1==============================
2LLVM Language Reference Manual
3==============================
4
5.. contents::
6   :local:
7   :depth: 4
8
9Abstract
10========
11
12This document is a reference manual for the LLVM assembly language. LLVM
13is a Static Single Assignment (SSA) based representation that provides
14type safety, low-level operations, flexibility, and the capability of
15representing 'all' high-level languages cleanly. It is the common code
16representation used throughout all phases of the LLVM compilation
17strategy.
18
19Introduction
20============
21
22The LLVM code representation is designed to be used in three different
23forms: as an in-memory compiler IR, as an on-disk bitcode representation
24(suitable for fast loading by a Just-In-Time compiler), and as a human
25readable assembly language representation. This allows LLVM to provide a
26powerful intermediate representation for efficient compiler
27transformations and analysis, while providing a natural means to debug
28and visualize the transformations. The three different forms of LLVM are
29all equivalent. This document describes the human readable
30representation and notation.
31
32The LLVM representation aims to be light-weight and low-level while
33being expressive, typed, and extensible at the same time. It aims to be
34a "universal IR" of sorts, by being at a low enough level that
35high-level ideas may be cleanly mapped to it (similar to how
36microprocessors are "universal IR's", allowing many source languages to
37be mapped to them). By providing type information, LLVM can be used as
38the target of optimizations: for example, through pointer analysis, it
39can be proven that a C automatic variable is never accessed outside of
40the current function, allowing it to be promoted to a simple SSA value
41instead of a memory location.
42
43.. _wellformed:
44
45Well-Formedness
46---------------
47
48It is important to note that this document describes 'well formed' LLVM
49assembly language. There is a difference between what the parser accepts
50and what is considered 'well formed'. For example, the following
51instruction is syntactically okay, but not well formed:
52
53.. code-block:: llvm
54
55    %x = add i32 1, %x
56
57because the definition of ``%x`` does not dominate all of its uses. The
58LLVM infrastructure provides a verification pass that may be used to
59verify that an LLVM module is well formed. This pass is automatically
60run by the parser after parsing input assembly and by the optimizer
61before it outputs bitcode. The violations pointed out by the verifier
62pass indicate bugs in transformation passes or input to the parser.
63
64.. _identifiers:
65
66Identifiers
67===========
68
69LLVM identifiers come in two basic types: global and local. Global
70identifiers (functions, global variables) begin with the ``'@'``
71character. Local identifiers (register names, types) begin with the
72``'%'`` character. Additionally, there are three different formats for
73identifiers, for different purposes:
74
75#. Named values are represented as a string of characters with their
76   prefix. For example, ``%foo``, ``@DivisionByZero``,
77   ``%a.really.long.identifier``. The actual regular expression used is
78   '``[%@][-a-zA-Z$._][-a-zA-Z$._0-9]*``'. Identifiers that require other
79   characters in their names can be surrounded with quotes. Special
80   characters may be escaped using ``"\xx"`` where ``xx`` is the ASCII
81   code for the character in hexadecimal. In this way, any character can
82   be used in a name value, even quotes themselves. The ``"\01"`` prefix
83   can be used on global variables to suppress mangling.
84#. Unnamed values are represented as an unsigned numeric value with
85   their prefix. For example, ``%12``, ``@2``, ``%44``.
86#. Constants, which are described in the section Constants_ below.
87
88LLVM requires that values start with a prefix for two reasons: Compilers
89don't need to worry about name clashes with reserved words, and the set
90of reserved words may be expanded in the future without penalty.
91Additionally, unnamed identifiers allow a compiler to quickly come up
92with a temporary variable without having to avoid symbol table
93conflicts.
94
95Reserved words in LLVM are very similar to reserved words in other
96languages. There are keywords for different opcodes ('``add``',
97'``bitcast``', '``ret``', etc...), for primitive type names ('``void``',
98'``i32``', etc...), and others. These reserved words cannot conflict
99with variable names, because none of them start with a prefix character
100(``'%'`` or ``'@'``).
101
102Here is an example of LLVM code to multiply the integer variable
103'``%X``' by 8:
104
105The easy way:
106
107.. code-block:: llvm
108
109    %result = mul i32 %X, 8
110
111After strength reduction:
112
113.. code-block:: llvm
114
115    %result = shl i32 %X, 3
116
117And the hard way:
118
119.. code-block:: llvm
120
121    %0 = add i32 %X, %X           ; yields i32:%0
122    %1 = add i32 %0, %0           ; yields i32:%1
123    %result = add i32 %1, %1
124
125This last way of multiplying ``%X`` by 8 illustrates several important
126lexical features of LLVM:
127
128#. Comments are delimited with a '``;``' and go until the end of line.
129#. Unnamed temporaries are created when the result of a computation is
130   not assigned to a named value.
131#. Unnamed temporaries are numbered sequentially (using a per-function
132   incrementing counter, starting with 0). Note that basic blocks and unnamed
133   function parameters are included in this numbering. For example, if the
134   entry basic block is not given a label name and all function parameters are
135   named, then it will get number 0.
136
137It also shows a convention that we follow in this document. When
138demonstrating instructions, we will follow an instruction with a comment
139that defines the type and name of value produced.
140
141High Level Structure
142====================
143
144Module Structure
145----------------
146
147LLVM programs are composed of ``Module``'s, each of which is a
148translation unit of the input programs. Each module consists of
149functions, global variables, and symbol table entries. Modules may be
150combined together with the LLVM linker, which merges function (and
151global variable) definitions, resolves forward declarations, and merges
152symbol table entries. Here is an example of the "hello world" module:
153
154.. code-block:: llvm
155
156    ; Declare the string constant as a global constant.
157    @.str = private unnamed_addr constant [13 x i8] c"hello world\0A\00"
158
159    ; External declaration of the puts function
160    declare i32 @puts(i8* nocapture) nounwind
161
162    ; Definition of main function
163    define i32 @main() {   ; i32()*
164      ; Convert [13 x i8]* to i8  *...
165      %cast210 = getelementptr [13 x i8], [13 x i8]* @.str, i64 0, i64 0
166
167      ; Call puts function to write out the string to stdout.
168      call i32 @puts(i8* %cast210)
169      ret i32 0
170    }
171
172    ; Named metadata
173    !0 = !{i32 42, null, !"string"}
174    !foo = !{!0}
175
176This example is made up of a :ref:`global variable <globalvars>` named
177"``.str``", an external declaration of the "``puts``" function, a
178:ref:`function definition <functionstructure>` for "``main``" and
179:ref:`named metadata <namedmetadatastructure>` "``foo``".
180
181In general, a module is made up of a list of global values (where both
182functions and global variables are global values). Global values are
183represented by a pointer to a memory location (in this case, a pointer
184to an array of char, and a pointer to a function), and have one of the
185following :ref:`linkage types <linkage>`.
186
187.. _linkage:
188
189Linkage Types
190-------------
191
192All Global Variables and Functions have one of the following types of
193linkage:
194
195``private``
196    Global values with "``private``" linkage are only directly
197    accessible by objects in the current module. In particular, linking
198    code into a module with an private global value may cause the
199    private to be renamed as necessary to avoid collisions. Because the
200    symbol is private to the module, all references can be updated. This
201    doesn't show up in any symbol table in the object file.
202``internal``
203    Similar to private, but the value shows as a local symbol
204    (``STB_LOCAL`` in the case of ELF) in the object file. This
205    corresponds to the notion of the '``static``' keyword in C.
206``available_externally``
207    Globals with "``available_externally``" linkage are never emitted into
208    the object file corresponding to the LLVM module. From the linker's
209    perspective, an ``available_externally`` global is equivalent to
210    an external declaration. They exist to allow inlining and other
211    optimizations to take place given knowledge of the definition of the
212    global, which is known to be somewhere outside the module. Globals
213    with ``available_externally`` linkage are allowed to be discarded at
214    will, and allow inlining and other optimizations. This linkage type is
215    only allowed on definitions, not declarations.
216``linkonce``
217    Globals with "``linkonce``" linkage are merged with other globals of
218    the same name when linkage occurs. This can be used to implement
219    some forms of inline functions, templates, or other code which must
220    be generated in each translation unit that uses it, but where the
221    body may be overridden with a more definitive definition later.
222    Unreferenced ``linkonce`` globals are allowed to be discarded. Note
223    that ``linkonce`` linkage does not actually allow the optimizer to
224    inline the body of this function into callers because it doesn't
225    know if this definition of the function is the definitive definition
226    within the program or whether it will be overridden by a stronger
227    definition. To enable inlining and other optimizations, use
228    "``linkonce_odr``" linkage.
229``weak``
230    "``weak``" linkage has the same merging semantics as ``linkonce``
231    linkage, except that unreferenced globals with ``weak`` linkage may
232    not be discarded. This is used for globals that are declared "weak"
233    in C source code.
234``common``
235    "``common``" linkage is most similar to "``weak``" linkage, but they
236    are used for tentative definitions in C, such as "``int X;``" at
237    global scope. Symbols with "``common``" linkage are merged in the
238    same way as ``weak symbols``, and they may not be deleted if
239    unreferenced. ``common`` symbols may not have an explicit section,
240    must have a zero initializer, and may not be marked
241    ':ref:`constant <globalvars>`'. Functions and aliases may not have
242    common linkage.
243
244.. _linkage_appending:
245
246``appending``
247    "``appending``" linkage may only be applied to global variables of
248    pointer to array type. When two global variables with appending
249    linkage are linked together, the two global arrays are appended
250    together. This is the LLVM, typesafe, equivalent of having the
251    system linker append together "sections" with identical names when
252    .o files are linked.
253``extern_weak``
254    The semantics of this linkage follow the ELF object file model: the
255    symbol is weak until linked, if not linked, the symbol becomes null
256    instead of being an undefined reference.
