Glossary
Basic block
A sequence of instructions inside a function. A basic block always starts with a :ref:`label` and ends with a :ref:`terminator <terminator>`. No other instruction inside the basic block can transfer control out of the block.
Function declaration
The specification of a function's prototype without an
associated implementation. A declaration includes the argument
types, return types and other information such as the calling
convention. This is like an extern function declaration in C.
Function definition
A function's prototype, as in a :ref:`function declaration`, plus a body implementing the function.
getelementptr
An LLVM :ref:`instruction` that lets you get the address of a subelement of an aggregate data structure.
See :llvm:ref:`i_getelementptr` in the official LLVM documentation.
Global value
A named value accessible to all members of a module.
Global variable
A variable whose value is accessible to all members of a module. It is a constant pointer to a module-allocated slot of the given type.
All global variables are global values. However, the opposite is not true---function declarations and function definitions are not global variables, they are only :ref:`global values <global value>`.
Instruction
The fundamental element used in implementing an LLVM function. LLVM instructions define a procedural, assembly-like language.
Intermediate representation (IR)
High-level assembly-language code describing to LLVM the program to be compiled to native code.
Label
A branch target inside a function. A label always denotes the start of a :ref:`basic block`.
Metadata
Optional information associated with LLVM instructions, functions and other code. Metadata provides information that is not critical to the compiling of an LLVM :ref:`intermediate representation <IR>`, such as the likelihood of a condition branch or the source code location corresponding to a given instruction.
Module
A compilation unit for LLVM :ref:`intermediate representation <IR>`. A module can contain any number of function declarations and definitions, global variables and metadata.
Terminator, terminator instruction
A kind of :ref:`instruction` that explicitly transfers control to another part of the program instead of going to the next instruction after it is executed. Examples are branches and function returns.