[llvm][DebugInfo] Encode DW_AT_object_pointer on method declarations with DW_FORM_implicit_const (#124790)

We started attaching `DW_AT_object_pointer`s on method declarations in
https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/pull/122742. However, that caused
the `.debug_info` section size to increase significantly (by around ~10%
on some projects). This was mainly due to the large number of new
`DW_FORM_ref4` values. This patch tries to address that regression by
changing the `DW_FORM_ref4` to a `DW_FORM_implicit_const` for
declarations. The value of `DW_FORM_implicit_const` will be the *index*
of the object parameter in the list of formal parameters of the
subprogram (i.e., if the first `DW_TAG_formal_parameter` is the object
pointer, the `DW_FORM_implicit_const` would be `0`). The DWARFv5 spec
only mentions the use of the `reference` attribute class to for
`DW_AT_object_pointer`. So using a `DW_FORM_impilicit_const` would be an
extension to (and not something mandated/specified by) the standard.
Though it'd make sense to extend the wording in the spec to allow for
this optimization.

That way we don't pay for the 4 byte references on every attribute
occurrence. In a local build of clang this barely affected the
`.debug_info` section size (but did increase `.debug_abbrev` by up to
10%, which doesn't impact the total debug-info size much however).

We guarded this on LLDB tuning (since using `DW_FORM_implicit_const` for
this purpose may surprise consumers) and DWARFv5 (since that's where
`DW_FORM_implicit_const` was first standardized).
5 files changed
tree: 6540b774fa99f4c9e49047b6c0d896faee716b7f
  1. .ci/
  2. .github/
  3. bolt/
  4. clang/
  5. clang-tools-extra/
  6. cmake/
  7. compiler-rt/
  8. cross-project-tests/
  9. flang/
  10. flang-rt/
  11. libc/
  12. libclc/
  13. libcxx/
  14. libcxxabi/
  15. libunwind/
  16. lld/
  17. lldb/
  18. llvm/
  19. llvm-libgcc/
  20. mlir/
  21. offload/
  22. openmp/
  23. polly/
  24. pstl/
  25. runtimes/
  26. third-party/
  27. utils/
  28. .clang-format
  29. .clang-format-ignore
  30. .clang-tidy
  31. .git-blame-ignore-revs
  32. .gitattributes
  33. .gitignore
  34. .mailmap
  35. CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
  36. CONTRIBUTING.md
  37. LICENSE.TXT
  38. pyproject.toml
  39. README.md
  40. SECURITY.md
README.md

The LLVM Compiler Infrastructure

OpenSSF Scorecard OpenSSF Best Practices libc++

Welcome to the LLVM project!

This repository contains the source code for LLVM, a toolkit for the construction of highly optimized compilers, optimizers, and run-time environments.

The LLVM project has multiple components. The core of the project is itself called “LLVM”. This contains all of the tools, libraries, and header files needed to process intermediate representations and convert them into object files. Tools include an assembler, disassembler, bitcode analyzer, and bitcode optimizer.

C-like languages use the Clang frontend. This component compiles C, C++, Objective-C, and Objective-C++ code into LLVM bitcode -- and from there into object files, using LLVM.

Other components include: the libc++ C++ standard library, the LLD linker, and more.

Getting the Source Code and Building LLVM

Consult the Getting Started with LLVM page for information on building and running LLVM.

For information on how to contribute to the LLVM project, please take a look at the Contributing to LLVM guide.

Getting in touch

Join the LLVM Discourse forums, Discord chat, LLVM Office Hours or Regular sync-ups.

The LLVM project has adopted a code of conduct for participants to all modes of communication within the project.