257``linkonce_odr``, ``weak_odr``
258    Some languages allow differing globals to be merged, such as two
259    functions with different semantics. Other languages, such as
260    ``C++``, ensure that only equivalent globals are ever merged (the
261    "one definition rule" --- "ODR"). Such languages can use the
262    ``linkonce_odr`` and ``weak_odr`` linkage types to indicate that the
263    global will only be merged with equivalent globals. These linkage
264    types are otherwise the same as their non-``odr`` versions.
265``external``
266    If none of the above identifiers are used, the global is externally
267    visible, meaning that it participates in linkage and can be used to
268    resolve external symbol references.
269
270It is illegal for a function *declaration* to have any linkage type
271other than ``external`` or ``extern_weak``.
272
273.. _callingconv:
274
275Calling Conventions
276-------------------
277
278LLVM :ref:`functions <functionstructure>`, :ref:`calls <i_call>` and
279:ref:`invokes <i_invoke>` can all have an optional calling convention
280specified for the call. The calling convention of any pair of dynamic
281caller/callee must match, or the behavior of the program is undefined.
282The following calling conventions are supported by LLVM, and more may be
283added in the future:
284
285"``ccc``" - The C calling convention
286    This calling convention (the default if no other calling convention
287    is specified) matches the target C calling conventions. This calling
288    convention supports varargs function calls and tolerates some
289    mismatch in the declared prototype and implemented declaration of
290    the function (as does normal C).
291"``fastcc``" - The fast calling convention
292    This calling convention attempts to make calls as fast as possible
293    (e.g. by passing things in registers). This calling convention
294    allows the target to use whatever tricks it wants to produce fast
295    code for the target, without having to conform to an externally
296    specified ABI (Application Binary Interface). `Tail calls can only
297    be optimized when this, the GHC or the HiPE convention is
298    used. <CodeGenerator.html#id80>`_ This calling convention does not
299    support varargs and requires the prototype of all callees to exactly
300    match the prototype of the function definition.
301"``coldcc``" - The cold calling convention
302    This calling convention attempts to make code in the caller as
303    efficient as possible under the assumption that the call is not
304    commonly executed. As such, these calls often preserve all registers
305    so that the call does not break any live ranges in the caller side.
306    This calling convention does not support varargs and requires the
307    prototype of all callees to exactly match the prototype of the
308    function definition. Furthermore the inliner doesn't consider such function
309    calls for inlining.
310"``cc 10``" - GHC convention
311    This calling convention has been implemented specifically for use by
312    the `Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC) <http://www.haskell.org/ghc>`_.
313    It passes everything in registers, going to extremes to achieve this
314    by disabling callee save registers. This calling convention should
315    not be used lightly but only for specific situations such as an
316    alternative to the *register pinning* performance technique often
317    used when implementing functional programming languages. At the
318    moment only X86 supports this convention and it has the following
319    limitations:
320
321    -  On *X86-32* only supports up to 4 bit type parameters. No
322       floating point types are supported.
323    -  On *X86-64* only supports up to 10 bit type parameters and 6
324       floating point parameters.
325
326    This calling convention supports `tail call
327    optimization <CodeGenerator.html#id80>`_ but requires both the
328    caller and callee are using it.
329"``cc 11``" - The HiPE calling convention
330    This calling convention has been implemented specifically for use by
331    the `High-Performance Erlang
332    (HiPE) <http://www.it.uu.se/research/group/hipe/>`_ compiler, *the*
333    native code compiler of the `Ericsson's Open Source Erlang/OTP
334    system <http://www.erlang.org/download.shtml>`_. It uses more
335    registers for argument passing than the ordinary C calling
336    convention and defines no callee-saved registers. The calling
337    convention properly supports `tail call
338    optimization <CodeGenerator.html#id80>`_ but requires that both the
339    caller and the callee use it. It uses a *register pinning*
340    mechanism, similar to GHC's convention, for keeping frequently
341    accessed runtime components pinned to specific hardware registers.
342    At the moment only X86 supports this convention (both 32 and 64
343    bit).
344"``webkit_jscc``" - WebKit's JavaScript calling convention
345    This calling convention has been implemented for `WebKit FTL JIT
346    <https://trac.webkit.org/wiki/FTLJIT>`_. It passes arguments on the
347    stack right to left (as cdecl does), and returns a value in the
348    platform's customary return register.
349"``anyregcc``" - Dynamic calling convention for code patching
350    This is a special convention that supports patching an arbitrary code
351    sequence in place of a call site. This convention forces the call
352    arguments into registers but allows them to be dynamically
353    allocated. This can currently only be used with calls to
354    llvm.experimental.patchpoint because only this intrinsic records
355    the location of its arguments in a side table. See :doc:`StackMaps`.
356"``preserve_mostcc``" - The `PreserveMost` calling convention
357    This calling convention attempts to make the code in the caller as
358    unintrusive as possible. This convention behaves identically to the `C`
359    calling convention on how arguments and return values are passed, but it
360    uses a different set of caller/callee-saved registers. This alleviates the
361    burden of saving and recovering a large register set before and after the
362    call in the caller. If the arguments are passed in callee-saved registers,
363    then they will be preserved by the callee across the call. This doesn't
364    apply for values returned in callee-saved registers.
365
366    - On X86-64 the callee preserves all general purpose registers, except for
367      R11. R11 can be used as a scratch register. Floating-point registers
368      (XMMs/YMMs) are not preserved and need to be saved by the caller.
369
370    The idea behind this convention is to support calls to runtime functions
371    that have a hot path and a cold path. The hot path is usually a small piece
372    of code that doesn't use many registers. The cold path might need to call out to
373    another function and therefore only needs to preserve the caller-saved
374    registers, which haven't already been saved by the caller. The
375    `PreserveMost` calling convention is very similar to the `cold` calling
376    convention in terms of caller/callee-saved registers, but they are used for
377    different types of function calls. `coldcc` is for function calls that are
378    rarely executed, whereas `preserve_mostcc` function calls are intended to be
379    on the hot path and definitely executed a lot. Furthermore `preserve_mostcc`
380    doesn't prevent the inliner from inlining the function call.
381
382    This calling convention will be used by a future version of the ObjectiveC
383    runtime and should therefore still be considered experimental at this time.
384    Although this convention was created to optimize certain runtime calls to
385    the ObjectiveC runtime, it is not limited to this runtime and might be used
386    by other runtimes in the future too. The current implementation only
387    supports X86-64, but the intention is to support more architectures in the
388    future.
389"``preserve_allcc``" - The `PreserveAll` calling convention
390    This calling convention attempts to make the code in the caller even less
391    intrusive than the `PreserveMost` calling convention. This calling
392    convention also behaves identical to the `C` calling convention on how
393    arguments and return values are passed, but it uses a different set of
394    caller/callee-saved registers. This removes the burden of saving and
395    recovering a large register set before and after the call in the caller. If
396    the arguments are passed in callee-saved registers, then they will be
397    preserved by the callee across the call. This doesn't apply for values
398    returned in callee-saved registers.
399
400    - On X86-64 the callee preserves all general purpose registers, except for
401      R11. R11 can be used as a scratch register. Furthermore it also preserves
402      all floating-point registers (XMMs/YMMs).
403
404    The idea behind this convention is to support calls to runtime functions
405    that don't need to call out to any other functions.
406
407    This calling convention, like the `PreserveMost` calling convention, will be
408    used by a future version of the ObjectiveC runtime and should be considered
409    experimental at this time.
410"``cxx_fast_tlscc``" - The `CXX_FAST_TLS` calling convention for access functions
411    Clang generates an access function to access C++-style TLS. The access
412    function generally has an entry block, an exit block and an initialization
413    block that is run at the first time. The entry and exit blocks can access
414    a few TLS IR variables, each access will be lowered to a platform-specific
415    sequence.
416
417    This calling convention aims to minimize overhead in the caller by
418    preserving as many registers as possible (all the registers that are
419    perserved on the fast path, composed of the entry and exit blocks).
420
421    This calling convention behaves identical to the `C` calling convention on
422    how arguments and return values are passed, but it uses a different set of
423    caller/callee-saved registers.
424
425    Given that each platform has its own lowering sequence, hence its own set
426    of preserved registers, we can't use the existing `PreserveMost`.
427
428    - On X86-64 the callee preserves all general purpose registers, except for
429      RDI and RAX.
430"``cc <n>``" - Numbered convention
431    Any calling convention may be specified by number, allowing
432    target-specific calling conventions to be used. Target specific
433    calling conventions start at 64.
434
435More calling conventions can be added/defined on an as-needed basis, to
436support Pascal conventions or any other well-known target-independent
437convention.
438
439.. _visibilitystyles:
440
441Visibility Styles
442-----------------
443
444All Global Variables and Functions have one of the following visibility
445styles:
446
447"``default``" - Default style
448    On targets that use the ELF object file format, default visibility
449    means that the declaration is visible to other modules and, in
450    shared libraries, means that the declared entity may be overridden.
451    On Darwin, default visibility means that the declaration is visible
452    to other modules. Default visibility corresponds to "external
453    linkage" in the language.
454"``hidden``" - Hidden style
455    Two declarations of an object with hidden visibility refer to the
456    same object if they are in the same shared object. Usually, hidden
457    visibility indicates that the symbol will not be placed into the
458    dynamic symbol table, so no other module (executable or shared
459    library) can reference it directly.
460"``protected``" - Protected style
461    On ELF, protected visibility indicates that the symbol will be
462    placed in the dynamic symbol table, but that references within the
463    defining module will bind to the local symbol. That is, the symbol
464    cannot be overridden by another module.
465
466A symbol with ``internal`` or ``private`` linkage must have ``default``
467visibility.
468
469.. _dllstorageclass:
470
471DLL Storage Classes
472-------------------
473
474All Global Variables, Functions and Aliases can have one of the following
475DLL storage class:
476
477``dllimport``
478    "``dllimport``" causes the compiler to reference a function or variable via
479    a global pointer to a pointer that is set up by the DLL exporting the
480    symbol. On Microsoft Windows targets, the pointer name is formed by
481    combining ``__imp_`` and the function or variable name.
