, GNU's libstdc++, STLport, etc). There are many contributing |
| reasons, but some of the major ones are:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><p>From years of experience (including having implemented the standard |
| library before), we've learned many things about implementing |
| the standard containers which require ABI breakage and fundamental changes |
| to how they are implemented. For example, it is generally accepted that |
| building std::string using the "short string optimization" instead of |
| using Copy On Write (COW) is a superior approach for multicore |
| machines (particularly in C++11, which has rvalue references). Breaking |
| ABI compatibility with old versions of the library was |
| determined to be critical to achieving the performance goals of |
| libc++.</p></li> |
| |
| <li><p>Mainline libstdc++ has switched to GPL3, a license which the developers |
| of libc++ cannot use. libstdc++ 4.2 (the last GPL2 version) could be |
| independently extended to support C++11, but this would be a fork of the |
| codebase (which is often seen as worse for a project than starting a new |
| independent one). Another problem with libstdc++ is that it is tightly |
| integrated with G++ development, tending to be tied fairly closely to the |
| matching version of G++.</p> |
| </li> |
| |
| <li><p>STLport and the Apache libstdcxx library are two other popular |
| candidates, but both lack C++11 support. Our experience (and the |
| experience of libstdc++ developers) is that adding support for C++11 (in |
| particular rvalue references and move-only types) requires changes to |
| almost every class and function, essentially amounting to a rewrite. |
| Faced with a rewrite, we decided to start from scratch and evaluate every |
| design decision from first principles based on experience.</p> |
| |
| <p>Further, both projects are apparently abandoned: STLport 5.2.1 was |
| released in Oct'08, and STDCXX 4.2.1 in May'08.</p> |
| |
| </ul> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2 id="requirements">Platform Support</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p>libc++ is known to work on the following platforms, using g++-4.2 and |
| clang (lack of C++11 language support disables some functionality).</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li>Mac OS X i386</li> |
| <li>Mac OS X x86_64</li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2 id="dir-structure">Current Status</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p>libc++ is a 100% complete C++11 implementation on Apple's OS X. </p> |
| <p>LLVM and Clang can self host in C++ and C++11 mode with libc++ on Linux.</p> |
| <p>libc++ is also a 100% complete C++14 implementation. A list of new features and changes for |
| C++14 can be found <a href="cxx1y_status.html">here</a>.</p> |
| <p>Implementation of the post-c++14 Technical Specifications is in progress. A list of features and |
| the current status of these features can be found <a href="ts1z_status.html">here</a>.</p> |
| <p> |
| Ports to other platforms are underway. Here are recent test |
| results for <a href="results.Windows.html">Windows</a> |
| and <a href="results.Linux.html">Linux</a>. |
| </p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Get it and get involved!</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p>First please review our |
| <a href="http://llvm.org/docs/DeveloperPolicy.html">Developer's Policy</a>. |
| |
| <p>To check out the code, use:</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>svn co http://llvm.org/svn/llvm-project/libcxx/trunk libcxx</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p> |
| On Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) and later, the easiest way to get this library is to install |
| Xcode 4.2 or later. However if you want to install tip-of-trunk from here |
| (getting the bleeding edge), read on. However, be warned that Mac OS |
| 10.7 will not boot without a valid copy of <code>libc++.1.dylib</code> in |
| <code>/usr/lib</code>. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| Next: |
| </p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>cd libcxx/lib</code></li> |
| <li><code>export TRIPLE=-apple-</code></li> |
| <li><code>./buildit</code></li> |
| <li><code>ln -sf libc++.1.dylib libc++.dylib</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p> |
| That should result in a libc++.1.dylib and libc++.dylib. The safest thing |
| to do is to use it from where your libcxx is installed instead of replacing |
| these in your Mac OS. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| To use your system-installed libc++ with clang you can: |
| </p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>clang++ -stdlib=libc++ test.cpp</code></li> |
| <li><code>clang++ -std=c++11 -stdlib=libc++ test.cpp</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p> |
| To use your tip-of-trunk libc++ on Mac OS with clang you can: |
| </p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=<path-to-libcxx>/lib</code> |
| <li><code>clang++ -std=c++11 -stdlib=libc++ -nostdinc++ |
| -I<path-to-libcxx>/include -L<path-to-libcxx>/lib |
| test.cpp</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <p>To run the libc++ test suite (recommended):</p> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>cd libcxx/test</code></li> |
| <li><code>./testit</code></li> |
| <ul> |
| <li>You can alter the command line options <code>testit</code> uses |
| with <code>export OPTIONS="whatever you need"</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| </ul> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h3>Notes</h3> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p> |
| Building libc++ with <code>-fno-rtti</code> is not supported. However linking |
| against it with <code>-fno-rtti</code> is supported. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p>Send discussions to the |
| (<a href="http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/cfe-dev">clang mailing list</a>).</p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Bug reports and patches</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p> |
| If you think you've found a bug in libc++, please report it using |
| the <a href="http://llvm.org/bugs">LLVM Bugzilla</a>. If you're not sure, you |
| can post a message to the <a href="http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/cfe-dev">cfe-dev</a> |
| mailing list or on IRC. Please include "libc++" in your subject. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| If you want to contribute a patch to libc++, the best place for that is the |
