Pointer Reform: proper slicing and indexing

 * enable slicing for single-item ptr to arrays
 * disable slicing for other single-item pointers
 * enable indexing for single-item ptr to arrays
 * disable indexing for other single-item pointers

see #770
closes #386

doc/langref.html.in

@@ -1565,7 +1565,7 @@ var foo: u8 align(4) = 100;
 test "global variable alignment" {
     assert(@typeOf(&foo).alignment == 4);
     assert(@typeOf(&foo) == *align(4) u8);
-    const slice = (&foo)[0..1];
+    const slice = (*[1]u8)(&foo)[0..];
     assert(@typeOf(slice) == []align(4) u8);
 }
 
@@ -1671,7 +1671,7 @@ test "using slices for strings" {
 
 test "slice pointer" {
     var array: [10]u8 = undefined;
-    const ptr = &array[0];
+    const ptr = &array;
 
     // You can use slicing syntax to convert a pointer into a slice:
     const slice = ptr[0..5];
@@ -6004,9 +6004,12 @@ const c = @cImport({
       {#code_begin|syntax#}
 const base64 = @import("std").base64;
 
-export fn decode_base_64(dest_ptr: *u8, dest_len: usize,
-    source_ptr: *const u8, source_len: usize) usize
-{
+export fn decode_base_64(
+    dest_ptr: [*]u8,
+    dest_len: usize,
+    source_ptr: [*]const u8,
+    source_len: usize,
+) usize {
     const src = source_ptr[0..source_len];
     const dest = dest_ptr[0..dest_len];
     const base64_decoder = base64.standard_decoder_unsafe;

example/mix_o_files/base64.zig

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const base64 = @import("std").base64;
 
-export fn decode_base_64(dest_ptr: *u8, dest_len: usize, source_ptr: *const u8, source_len: usize) usize {
+export fn decode_base_64(dest_ptr: [*]u8, dest_len: usize, source_ptr: [*]const u8, source_len: usize) usize {
     const src = source_ptr[0..source_len];
     const dest = dest_ptr[0..dest_len];
     const base64_decoder = base64.standard_decoder_unsafe;

src/all_types.hpp

@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ enum ConstParentId {
     ConstParentIdStruct,
     ConstParentIdArray,
     ConstParentIdUnion,
+    ConstParentIdScalar,
 };
 
 struct ConstParent {
@@ -100,6 +101,9 @@ struct ConstParent {
         struct {
             ConstExprValue *union_val;
         } p_union;
+        struct {
+            ConstExprValue *scalar_val;
+        } p_scalar;
     } data;
 };
 
@@ -578,6 +582,7 @@ enum CastOp {
     CastOpBytesToSlice,
     CastOpNumLitToConcrete,
     CastOpErrSet,
+    CastOpBitCast,
 };
 
 struct AstNodeFnCallExpr {

src/analyze.cpp

@@ -5158,7 +5158,8 @@ void init_const_slice(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *const_val, ConstExprValue *arr
     const_val->type = get_slice_type(g, ptr_type);
     const_val->data.x_struct.fields = create_const_vals(2);
 
-    init_const_ptr_array(g, &const_val->data.x_struct.fields[slice_ptr_index], array_val, start, is_const);
+    init_const_ptr_array(g, &const_val->data.x_struct.fields[slice_ptr_index], array_val, start, is_const,
+            PtrLenUnknown);
     init_const_usize(g, &const_val->data.x_struct.fields[slice_len_index], len);
 }
 
@@ -5169,21 +5170,24 @@ ConstExprValue *create_const_slice(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_val, size_t
 }
 
 void init_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *const_val, ConstExprValue *array_val,
-        size_t elem_index, bool is_const)
+        size_t elem_index, bool is_const, PtrLen ptr_len)
 {
     assert(array_val->type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray);
     TypeTableEntry *child_type = array_val->type->data.array.child_type;
 
     const_val->special = ConstValSpecialStatic;
-    const_val->type = get_pointer_to_type(g, child_type, is_const);
+    const_val->type = get_pointer_to_type_extra(g, child_type, is_const, false,
+            ptr_len, get_abi_alignment(g, child_type), 0, 0);
     const_val->data.x_ptr.special = ConstPtrSpecialBaseArray;
     const_val->data.x_ptr.data.base_array.array_val = array_val;
     const_val->data.x_ptr.data.base_array.elem_index = elem_index;
 }
 