482``dllexport``
483    "``dllexport``" causes the compiler to provide a global pointer to a pointer
484    in a DLL, so that it can be referenced with the ``dllimport`` attribute. On
485    Microsoft Windows targets, the pointer name is formed by combining
486    ``__imp_`` and the function or variable name. Since this storage class
487    exists for defining a dll interface, the compiler, assembler and linker know
488    it is externally referenced and must refrain from deleting the symbol.
489
490.. _tls_model:
491
492Thread Local Storage Models
493---------------------------
494
495A variable may be defined as ``thread_local``, which means that it will
496not be shared by threads (each thread will have a separated copy of the
497variable). Not all targets support thread-local variables. Optionally, a
498TLS model may be specified:
499
500``localdynamic``
501    For variables that are only used within the current shared library.
502``initialexec``
503    For variables in modules that will not be loaded dynamically.
504``localexec``
505    For variables defined in the executable and only used within it.
506
507If no explicit model is given, the "general dynamic" model is used.
508
509The models correspond to the ELF TLS models; see `ELF Handling For
510Thread-Local Storage <http://people.redhat.com/drepper/tls.pdf>`_ for
511more information on under which circumstances the different models may
512be used. The target may choose a different TLS model if the specified
513model is not supported, or if a better choice of model can be made.
514
515A model can also be specified in an alias, but then it only governs how
516the alias is accessed. It will not have any effect in the aliasee.
517
518For platforms without linker support of ELF TLS model, the -femulated-tls
519flag can be used to generate GCC compatible emulated TLS code.
520
521.. _namedtypes:
522
523Structure Types
524---------------
525
526LLVM IR allows you to specify both "identified" and "literal" :ref:`structure
527types <t_struct>`. Literal types are uniqued structurally, but identified types
528are never uniqued. An :ref:`opaque structural type <t_opaque>` can also be used
529to forward declare a type that is not yet available.
530
531An example of an identified structure specification is:
532
533.. code-block:: llvm
534
535    %mytype = type { %mytype*, i32 }
536
537Prior to the LLVM 3.0 release, identified types were structurally uniqued. Only
538literal types are uniqued in recent versions of LLVM.
539
540.. _globalvars:
541
542Global Variables
543----------------
544
545Global variables define regions of memory allocated at compilation time
546instead of run-time.
547
548Global variable definitions must be initialized.
549
550Global variables in other translation units can also be declared, in which
551case they don't have an initializer.
552
553Either global variable definitions or declarations may have an explicit section
554to be placed in and may have an optional explicit alignment specified.
555
556A variable may be defined as a global ``constant``, which indicates that
557the contents of the variable will **never** be modified (enabling better
558optimization, allowing the global data to be placed in the read-only
559section of an executable, etc). Note that variables that need runtime
560initialization cannot be marked ``constant`` as there is a store to the
561variable.
562
563LLVM explicitly allows *declarations* of global variables to be marked
564constant, even if the final definition of the global is not. This
565capability can be used to enable slightly better optimization of the
566program, but requires the language definition to guarantee that
567optimizations based on the 'constantness' are valid for the translation
568units that do not include the definition.
569
570As SSA values, global variables define pointer values that are in scope
571(i.e. they dominate) all basic blocks in the program. Global variables
572always define a pointer to their "content" type because they describe a
573region of memory, and all memory objects in LLVM are accessed through
574pointers.
575
576Global variables can be marked with ``unnamed_addr`` which indicates
577that the address is not significant, only the content. Constants marked
578like this can be merged with other constants if they have the same
579initializer. Note that a constant with significant address *can* be
580merged with a ``unnamed_addr`` constant, the result being a constant
581whose address is significant.
582
583A global variable may be declared to reside in a target-specific
584numbered address space. For targets that support them, address spaces
585may affect how optimizations are performed and/or what target
586instructions are used to access the variable. The default address space
587is zero. The address space qualifier must precede any other attributes.
588
589LLVM allows an explicit section to be specified for globals. If the
590target supports it, it will emit globals to the section specified.
591Additionally, the global can placed in a comdat if the target has the necessary
592support.
593
594By default, global initializers are optimized by assuming that global
595variables defined within the module are not modified from their
596initial values before the start of the global initializer. This is
597true even for variables potentially accessible from outside the
598module, including those with external linkage or appearing in
599``@llvm.used`` or dllexported variables. This assumption may be suppressed
600by marking the variable with ``externally_initialized``.
601
602An explicit alignment may be specified for a global, which must be a
603power of 2. If not present, or if the alignment is set to zero, the
604alignment of the global is set by the target to whatever it feels
605convenient. If an explicit alignment is specified, the global is forced
606to have exactly that alignment. Targets and optimizers are not allowed
607to over-align the global if the global has an assigned section. In this
608case, the extra alignment could be observable: for example, code could
609assume that the globals are densely packed in their section and try to
610iterate over them as an array, alignment padding would break this
611iteration. The maximum alignment is ``1 << 29``.
612
613Globals can also have a :ref:`DLL storage class <dllstorageclass>`.
614
615Variables and aliases can have a
616:ref:`Thread Local Storage Model <tls_model>`.
617
618Syntax::
619
620    [@<GlobalVarName> =] [Linkage] [Visibility] [DLLStorageClass] [ThreadLocal]
621                         [unnamed_addr] [AddrSpace] [ExternallyInitialized]
622                         <global | constant> <Type> [<InitializerConstant>]
623                         [, section "name"] [, comdat [($name)]]
624                         [, align <Alignment>]
625
626For example, the following defines a global in a numbered address space
627with an initializer, section, and alignment:
628
629.. code-block:: llvm
630
631    @G = addrspace(5) constant float 1.0, section "foo", align 4
632
633The following example just declares a global variable
634
635.. code-block:: llvm
636
637   @G = external global i32
638
639The following example defines a thread-local global with the
640``initialexec`` TLS model:
641
642.. code-block:: llvm
643
644    @G = thread_local(initialexec) global i32 0, align 4
645
646.. _functionstructure:
647
648Functions
649---------
650
651LLVM function definitions consist of the "``define``" keyword, an
652optional :ref:`linkage type <linkage>`, an optional :ref:`visibility
653style <visibility>`, an optional :ref:`DLL storage class <dllstorageclass>`,
654an optional :ref:`calling convention <callingconv>`,
655an optional ``unnamed_addr`` attribute, a return type, an optional
656:ref:`parameter attribute <paramattrs>` for the return type, a function
657name, a (possibly empty) argument list (each with optional :ref:`parameter
658attributes <paramattrs>`), optional :ref:`function attributes <fnattrs>`,
659an optional section, an optional alignment,
660an optional :ref:`comdat <langref_comdats>`,
661an optional :ref:`garbage collector name <gc>`, an optional :ref:`prefix <prefixdata>`,
662an optional :ref:`prologue <prologuedata>`,
663an optional :ref:`personality <personalityfn>`,
664an optional list of attached :ref:`metadata <metadata>`,
665an opening curly brace, a list of basic blocks, and a closing curly brace.
666
667LLVM function declarations consist of the "``declare``" keyword, an
668optional :ref:`linkage type <linkage>`, an optional :ref:`visibility
669style <visibility>`, an optional :ref:`DLL storage class <dllstorageclass>`,
670an optional :ref:`calling convention <callingconv>`,
671an optional ``unnamed_addr`` attribute, a return type, an optional
672:ref:`parameter attribute <paramattrs>` for the return type, a function
673name, a possibly empty list of arguments, an optional alignment, an optional
674:ref:`garbage collector name <gc>`, an optional :ref:`prefix <prefixdata>`,
675and an optional :ref:`prologue <prologuedata>`.
676
677A function definition contains a list of basic blocks, forming the CFG (Control
678Flow Graph) for the function. Each basic block may optionally start with a label
679(giving the basic block a symbol table entry), contains a list of instructions,
680and ends with a :ref:`terminator <terminators>` instruction (such as a branch or
681function return). If an explicit label is not provided, a block is assigned an
682implicit numbered label, using the next value from the same counter as used for
683unnamed temporaries (:ref:`see above<identifiers>`). For example, if a function
684entry block does not have an explicit label, it will be assigned label "%0",
685then the first unnamed temporary in that block will be "%1", etc.
686
687The first basic block in a function is special in two ways: it is
688immediately executed on entrance to the function, and it is not allowed
689to have predecessor basic blocks (i.e. there can not be any branches to
690the entry block of a function). Because the block can have no
691predecessors, it also cannot have any :ref:`PHI nodes <i_phi>`.
692
693LLVM allows an explicit section to be specified for functions. If the
694target supports it, it will emit functions to the section specified.
695Additionally, the function can be placed in a COMDAT.
696
697An explicit alignment may be specified for a function. If not present,
698or if the alignment is set to zero, the alignment of the function is set
699by the target to whatever it feels convenient. If an explicit alignment
700is specified, the function is forced to have at least that much
701alignment. All alignments must be a power of 2.
702
703If the ``unnamed_addr`` attribute is given, the address is known to not
704be significant and two identical functions can be merged.
705
706Syntax::
707
708    define [linkage] [visibility] [DLLStorageClass]
709           [cconv] [ret attrs]
710           <ResultType> @<FunctionName> ([argument list])
711           [unnamed_addr] [fn Attrs] [section "name"] [comdat [($name)]]
712           [align N] [gc] [prefix Constant] [prologue Constant]
713           [personality Constant] (!name !N)* { ... }
714
715The argument list is a comma separated sequence of arguments where each
716argument is of the following form:
717
718Syntax::
719
720   <type> [parameter Attrs] [name]
721
722
723.. _langref_aliases:
724
725Aliases
726-------
727
728Aliases, unlike function or variables, don't create any new data. They
729are just a new symbol and metadata for an existing position.
730
731Aliases have a name and an aliasee that is either a global value or a
732constant expression.
733
734Aliases may have an optional :ref:`linkage type <linkage>`, an optional
735:ref:`visibility style <visibility>`, an optional :ref:`DLL storage class
736<dllstorageclass>` and an optional :ref:`tls model <tls_model>`.