| <a href="http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/cfe-commits">cfe-commits</a> |
| mailing list. Please include "libc++" and "PATCH" in your subject. |
| </p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Build on Linux using CMake and libsupc++.</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p> |
| You will need libstdc++ in order to provide libsupc++. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| Figure out where the libsupc++ headers are on your system. On Ubuntu this |
| is <code>/usr/include/c++/<version></code> and |
| <code>/usr/include/c++/<version>/<target-triple></code> |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| You can also figure this out by running |
| <pre> |
| $ echo | g++ -Wp,-v -x c++ - -fsyntax-only |
| ignoring nonexistent directory "/usr/local/include/x86_64-linux-gnu" |
| ignoring nonexistent directory "/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/4.7/../../../../x86_64-linux-gnu/include" |
| #include "..." search starts here: |
| #include <...> search starts here: |
| /usr/include/c++/4.7 |
| /usr/include/c++/4.7/x86_64-linux-gnu |
| /usr/include/c++/4.7/backward |
| /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/4.7/include |
| /usr/local/include |
| /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/4.7/include-fixed |
| /usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu |
| /usr/include |
| End of search list. |
| </pre> |
| |
| Note the first two entries happen to be what we are looking for. This |
| may not be correct on other platforms. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| We can now run CMake: |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>CC=clang CXX=clang++ cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" |
| -DLIBCXX_CXX_ABI=libstdc++ |
| -DLIBCXX_LIBSUPCXX_INCLUDE_PATHS="/usr/include/c++/4.7/;/usr/include/c++/4.7/x86_64-linux-gnu/" |
| -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release |
| -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr |
| <libc++-source-dir></code></li> |
| <li>You can also substitute <code>-DLIBCXX_CXX_ABI=libsupc++</code> |
| above, which will cause the library to be linked to libsupc++ instead |
| of libstdc++, but this is only recommended if you know that you will |
| never need to link against libstdc++ in the same executable as libc++. |
| GCC ships libsupc++ separately but only as a static library. If a |
| program also needs to link against libstdc++, it will provide its |
| own copy of libsupc++ and this can lead to subtle problems. |
| <li><code>make</code></li> |
| <li><code>sudo make install</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| <p> |
| You can now run clang with -stdlib=libc++. |
| </p> |
| </p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Build on Linux using CMake and libc++abi.</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p> |
| You will need to keep the source tree of <a href="http://libcxxabi.llvm.org">libc++abi</a> |
| available on your build machine and your copy of the libc++abi shared library must |
| be placed where your linker will find it. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| We can now run CMake: |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>CC=clang CXX=clang++ cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" |
| -DLIBCXX_CXX_ABI=libcxxabi |
| -DLIBCXX_LIBCXXABI_INCLUDE_PATHS="<libc++abi-source-dir>/include" |
| -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release |
| -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr |
| <libc++-source-dir></code></li> |
| <li><code>make</code></li> |
| <li><code>sudo make install</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| <p> |
| Unfortunately you can't simply run clang with "-stdlib=libc++" at this point, as |
| clang is set up to link for libc++ linked to libsupc++. To get around this |
| you'll have to set up your linker yourself (or patch clang). For example, |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>clang++ -stdlib=libc++ helloworld.cpp -nodefaultlibs -lc++ -lc++abi -lm -lc -lgcc_s -lgcc</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| Alternately, you could just add libc++abi to your libraries list, which in most |
| situations will give the same result: |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>clang++ -stdlib=libc++ helloworld.cpp -lc++abi</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| </p> |
| </p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Build on Linux using CMake and libcxxrt.</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <p> |
| You will need to keep the source tree of |
| <a href="https://github.com/pathscale/libcxxrt/">libcxxrt</a> available |
| on your build machine and your copy of the libcxxrt shared library must |
| be placed where your linker will find it. |
| </p> |
| |
| <p> |
| We can now run CMake: |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>CC=clang CXX=clang++ cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" |
| -DLIBCXX_CXX_ABI=libcxxrt |
| -DLIBCXX_LIBCXXRT_INCLUDE_PATHS="<libcxxrt-source-dir>/src" |
| -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release |
| -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr |
| <libc++-source-dir></code></li> |
| <li><code>make</code></li> |
| <li><code>sudo make install</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| <p> |
| Unfortunately you can't simply run clang with "-stdlib=libc++" at this point, as |
| clang is set up to link for libc++ linked to libsupc++. To get around this |
| you'll have to set up your linker yourself (or patch clang). For example, |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>clang++ -stdlib=libc++ helloworld.cpp -nodefaultlibs -lc++ -lcxxrt -lm -lc -lgcc_s -lgcc</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| Alternately, you could just add libcxxrt to your libraries list, which in most |
| situations will give the same result: |
| <ul> |
| <li><code>clang++ -stdlib=libc++ helloworld.cpp -lcxxrt</code></li> |
| </ul> |
| </p> |
| </p> |
| |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| <h2>Design Documents</h2> |
| <!--=====================================================================--> |
| |
| <ul> |
| <li><a href="atomic_design.html"><tt><atomic></tt></a></li> |
| <li><a href="type_traits_design.html"><tt><type_traits></tt></a></li> |
| <li><a href="http://cplusplusmusings.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/clang-and-standard-libraries-on-mac-os-x/">Excellent notes by Marshall Clow</a></li> |
| <li><a href="debug_mode.html">Status of debug mode</a></li> |
| </ul> |
| |
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