-ConstExprValue *create_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_val, size_t elem_index, bool is_const) {
+ConstExprValue *create_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_val, size_t elem_index, bool is_const,
+        PtrLen ptr_len)
+{
     ConstExprValue *const_val = create_const_vals(1);
-    init_const_ptr_array(g, const_val, array_val, elem_index, is_const);
+    init_const_ptr_array(g, const_val, array_val, elem_index, is_const, ptr_len);
     return const_val;
 }
 

src/analyze.hpp

@@ -152,8 +152,9 @@ ConstExprValue *create_const_ptr_hard_coded_addr(CodeGen *g, TypeTableEntry *poi
         size_t addr, bool is_const);
 
 void init_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *const_val, ConstExprValue *array_val,
-        size_t elem_index, bool is_const);
-ConstExprValue *create_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_val, size_t elem_index, bool is_const);
+        size_t elem_index, bool is_const, PtrLen ptr_len);
+ConstExprValue *create_const_ptr_array(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_val, size_t elem_index,
+        bool is_const, PtrLen ptr_len);
 
 void init_const_slice(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *const_val, ConstExprValue *array_val,
         size_t start, size_t len, bool is_const);

src/codegen.cpp

@@ -2574,6 +2574,8 @@ static LLVMValueRef ir_render_cast(CodeGen *g, IrExecutable *executable,
                 add_error_range_check(g, wanted_type, g->err_tag_type, expr_val);
             }
             return expr_val;
+        case CastOpBitCast:
+            return LLVMBuildBitCast(g->builder, expr_val, wanted_type->type_ref, "");
     }
     zig_unreachable();
 }
@@ -2884,7 +2886,13 @@ static LLVMValueRef ir_render_elem_ptr(CodeGen *g, IrExecutable *executable, IrI
 
     bool safety_check_on = ir_want_runtime_safety(g, &instruction->base) && instruction->safety_check_on;
 
-    if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray) {
+    if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray ||
+        (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdPointer && array_type->data.pointer.ptr_len == PtrLenSingle))
+    {
+        if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdPointer) {
+            assert(array_type->data.pointer.child_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray);
+            array_type = array_type->data.pointer.child_type;
+        }
         if (safety_check_on) {
             LLVMValueRef end = LLVMConstInt(g->builtin_types.entry_usize->type_ref,
                     array_type->data.array.len, false);
@@ -3794,7 +3802,12 @@ static LLVMValueRef ir_render_slice(CodeGen *g, IrExecutable *executable, IrInst
 
     bool want_runtime_safety = instruction->safety_check_on && ir_want_runtime_safety(g, &instruction->base);
 
-    if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray) {
+    if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdArray ||
+        (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdPointer && array_type->data.pointer.ptr_len == PtrLenSingle))
+    {
+        if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdPointer) {
+            array_type = array_type->data.pointer.child_type;
+        }
         LLVMValueRef start_val = ir_llvm_value(g, instruction->start);
         LLVMValueRef end_val;
         if (instruction->end) {
@@ -3835,6 +3848,7 @@ static LLVMValueRef ir_render_slice(CodeGen *g, IrExecutable *executable, IrInst
 
         return tmp_struct_ptr;
     } else if (array_type->id == TypeTableEntryIdPointer) {
+        assert(array_type->data.pointer.ptr_len == PtrLenUnknown);
         LLVMValueRef start_val = ir_llvm_value(g, instruction->start);
         LLVMValueRef end_val = ir_llvm_value(g, instruction->end);
 
@@ -4812,7 +4826,7 @@ static void ir_render(CodeGen *g, FnTableEntry *fn_entry) {
 
 static LLVMValueRef gen_const_ptr_struct_recursive(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *struct_const_val, size_t field_index);
 static LLVMValueRef gen_const_ptr_array_recursive(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_const_val, size_t index);
-static LLVMValueRef gen_const_ptr_union_recursive(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *array_const_val);
+static LLVMValueRef gen_const_ptr_union_recursive(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *union_const_val);
 
 static LLVMValueRef gen_parent_ptr(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *val, ConstParent *parent) {
     switch (parent->id) {
@@ -4828,6 +4842,10 @@ static LLVMValueRef gen_parent_ptr(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *val, ConstParent
                     parent->data.p_array.elem_index);
         case ConstParentIdUnion:
             return gen_const_ptr_union_recursive(g, parent->data.p_union.union_val);
+        case ConstParentIdScalar:
+            render_const_val(g, parent->data.p_scalar.scalar_val, "");
+            render_const_val_global(g, parent->data.p_scalar.scalar_val, "");
+            return parent->data.p_scalar.scalar_val->global_refs->llvm_global;
     }
     zig_unreachable();
 }
@@ -4853,7 +4871,8 @@ static LLVMValueRef gen_const_ptr_array_recursive(CodeGen *g, ConstExprValue *ar
         };
         return LLVMConstInBoundsGEP(base_ptr, indices, 2);
     } else {
-        zig_unreachable();
+        assert(parent->id == ConstParentIdScalar);
+        return base_ptr;
     }
 }