737
738Syntax::
739
740    @<Name> = [Linkage] [Visibility] [DLLStorageClass] [ThreadLocal] [unnamed_addr] alias <AliaseeTy>, <AliaseeTy>* @<Aliasee>
741
742The linkage must be one of ``private``, ``internal``, ``linkonce``, ``weak``,
743``linkonce_odr``, ``weak_odr``, ``external``. Note that some system linkers
744might not correctly handle dropping a weak symbol that is aliased.
745
746Aliases that are not ``unnamed_addr`` are guaranteed to have the same address as
747the aliasee expression. ``unnamed_addr`` ones are only guaranteed to point
748to the same content.
749
750Since aliases are only a second name, some restrictions apply, of which
751some can only be checked when producing an object file:
752
753* The expression defining the aliasee must be computable at assembly
754  time. Since it is just a name, no relocations can be used.
755
756* No alias in the expression can be weak as the possibility of the
757  intermediate alias being overridden cannot be represented in an
758  object file.
759
760* No global value in the expression can be a declaration, since that
761  would require a relocation, which is not possible.
762
763.. _langref_comdats:
764
765Comdats
766-------
767
768Comdat IR provides access to COFF and ELF object file COMDAT functionality.
769
770Comdats have a name which represents the COMDAT key. All global objects that
771specify this key will only end up in the final object file if the linker chooses
772that key over some other key. Aliases are placed in the same COMDAT that their
773aliasee computes to, if any.
774
775Comdats have a selection kind to provide input on how the linker should
776choose between keys in two different object files.
777
778Syntax::
779
780    $<Name> = comdat SelectionKind
781
782The selection kind must be one of the following:
783
784``any``
785    The linker may choose any COMDAT key, the choice is arbitrary.
786``exactmatch``
787    The linker may choose any COMDAT key but the sections must contain the
788    same data.
789``largest``
790    The linker will choose the section containing the largest COMDAT key.
791``noduplicates``
792    The linker requires that only section with this COMDAT key exist.
793``samesize``
794    The linker may choose any COMDAT key but the sections must contain the
795    same amount of data.
796
797Note that the Mach-O platform doesn't support COMDATs and ELF only supports
798``any`` as a selection kind.
799
800Here is an example of a COMDAT group where a function will only be selected if
801the COMDAT key's section is the largest:
802
803.. code-block:: llvm
804
805   $foo = comdat largest
806   @foo = global i32 2, comdat($foo)
807
808   define void @bar() comdat($foo) {
809     ret void
810   }
811
812As a syntactic sugar the ``$name`` can be omitted if the name is the same as
813the global name:
814
815.. code-block:: llvm
816
817  $foo = comdat any
818  @foo = global i32 2, comdat
819
820
821In a COFF object file, this will create a COMDAT section with selection kind
822``IMAGE_COMDAT_SELECT_LARGEST`` containing the contents of the ``@foo`` symbol
823and another COMDAT section with selection kind
824``IMAGE_COMDAT_SELECT_ASSOCIATIVE`` which is associated with the first COMDAT
825section and contains the contents of the ``@bar`` symbol.
826
827There are some restrictions on the properties of the global object.
828It, or an alias to it, must have the same name as the COMDAT group when
829targeting COFF.
830The contents and size of this object may be used during link-time to determine
831which COMDAT groups get selected depending on the selection kind.
832Because the name of the object must match the name of the COMDAT group, the
833linkage of the global object must not be local; local symbols can get renamed
834if a collision occurs in the symbol table.
835
836The combined use of COMDATS and section attributes may yield surprising results.
837For example:
838
839.. code-block:: llvm
840
841   $foo = comdat any
842   $bar = comdat any
843   @g1 = global i32 42, section "sec", comdat($foo)
844   @g2 = global i32 42, section "sec", comdat($bar)
845
846From the object file perspective, this requires the creation of two sections
847with the same name. This is necessary because both globals belong to different
848COMDAT groups and COMDATs, at the object file level, are represented by
849sections.
850
851Note that certain IR constructs like global variables and functions may
852create COMDATs in the object file in addition to any which are specified using
853COMDAT IR. This arises when the code generator is configured to emit globals
854in individual sections (e.g. when `-data-sections` or `-function-sections`
855is supplied to `llc`).
856
857.. _namedmetadatastructure:
858
859Named Metadata
860--------------
861
862Named metadata is a collection of metadata. :ref:`Metadata
863nodes <metadata>` (but not metadata strings) are the only valid
864operands for a named metadata.
865
866#. Named metadata are represented as a string of characters with the
867   metadata prefix. The rules for metadata names are the same as for
868   identifiers, but quoted names are not allowed. ``"\xx"`` type escapes
869   are still valid, which allows any character to be part of a name.
870
871Syntax::
872
873    ; Some unnamed metadata nodes, which are referenced by the named metadata.
874    !0 = !{!"zero"}
875    !1 = !{!"one"}
876    !2 = !{!"two"}
877    ; A named metadata.
878    !name = !{!0, !1, !2}
879
880.. _paramattrs:
881
882Parameter Attributes
883--------------------
884
885The return type and each parameter of a function type may have a set of
886*parameter attributes* associated with them. Parameter attributes are
887used to communicate additional information about the result or
888parameters of a function. Parameter attributes are considered to be part
889of the function, not of the function type, so functions with different
890parameter attributes can have the same function type.
891
892Parameter attributes are simple keywords that follow the type specified.
893If multiple parameter attributes are needed, they are space separated.
894For example:
895
896.. code-block:: llvm
897
898    declare i32 @printf(i8* noalias nocapture, ...)
899    declare i32 @atoi(i8 zeroext)
900    declare signext i8 @returns_signed_char()
901
902Note that any attributes for the function result (``nounwind``,
903``readonly``) come immediately after the argument list.
904
905Currently, only the following parameter attributes are defined:
906
907``zeroext``
908    This indicates to the code generator that the parameter or return
909    value should be zero-extended to the extent required by the target's
910    ABI (which is usually 32-bits, but is 8-bits for a i1 on x86-64) by
911    the caller (for a parameter) or the callee (for a return value).
912``signext``
913    This indicates to the code generator that the parameter or return
914    value should be sign-extended to the extent required by the target's
915    ABI (which is usually 32-bits) by the caller (for a parameter) or
916    the callee (for a return value).
917``inreg``
918    This indicates that this parameter or return value should be treated
919    in a special target-dependent fashion while emitting code for
920    a function call or return (usually, by putting it in a register as
921    opposed to memory, though some targets use it to distinguish between
922    two different kinds of registers). Use of this attribute is
923    target-specific.
924``byval``
925    This indicates that the pointer parameter should really be passed by
926    value to the function. The attribute implies that a hidden copy of
927    the pointee is made between the caller and the callee, so the callee
928    is unable to modify the value in the caller. This attribute is only
929    valid on LLVM pointer arguments. It is generally used to pass
930    structs and arrays by value, but is also valid on pointers to
931    scalars. The copy is considered to belong to the caller not the
932    callee (for example, ``readonly`` functions should not write to
933    ``byval`` parameters). This is not a valid attribute for return
934    values.
935
936    The byval attribute also supports specifying an alignment with the
937    align attribute. It indicates the alignment of the stack slot to
938    form and the known alignment of the pointer specified to the call
939    site. If the alignment is not specified, then the code generator
940    makes a target-specific assumption.
941
942.. _attr_inalloca:
943
944``inalloca``
945
946    The ``inalloca`` argument attribute allows the caller to take the
947    address of outgoing stack arguments. An ``inalloca`` argument must
948    be a pointer to stack memory produced by an ``alloca`` instruction.
949    The alloca, or argument allocation, must also be tagged with the
950    inalloca keyword. Only the last argument may have the ``inalloca``
951    attribute, and that argument is guaranteed to be passed in memory.
952
953    An argument allocation may be used by a call at most once because
954    the call may deallocate it. The ``inalloca`` attribute cannot be
955    used in conjunction with other attributes that affect argument
956    storage, like ``inreg``, ``nest``, ``sret``, or ``byval``. The
957    ``inalloca`` attribute also disables LLVM's implicit lowering of
958    large aggregate return values, which means that frontend authors
959    must lower them with ``sret`` pointers.
960
961    When the call site is reached, the argument allocation must have
962    been the most recent stack allocation that is still live, or the
963    results are undefined. It is possible to allocate additional stack
964    space after an argument allocation and before its call site, but it
965    must be cleared off with :ref:`llvm.stackrestore
966    <int_stackrestore>`.
967
968    See :doc:`InAlloca` for more information on how to use this
969    attribute.
970
971``sret``
972    This indicates that the pointer parameter specifies the address of a
973    structure that is the return value of the function in the source
974    program. This pointer must be guaranteed by the caller to be valid:
975    loads and stores to the structure may be assumed by the callee
976    not to trap and to be properly aligned. This may only be applied to
977    the first parameter. This is not a valid attribute for return
978    values.
979
980``align <n>``
981    This indicates that the pointer value may be assumed by the optimizer to
982    have the specified alignment.
983
984    Note that this attribute has additional semantics when combined with the
985    ``byval`` attribute.
986
987.. _noalias:
988
989``noalias``
990    This indicates that objects accessed via pointer values
991    :ref:`based <pointeraliasing>` on the argument or return value are not also
992    accessed, during the execution of the function, via pointer values not
993    *based* on the argument or return value. The attribute on a return value
994    also has additional semantics described below. The caller shares the
995    responsibility with the callee for ensuring that these requirements are met.
996    For further details, please see the discussion of the NoAlias response in
997    :ref:`alias analysis <Must, May, or No>`.
998
999    Note that this definition of ``noalias`` is intentionally similar
1000    to the definition of ``restrict`` in C99 for function arguments.
1001
1002    For function return values, C99's ``restrict`` is not meaningful,
1003    while LLVM's ``noalias`` is. Furthermore, the semantics of the ``noalias``
1004    attribute on return values are stronger than the semantics of the attribute
1005    when used on function arguments. On function return values, the ``noalias``
1006    attribute indicates that the function acts like a system memory allocation
1007    function, returning a pointer to allocated storage disjoint from the
1008    storage for any other object accessible to the caller.
1009
1010``nocapture``
1011    This indicates that the callee does not make any copies of the
1012    pointer that outlive the callee itself. This is not a valid
1013    attribute for return values.
1014
1015.. _nest:
1016
1017``nest``
1018    This indicates that the pointer parameter can be excised using the
1019    :ref:`trampoline intrinsics <int_trampoline>`. This is not a valid
1020    attribute for return values and can only be applied to one parameter.
1021
1022``returned``
1023    This indicates that the function always returns the argument as its return
1024    value. This is an optimization hint to the code generator when generating
1025    the caller, allowing tail call optimization and omission of register saves
1026    and restores in some cases; it is not checked or enforced when generating
1027    the callee. The parameter and the function return type must be valid
1028    operands for the :ref:`bitcast instruction <i_bitcast>`. This is not a
1029    valid attribute for return values and can only be applied to one parameter.
1030
1031``nonnull``
1032    This indicates that the parameter or return pointer is not null. This
1033    attribute may only be applied to pointer typed parameters. This is not
1034    checked or enforced by LLVM, the caller must ensure that the pointer
1035    passed in is non-null, or the callee must ensure that the returned pointer
1036    is non-null.
1037
1038``dereferenceable(<n>)``
1039    This indicates that the parameter or return pointer is dereferenceable. This
1040    attribute may only be applied to pointer typed parameters. A pointer that
1041    is dereferenceable can be loaded from speculatively without a risk of
1042    trapping. The number of bytes known to be dereferenceable must be provided
1043    in parentheses. It is legal for the number of bytes to be less than the
1044    size of the pointee type. The ``nonnull`` attribute does not imply
1045    dereferenceability (consider a pointer to one element past the end of an
1046    array), however ``dereferenceable(<n>)`` does imply ``nonnull`` in
1047    ``addrspace(0)`` (which is the default address space).
1048
1049``dereferenceable_or_null(<n>)``
1050    This indicates that the parameter or return value isn't both
1051    non-null and non-dereferenceable (up to ``<n>`` bytes) at the same
1052    time. All non-null pointers tagged with
1053    ``dereferenceable_or_null(<n>)`` are ``dereferenceable(<n>)``.
1054    For address space 0 ``dereferenceable_or_null(<n>)`` implies that
1055    a pointer is exactly one of ``dereferenceable(<n>)`` or ``null``,
1056    and in other address spaces ``dereferenceable_or_null(<n>)``
1057    implies that a pointer is at least one of ``dereferenceable(<n>)``
1058    or ``null`` (i.e. it may be both ``null`` and
1059    ``dereferenceable(<n>)``). This attribute may only be applied to
1060    pointer typed parameters.
1061
1062.. _gc:
1063
1064Garbage Collector Strategy Names
1065--------------------------------
1066
1067Each function may specify a garbage collector strategy name, which is simply a
1068string:
1069
1070.. code-block:: llvm
1071
1072    define void @f() gc "name" { ... }
1073
1074The supported values of *name* includes those :ref:`built in to LLVM
1075<builtin-gc-strategies>` and any provided by loaded plugins. Specifying a GC
1076strategy will cause the compiler to alter its output in order to support the
1077named garbage collection algorithm. Note that LLVM itself does not contain a
1078garbage collector, this functionality is restricted to generating machine code
1079which can interoperate with a collector provided externally.
1080
1081.. _prefixdata:
1082
1083Prefix Data
1084-----------
1085
1086Prefix data is data associated with a function which the code
1087generator will emit immediately before the function's entrypoint.
1088The purpose of this feature is to allow frontends to associate
1089language-specific runtime metadata with specific functions and make it
1090available through the function pointer while still allowing the
1091function pointer to be called.
1092
1093To access the data for a given function, a program may bitcast the
1094function pointer to a pointer to the constant's type and dereference
1095index -1. This implies that the IR symbol points just past the end of
1096the prefix data. For instance, take the example of a function annotated
1097with a single ``i32``,
1098
1099.. code-block:: llvm
1100
1101    define void @f() prefix i32 123 { ... }
1102
1103The prefix data can be referenced as,
1104
1105.. code-block:: llvm
1106
1107    %0 = bitcast void* () @f to i32*
1108    %a = getelementptr inbounds i32, i32* %0, i32 -1
1109    %b = load i32, i32* %a
1110
1111Prefix data is laid out as if it were an initializer for a global variable
1112of the prefix data's type. The function will be placed such that the
1113beginning of the prefix data is aligned. This means that if the size
1114of the prefix data is not a multiple of the alignment size, the
1115function's entrypoint will not be aligned. If alignment of the
1116function's entrypoint is desired, padding must be added to the prefix
1117data.
1118
1119A function may have prefix data but no body. This has similar semantics
1120to the ``available_externally`` linkage in that the data may be used by the
1121optimizers but will not be emitted in the object file.
1122
1123.. _prologuedata:
1124
1125Prologue Data
1126-------------
1127
1128The ``prologue`` attribute allows arbitrary code (encoded as bytes) to
1129be inserted prior to the function body. This can be used for enabling
1130function hot-patching and instrumentation.
1131
1132To maintain the semantics of ordinary function calls, the prologue data must
1133have a particular format. Specifically, it must begin with a sequence of
1134bytes which decode to a sequence of machine instructions, valid for the
1135module's target, which transfer control to the point immediately succeeding
1136the prologue data, without performing any other visible action. This allows
1137the inliner and other passes to reason about the semantics of the function
1138definition without needing to reason about the prologue data. Obviously this
1139makes the format of the prologue data highly target dependent.
1140
1141A trivial example of valid prologue data for the x86 architecture is ``i8 144``,
1142which encodes the ``nop`` instruction:
1143
1144.. code-block:: llvm
1145
1146    define void @f() prologue i8 144 { ... }
1147
1148Generally prologue data can be formed by encoding a relative branch instruction
1149which skips the metadata, as in this example of valid prologue data for the
1150x86_64 architecture, where the first two bytes encode ``jmp .+10``:
1151
1152.. code-block:: llvm
1153
1154    %0 = type <{ i8, i8, i8* }>
1155
1156    define void @f() prologue %0 <{ i8 235, i8 8, i8* @md}> { ... }
1157
1158A function may have prologue data but no body. This has similar semantics
1159to the ``available_externally`` linkage in that the data may be used by the
1160optimizers but will not be emitted in the object file.
1161
1162.. _personalityfn:
1163
1164Personality Function
1165--------------------
1166
1167The ``personality`` attribute permits functions to specify what function
1168to use for exception handling.
1169
1170.. _attrgrp:
1171
1172Attribute Groups
1173----------------
1174
1175Attribute groups are groups of attributes that are referenced by objects within
1176the IR. They are important for keeping ``.ll`` files readable, because a lot of
1177functions will use the same set of attributes. In the degenerative case of a
1178``.ll`` file that corresponds to a single ``.c`` file, the single attribute
1179group will capture the important command line flags used to build that file.
1180
1181An attribute group is a module-level object. To use an attribute group, an
1182object references the attribute group's ID (e.g. ``#37``). An object may refer
1183to more than one attribute group. In that situation, the attributes from the
1184different groups are merged.
1185
1186Here is an example of attribute groups for a function that should always be
1187inlined, has a stack alignment of 4, and which shouldn't use SSE instructions:
1188
1189.. code-block:: llvm
1190
1191   ; Target-independent attributes:
1192   attributes #0 = { alwaysinline alignstack=4 }
1193
1194   ; Target-dependent attributes:
1195   attributes #1 = { "no-sse" }
1196
1197   ; Function @f has attributes: alwaysinline, alignstack=4, and "no-sse".
1198   define void @f() #0 #1 { ... }
1199
1200.. _fnattrs:
1201
1202Function Attributes
1203-------------------
1204
1205Function attributes are set to communicate additional information about
1206a function. Function attributes are considered to be part of the
1207function, not of the function type, so functions with different function
1208attributes can have the same function type.
1209
1210Function attributes are simple keywords that follow the type specified.
1211If multiple attributes are needed, they are space separated. For
1212example:
1213
1214.. code-block:: llvm
1215
1216    define void @f() noinline { ... }
1217    define void @f() alwaysinline { ... }
1218    define void @f() alwaysinline optsize { ... }
1219    define void @f() optsize { ... }
1220
1221``alignstack(<n>)``
1222    This attribute indicates that, when emitting the prologue and
1223    epilogue, the backend should forcibly align the stack pointer.
1224    Specify the desired alignment, which must be a power of two, in
1225    parentheses.
1226``alwaysinline``
1227    This attribute indicates that the inliner should attempt to inline
1228    this function into callers whenever possible, ignoring any active
1229    inlining size threshold for this caller.
1230``builtin``
1231    This indicates that the callee function at a call site should be
1232    recognized as a built-in function, even though the function's declaration
1233    uses the ``nobuiltin`` attribute. This is only valid at call sites for
1234    direct calls to functions that are declared with the ``nobuiltin``
1235    attribute.
1236``cold``
1237    This attribute indicates that this function is rarely called. When
1238    computing edge weights, basic blocks post-dominated by a cold
1239    function call are also considered to be cold; and, thus, given low
1240    weight.
1241``convergent``
1242    This attribute indicates that the callee is dependent on a convergent
1243    thread execution pattern under certain parallel execution models.
1244    Transformations that are execution model agnostic may not make the execution
1245    of a convergent operation control dependent on any additional values.
1246``inaccessiblememonly``
1247    This attribute indicates that the function may only access memory that
1248    is not accessible by the module being compiled. This is a weaker form
1249    of ``readnone``.
1250``inaccessiblemem_or_argmemonly``
1251    This attribute indicates that the function may only access memory that is
1252    either not accessible by the module being compiled, or is pointed to
1253    by its pointer arguments. This is a weaker form of  ``argmemonly``
1254``inlinehint``
1255    This attribute indicates that the source code contained a hint that
1256    inlining this function is desirable (such as the "inline" keyword in
1257    C/C++). It is just a hint; it imposes no requirements on the
1258    inliner.
1259``jumptable``
1260    This attribute indicates that the function should be added to a
1261    jump-instruction table at code-generation time, and that all address-taken
1262    references to this function should be replaced with a reference to the
1263    appropriate jump-instruction-table function pointer. Note that this creates
1264    a new pointer for the original function, which means that code that depends
1265    on function-pointer identity can break. So, any function annotated with
1266    ``jumptable`` must also be ``unnamed_addr``.
1267``minsize``
1268    This attribute suggests that optimization passes and code generator
1269    passes make choices that keep the code size of this function as small
1270    as possible and perform optimizations that may sacrifice runtime
1271    performance in order to minimize the size of the generated code.
1272``naked``
1273    This attribute disables prologue / epilogue emission for the
1274    function. This can have very system-specific consequences.
1275``nobuiltin``
1276    This indicates that the callee function at a call site is not recognized as
1277    a built-in function. LLVM will retain the original call and not replace it
1278    with equivalent code based on the semantics of the built-in function, unless
1279    the call site uses the ``builtin`` attribute. This is valid at call sites
1280    and on function declarations and definitions.
1281``noduplicate``
1282    This attribute indicates that calls to the function cannot be
1283    duplicated. A call to a ``noduplicate`` function may be moved
1284    within its parent function, but may not be duplicated within
1285    its parent function.
1286
1287    A function containing a ``noduplicate`` call may still
1288    be an inlining candidate, provided that the call is not
1289    duplicated by inlining. That implies that the function has
1290    internal linkage and only has one call site, so the original
1291    call is dead after inlining.
1292``noimplicitfloat``
1293    This attributes disables implicit floating point instructions.
1294``noinline``
1295    This attribute indicates that the inliner should never inline this
1296    function in any situation. This attribute may not be used together
1297    with the ``alwaysinline`` attribute.
1298``nonlazybind``
1299    This attribute suppresses lazy symbol binding for the function. This
1300    may make calls to the function faster, at the cost of extra program
1301    startup time if the function is not called during program startup.
1302``noredzone``
1303    This attribute indicates that the code generator should not use a
1304    red zone, even if the target-specific ABI normally permits it.
1305``noreturn``
1306    This function attribute indicates that the function never returns
1307    normally. This produces undefined behavior at runtime if the
1308    function ever does dynamically return.
1309``norecurse``
1310    This function attribute indicates that the function does not call itself
1311    either directly or indirectly down any possible call path. This produces
1312    undefined behavior at runtime if the function ever does recurse.
1313``nounwind``
1314    This function attribute indicates that the function never raises an
1315    exception. If the function does raise an exception, its runtime
1316    behavior is undefined. However, functions marked nounwind may still
1317    trap or generate asynchronous exceptions. Exception handling schemes
1318    that are recognized by LLVM to handle asynchronous exceptions, such
1319    as SEH, will still provide their implementation defined semantics.
1320``optnone``
1321    This function attribute indicates that most optimization passes will skip
1322    this function, with the exception of interprocedural optimization passes.
1323    Code generation defaults to the "fast" instruction selector.
1324    This attribute cannot be used together with the ``alwaysinline``
1325    attribute; this attribute is also incompatible
1326    with the ``minsize`` attribute and the ``optsize`` attribute.
1327
1328    This attribute requires the ``noinline`` attribute to be specified on
1329    the function as well, so the function is never inlined into any caller.
1330    Only functions with the ``alwaysinline`` attribute are valid
1331    candidates for inlining into the body of this function.
1332``optsize``
1333    This attribute suggests that optimization passes and code generator
1334    passes make choices that keep the code size of this function low,
1335    and otherwise do optimizations specifically to reduce code size as
1336    long as they do not significantly impact runtime performance.
1337``readnone``
1338    On a function, this attribute indicates that the function computes its
1339    result (or decides to unwind an exception) based strictly on its arguments,
1340    without dereferencing any pointer arguments or otherwise accessing
1341    any mutable state (e.g. memory, control registers, etc) visible to
1342    caller functions. It does not write through any pointer arguments
1343    (including ``byval`` arguments) and never changes any state visible
1344    to callers. This means that it cannot unwind exceptions by calling
1345    the ``C++`` exception throwing methods.
1346
1347    On an argument, this attribute indicates that the function does not
1348    dereference that pointer argument, even though it may read or write the
1349    memory that the pointer points to if accessed through other pointers.
1350``readonly``
1351    On a function, this attribute indicates that the function does not write
1352    through any pointer arguments (including ``byval`` arguments) or otherwise
1353    modify any state (e.g. memory, control registers, etc) visible to
1354    caller functions. It may dereference pointer arguments and read
1355    state that may be set in the caller. A readonly function always
1356    returns the same value (or unwinds an exception identically) when
1357    called with the same set of arguments and global state. It cannot
1358    unwind an exception by calling the ``C++`` exception throwing
1359    methods.
1360
1361    On an argument, this attribute indicates that the function does not write
1362    through this pointer argument, even though it may write to the memory that
1363    the pointer points to.
1364``argmemonly``
1365    This attribute indicates that the only memory accesses inside function are
1366    loads and stores from objects pointed to by its pointer-typed arguments,
1367    with arbitrary offsets. Or in other words, all memory operations in the
1368    function can refer to memory only using pointers based on its function
1369    arguments.
1370    Note that ``argmemonly`` can be used together with ``readonly`` attribute
1371    in order to specify that function reads only from its arguments.
1372``returns_twice``
1373    This attribute indicates that this function can return twice. The C
1374    ``setjmp`` is an example of such a function. The compiler disables
1375    some optimizations (like tail calls) in the caller of these
1376    functions.
1377``safestack``
1378    This attribute indicates that
1379    `SafeStack <http://clang.llvm.org/docs/SafeStack.html>`_
1380    protection is enabled for this function.
1381
1382    If a function that has a ``safestack`` attribute is inlined into a
1383    function that doesn't have a ``safestack`` attribute or which has an
1384    ``ssp``, ``sspstrong`` or ``sspreq`` attribute, then the resulting
1385    function will have a ``safestack`` attribute.
1386``sanitize_address``
1387    This attribute indicates that AddressSanitizer checks
1388    (dynamic address safety analysis) are enabled for this function.
1389``sanitize_memory``
1390    This attribute indicates that MemorySanitizer checks (dynamic detection
1391    of accesses to uninitialized memory) are enabled for this function.
1392``sanitize_thread``
1393    This attribute indicates that ThreadSanitizer checks
1394    (dynamic thread safety analysis) are enabled for this function.
1395``ssp``
1396    This attribute indicates that the function should emit a stack
1397    smashing protector. It is in the form of a "canary" --- a random value
1398    placed on the stack before the local variables that's checked upon
1399    return from the function to see if it has been overwritten. A
1400    heuristic is used to determine if a function needs stack protectors
1401    or not. The heuristic used will enable protectors for functions with:
1402
1403    - Character arrays larger than ``ssp-buffer-size`` (default 8).
1404    - Aggregates containing character arrays larger than ``ssp-buffer-size``.
1405    - Calls to alloca() with variable sizes or constant sizes greater than
1406      ``ssp-buffer-size``.
1407
1408    Variables that are identified as requiring a protector will be arranged
1409    on the stack such that they are adjacent to the stack protector guard.
1410
1411    If a function that has an ``ssp`` attribute is inlined into a
1412    function that doesn't have an ``ssp`` attribute, then the resulting
1413    function will have an ``ssp`` attribute.
1414``sspreq``
1415    This attribute indicates that the function should *always* emit a
1416    stack smashing protector. This overrides the ``ssp`` function
1417    attribute.
1418
1419    Variables that are identified as requiring a protector will be arranged
1420    on the stack such that they are adjacent to the stack protector guard.
1421    The specific layout rules are:
1422
1423    #. Large arrays and structures containing large arrays
1424       (``>= ssp-buffer-size``) are closest to the stack protector.
1425    #. Small arrays and structures containing small arrays
1426       (``< ssp-buffer-size``) are 2nd closest to the protector.
1427    #. Variables that have had their address taken are 3rd closest to the
1428       protector.
1429
1430    If a function that has an ``sspreq`` attribute is inlined into a
1431    function that doesn't have an ``sspreq`` attribute or which has an
1432    ``ssp`` or ``sspstrong`` attribute, then the resulting function will have
1433    an ``sspreq`` attribute.
1434``sspstrong``
1435    This attribute indicates that the function should emit a stack smashing
1436    protector. This attribute causes a strong heuristic to be used when
1437    determining if a function needs stack protectors. The strong heuristic
1438    will enable protectors for functions with:
1439
1440    - Arrays of any size and type
1441    - Aggregates containing an array of any size and type.
1442    - Calls to alloca().
1443    - Local variables that have had their address taken.
1444
1445    Variables that are identified as requiring a protector will be arranged
1446    on the stack such that they are adjacent to the stack protector guard.
1447    The specific layout rules are:
1448
1449    #. Large arrays and structures containing large arrays
1450       (``>= ssp-buffer-size``) are closest to the stack protector.
1451    #. Small arrays and structures containing small arrays
1452       (``< ssp-buffer-size``) are 2nd closest to the protector.
1453    #. Variables that have had their address taken are 3rd closest to the
1454       protector.
1455
1456    This overrides the ``ssp`` function attribute.
1457
1458    If a function that has an ``sspstrong`` attribute is inlined into a
1459    function that doesn't have an ``sspstrong`` attribute, then the
1460    resulting function will have an ``sspstrong`` attribute.
1461``"thunk"``
1462    This attribute indicates that the function will delegate to some other
1463    function with a tail call. The prototype of a thunk should not be used for
1464    optimization purposes. The caller is expected to cast the thunk prototype to
1465    match the thunk target prototype.
1466``uwtable``
1467    This attribute indicates that the ABI being targeted requires that
1468    an unwind table entry be produced for this function even if we can
1469    show that no exceptions passes by it. This is normally the case for
1470    the ELF x86-64 abi, but it can be disabled for some compilation
1471    units.
1472
1473
1474.. _opbundles:
1475
1476Operand Bundles
1477---------------
1478
1479Note: operand bundles are a work in progress, and they should be
1480considered experimental at this time.
1481
1482Operand bundles are tagged sets of SSA values that can be associated
1483with certain LLVM instructions (currently only ``call`` s and
1484``invoke`` s).  In a way they are like metadata, but dropping them is
1485incorrect and will change program semantics.
1486
1487Syntax::
1488
1489    operand bundle set ::= '[' operand bundle (, operand bundle )* ']'
1490    operand bundle ::= tag '(' [ bundle operand ] (, bundle operand )* ')'
1491    bundle operand ::= SSA value
1492    tag ::= string constant
1493
1494Operand bundles are **not** part of a function's signature, and a
1495given function may be called from multiple places with different kinds
1496of operand bundles.  This reflects the fact that the operand bundles
1497are conceptually a part of the ``call`` (or ``invoke``), not the
1498callee being dispatched to.
1499
1500Operand bundles are a generic mechanism intended to support
1501runtime-introspection-like functionality for managed languages.  While
1502the exact semantics of an operand bundle depend on the bundle tag,
1503there are certain limitations to how much the presence of an operand
1504bundle can influence the semantics of a program.  These restrictions
1505are described as the semantics of an "unknown" operand bundle.  As
1506long as the behavior of an operand bundle is describable within these
1507restrictions, LLVM does not need to have special knowledge of the
1508operand bundle to not miscompile programs containing it.
1509
1510- The bundle operands for an unknown operand bundle escape in unknown
1511  ways before control is transferred to the callee or invokee.
1512- Calls and invokes with operand bundles have unknown read / write
1513  effect on the heap on entry and exit (even if the call target is
1514  ``readnone`` or ``readonly``), unless they're overriden with
1515  callsite specific attributes.
1516- An operand bundle at a call site cannot change the implementation
1517  of the called function.  Inter-procedural optimizations work as
1518  usual as long as they take into account the first two properties.
1519
1520More specific types of operand bundles are described below.
1521
1522Deoptimization Operand Bundles
1523^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1524
1525Deoptimization operand bundles are characterized by the ``"deopt"``
1526operand bundle tag.  These operand bundles represent an alternate
1527"safe" continuation for the call site they're attached to, and can be
1528used by a suitable runtime to deoptimize the compiled frame at the
1529specified call site.  There can be at most one ``"deopt"`` operand
1530bundle attached to a call site.  Exact details of deoptimization is
1531out of scope for the language reference, but it usually involves
1532rewriting a compiled frame into a set of interpreted frames.
1533
1534From the compiler's perspective, deoptimization operand bundles make
1535the call sites they're attached to at least ``readonly``.  They read
1536through all of their pointer typed operands (even if they're not
1537otherwise escaped) and the entire visible heap.  Deoptimization
1538operand bundles do not capture their operands except during
1539deoptimization, in which case control will not be returned to the
1540compiled frame.
1541
1542The inliner knows how to inline through calls that have deoptimization
1543operand bundles.  Just like inlining through a normal call site
1544involves composing the normal and exceptional continuations, inlining
1545through a call site with a deoptimization operand bundle needs to
1546appropriately compose the "safe" deoptimization continuation.  The
1547inliner does this by prepending the parent's deoptimization
1548continuation to every deoptimization continuation in the inlined body.
1549E.g. inlining ``@f`` into ``@g`` in the following example
1550
1551.. code-block:: llvm
1552
1553    define void @f() {
1554      call void @x()  ;; no deopt state
1555      call void @y() [ "deopt"(i32 10) ]
1556      call void @y() [ "deopt"(i32 10), "unknown"(i8* null) ]
1557      ret void
1558    }
1559
1560    define void @g() {
1561      call void @f() [ "deopt"(i32 20) ]
1562      ret void
1563    }
1564
1565will result in
1566
1567.. code-block:: llvm
1568
1569    define void @g() {
1570      call void @x()  ;; still no deopt state
1571      call void @y() [ "deopt"(i32 20, i32 10) ]
1572      call void @y() [ "deopt"(i32 20, i32 10), "unknown"(i8* null) ]
1573      ret void
1574    }
1575
1576It is the frontend's responsibility to structure or encode the
1577deoptimization state in a way that syntactically prepending the
1578caller's deoptimization state to the callee's deoptimization state is
1579semantically equivalent to composing the caller's deoptimization
1580continuation after the callee's deoptimization continuation.
1581
1582Funclet Operand Bundles
1583^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1584
1585Funclet operand bundles are characterized by the ``"funclet"``
1586operand bundle tag.  These operand bundles indicate that a call site
1587is within a particular funclet.  There can be at most one
1588``"funclet"`` operand bundle attached to a call site and it must have
1589exactly one bundle operand.
1590
1591.. _moduleasm:
1592
1593Module-Level Inline Assembly
1594----------------------------
1595
1596Modules may contain "module-level inline asm" blocks, which corresponds
1597to the GCC "file scope inline asm" blocks. These blocks are internally
1598concatenated by LLVM and treated as a single unit, but may be separated
1599in the ``.ll`` file if desired. The syntax is very simple:
1600
1601.. code-block:: llvm
1602
1603    module asm "inline asm code goes here"
1604    module asm "more can go here"
1605
1606The strings can contain any character by escaping non-printable
1607characters. The escape sequence used is simply "\\xx" where "xx" is the
1608two digit hex code for the number.
1609
1610Note that the assembly string *must* be parseable by LLVM's integrated assembler
1611(unless it is disabled), even when emitting a ``.s`` file.
1612
1613.. _langref_datalayout:
1614
1615Data Layout
1616-----------
1617
1618A module may specify a target specific data layout string that specifies
1619how data is to be laid out in memory. The syntax for the data layout is
1620simply:
1621
1622.. code-block:: llvm
1623
1624    target datalayout = "layout specification"
1625
1626The *layout specification* consists of a list of specifications
1627separated by the minus sign character ('-'). Each specification starts
1628with a letter and may include other information after the letter to
1629define some aspect of the data layout. The specifications accepted are
1630as follows:
1631
1632``E``
1633    Specifies that the target lays out data in big-endian form. That is,
1634    the bits with the most significance have the lowest address
1635    location.
1636``e``
1637    Specifies that the target lays out data in little-endian form. That
1638    is, the bits with the least significance have the lowest address
1639    location.
1640``S<size>``
1641    Specifies the natural alignment of the stack in bits. Alignment
1642    promotion of stack variables is limited to the natural stack
1643    alignment to avoid dynamic stack realignment. The stack alignment
1644    must be a multiple of 8-bits. If omitted, the natural stack
1645    alignment defaults to "unspecified", which does not prevent any
1646    alignment promotions.
1647``p[n]:<size>:<abi>:<pref>``
1648    This specifies the *size* of a pointer and its ``<abi>`` and
1649    ``<pref>``\erred alignments for address space ``n``. All sizes are in
1650    bits. The address space, ``n``, is optional, and if not specified,
1651    denotes the default address space 0. The value of ``n`` must be
1652    in the range [1,2^23).
1653``i<size>:<abi>:<pref>``
1654    This specifies the alignment for an integer type of a given bit
1655    ``<size>``. The value of ``<size>`` must be in the range [1,2^23).
1656``v<size>:<abi>:<pref>``
1657    This specifies the alignment for a vector type of a given bit
1658    ``<size>``.
1659``f<size>:<abi>:<pref>``
1660    This specifies the alignment for a floating point type of a given bit
1661    ``<size>``. Only values of ``<size>`` that are supported by the target
1662    will work. 32 (float) and 64 (double) are supported on all targets; 80
1663    or 128 (different flavors of long double) are also supported on some
1664    targets.
1665``a:<abi>:<pref>``
1666    This specifies the alignment for an object of aggregate type.
1667``m:<mangling>``
1668    If present, specifies that llvm names are mangled in the output. The
1669    options are
1670
1671    * ``e``: ELF mangling: Private symbols get a ``.L`` prefix.
1672    * ``m``: Mips mangling: Private symbols get a ``$`` prefix.
1673    * ``o``: Mach-O mangling: Private symbols get ``L`` prefix. Other
1674      symbols get a ``_`` prefix.
1675    * ``w``: Windows COFF prefix:  Similar to Mach-O, but stdcall and fastcall
1676      functions also get a suffix based on the frame size.
1677    * ``x``: Windows x86 COFF prefix:  Similar to Windows COFF, but use a ``_``
1678      prefix for ``__cdecl`` functions.
1679``n<size1>:<size2>:<size3>...``
1680    This specifies a set of native integer widths for the target CPU in
1681    bits. For example, it might contain ``n32`` for 32-bit PowerPC,
1682    ``n32:64`` for PowerPC 64, or ``n8:16:32:64`` for X86-64. Elements of
1683    this set are considered to support most general arithmetic operations
1684    efficiently.
1685
1686On every specification that takes a ``<abi>:<pref>``, specifying the
1687``<pref>`` alignment is optional. If omitted, the preceding ``:``
1688should be omitted too and ``<pref>`` will be equal to ``<abi>``.
1689
1690When constructing the data layout for a given target, LLVM starts with a
1691default set of specifications which are then (possibly) overridden by
1692the specifications in the ``datalayout`` keyword. The default
1693specifications are given in this list:
1694
1695-  ``E`` - big endian
1696-  ``p:64:64:64`` - 64-bit pointers with 64-bit alignment.
1697-  ``p[n]:64:64:64`` - Other address spaces are assumed to be the
1698   same as the default address space.
1699-  ``S0`` - natural stack alignment is unspecified
1700-  ``i1:8:8`` - i1 is 8-bit (byte) aligned
1701-  ``i8:8:8`` - i8 is 8-bit (byte) aligned
1702-  ``i16:16:16`` - i16 is 16-bit aligned
1703-  ``i32:32:32`` - i32 is 32-bit aligned
1704-  ``i64:32:64`` - i64 has ABI alignment of 32-bits but preferred
1705   alignment of 64-bits
1706-  ``f16:16:16`` - half is 16-bit aligned
1707-  ``f32:32:32`` - float is 32-bit aligned
1708-  ``f64:64:64`` - double is 64-bit aligned
1709-  ``f128:128:128`` - quad is 128-bit aligned
1710-  ``v64:64:64`` - 64-bit vector is 64-bit aligned
1711-  ``v128:128:128`` - 128-bit vector is 128-bit aligned
1712-  ``a:0:64`` - aggregates are 64-bit aligned
1713
1714When LLVM is determining the alignment for a given type, it uses the
1715following rules:
1716
1717#. If the type sought is an exact match for one of the specifications,
1718   that specification is used.
1719#. If no match is found, and the type sought is an integer type, then
1720   the smallest integer type that is larger than the bitwidth of the
1721   sought type is used. If none of the specifications are larger than
1722   the bitwidth then the largest integer type is used. For example,
1723   given the default specifications above, the i7 type will use the
1724   alignment of i8 (next largest) while both i65 and i256 will use the
1725   alignment of i64 (largest specified).
1726#. If no match is found, and the type sought is a vector type, then the
1727   largest vector type that is smaller than the sought vector type will
1728   be used as a fall back. This happens because <128 x double> can be
1729   implemented in terms of 64 <2 x double>, for example.
1730
1731The function of the data layout string may not be what you expect.
1732Notably, this is not a specification from the frontend of what alignment
1733the code generator should use.
1734
1735Instead, if specified, the target data layout is required to match what
1736the ultimate *code generator* expects. This string is used by the
1737mid-level optimizers to improve code, and this only works if it matches
1738what the ultimate code generator uses. There is no way to generate IR
1739that does not embed this target-specific detail into the IR. If you
1740don't specify the string, the default specifications will be used to
1741generate a Data Layout and the optimization phases will operate
1742accordingly and introduce target specificity into the IR with respect to
1743these default specifications.
1744
1745.. _langref_triple:
1746
1747Target Triple
1748-------------
1749
1750A module may specify a target triple string that describes the target
1751host. The syntax for the target triple is simply:
1752
1753.. code-block:: llvm
1754
1755    target triple = "x86_64-apple-macosx10.7.0"
1756
1757The *target triple* string consists of a series of identifiers delimited
1758by the minus sign character ('-'). The canonical forms are:
1759
1760::
1761
1762    ARCHITECTURE-VENDOR-OPERATING_SYSTEM
1763    ARCHITECTURE-VENDOR-OPERATING_SYSTEM-ENVIRONMENT
1764
1765This information is passed along to the backend so that it generates
1766code for the proper architecture. It's possible to override this on the
1767command line with the ``-mtriple`` command line option.
1768
1769.. _pointeraliasing:
1770
1771Pointer Aliasing Rules
1772----------------------
1773
1774Any memory access must be done through a pointer value associated with
1775an address range of the memory access, otherwise the behavior is
1776undefined. Pointer values are associated with address ranges according
1777to the following rules:
1778
1779-  A pointer value is associated with the addresses associated with any
1780   value it is *based* on.
1781-  An address of a global variable is associated with the address range
1782   of the variable's storage.
1783-  The result value of an allocation instruction is associated with the
1784   address range of the allocated storage.
1785-  A null pointer in the default address-space is associated with no
1786   address.
1787-  An integer constant other than zero or a pointer value returned from
1788   a function not defined within LLVM may be associated with address
1789   ranges allocated through mechanisms other than those provided by
1790   LLVM. Such ranges shall not overlap with any ranges of addresses
1791   allocated by mechanisms provided by LLVM.
1792
1793A pointer value is *based* on another pointer value according to the
1794following rules:
1795
1796-  A pointer value formed from a ``getelementptr`` operation is *based*
1797   on the first value operand of the ``getelementptr``.
1798-  The result value of a ``bitcast`` is *based* on the operand of the
1799   ``bitcast``.
1800-  A pointer value formed by an ``inttoptr`` is *based* on all pointer
1801   values that contribute (directly or indirectly) to the computation of
1802   the pointer's value.
1803-  The "*based* on" relationship is transitive.
1804
1805Note that this definition of *"based"* is intentionally similar to the
1806definition of *"based"* in C99, though it is slightly weaker.
1807
1808LLVM IR does not associate types with memory. The result type of a
1809``load`` merely indicates the size and alignment of the memory from
1810which to load, as well as the interpretation of the value. The first
1811operand type of a ``store`` similarly only indicates the size and
1812alignment of the store.
1813
1814Consequently, type-based alias analysis, aka TBAA, aka
1815``-fstrict-aliasing``, is not applicable to general unadorned LLVM IR.
1816:ref:`Metadata <metadata>` may be used to encode additional information
1817which specialized optimization passes may use to implement type-based
1818alias analysis.
1819
1820.. _volatile:
1821
1822Volatile Memory Accesses
1823------------------------
1824
1825Certain memory accesses, such as :ref:`load <i_load>`'s,
1826:ref:`store <i_store>`'s, and :ref:`llvm.memcpy <int_memcpy>`'s may be
1827marked ``volatile``. The optimizers must not change the number of
1828volatile operations or change their order of execution relative to other
1829volatile operations. The optimizers *may* change the order of volatile
1830operations relative to non-volatile operations. This is not Java's
1831"volatile" and has no cross-thread synchronization behavior.
1832
1833IR-level volatile loads and stores cannot safely be optimized into
1834llvm.memcpy or llvm.memmove intrinsics even when those intrinsics are
1835flagged volatile. Likewise, the backend should never split or merge
1836target-legal volatile load/store instructions.
1837
1838.. admonition:: Rationale
1839
1840 Platforms may rely on volatile loads and stores of natively supported
1841 data width to be executed as single instruction. For example, in C
1842 this holds for an l-value of volatile primitive type with native
1843 hardware support, but not necessarily for aggregate types. The
1844 frontend upholds these expectations, which are intentionally
1845 unspecified in the IR. The rules above ensure that IR transformations
1846 do not violate the frontend's contract with the language.
1847
1848.. _memmodel:
1849
1850Memory Model for Concurrent Operations
1851--------------------------------------
1852
1853The LLVM IR does not define any way to start parallel threads of
1854execution or to register signal handlers. Nonetheless, there are
1855platform-specific ways to create them, and we define LLVM IR's behavior
1856in their presence. This model is inspired by the C++0x memory model.
1857
1858For a more informal introduction to this model, see the :doc:`Atomics`.
1859
1860We define a *happens-before* partial order as the least partial order
1861that
1862
1863-  Is a superset of single-thread program order, and
1864-  When a *synchronizes-with* ``b``, includes an edge from ``a`` to
1865   ``b``. *Synchronizes-with* pairs are introduced by platform-specific
1866   techniques, like pthread locks, thread creation, thread joining,
1867   etc., and by atomic instructions. (See also :ref:`Atomic Memory Ordering
1868   Constraints <ordering>`).
1869
1870Note that program order does not introduce *happens-before* edges
1871between a thread and signals executing inside that thread.
1872
1873Every (defined) read operation (load instructions, memcpy, atomic
1874loads/read-modify-writes, etc.) R reads a series of bytes written by
1875(defined) write operations (store instructions, atomic
1876stores/read-modify-writes, memcpy, etc.). For the purposes of this
1877section, initialized globals are considered to have a write of the
1878initializer which is atomic and happens before any other read or write
1879of the memory in question. For each byte of a read R, R\ :sub:`byte`
1880may see any write to the same byte, except:
1881
1882-  If write\ :sub:`1`  happens before write\ :sub:`2`, and
1883   write\ :sub:`2` happens before R\ :sub:`byte`, then
1884   R\ :sub:`byte` does not see write\ :sub:`1`.
1885-  If R\ :sub:`byte` happens before write\ :sub:`3`, then
1886   R\ :sub:`byte` does not see write\ :sub:`3`.
1887
1888Given that definition, R\ :sub:`byte` is defined as follows:
1889
1890-  If R is volatile, the result is target-dependent. (Volatile is
1891   supposed to give guarantees which can support ``sig_atomic_t`` in
1892   C/C++, and may be used for accesses to addresses that do not behave
1893   like normal memory. It does not generally provide cross-thread
1894   synchronization.)
1895-  Otherwise, if there is no write to the same byte that happens before
1896   R\ :sub:`byte`, R\ :sub:`byte` returns ``undef`` for that byte.
1897-  Otherwise, if R\ :sub:`byte` may see exactly one write,
1898   R\ :sub:`byte` returns the value written by that write.
1899-  Otherwise, if R is atomic, and all the writes R\ :sub:`byte` may
1900   see are atomic, it chooses one of the values written. See the :ref:`Atomic
1901   Memory Ordering Constraints <ordering>` section for additional
1902   constraints on how the choice is made.
1903-  Otherwise R\ :sub:`byte` returns ``undef``.
1904
1905R returns the value composed of the series of bytes it read. This
1906implies that some bytes within the value may be ``undef`` **without**
1907the entire value being ``undef``. Note that this only defines the
1908semantics of the operation; it doesn't mean that targets will emit more
1909than one instruction to read the series of bytes.
1910
1911Note that in cases where none of the atomic intrinsics are used, this
1912model places only one restriction on IR transformations on top of what
1913is required for single-threaded execution: introducing a store to a byte
1914which might not otherwise be stored is not allowed in general.
1915(Specifically, in the case where another thread might write to and read
1916from an address, introducing a store can change a load that may see
1917exactly one write into a load that may see multiple writes.)
1918
1919.. _ordering:
1920
1921Atomic Memory Ordering Constraints
1922----------------------------------
1923
1924Atomic instructions (:ref:`cmpxchg <i_cmpxchg>`,
1925:ref:`atomicrmw <i_atomicrmw>`, :ref:`fence <i_fence>`,
1926:ref:`atomic load <i_load>`, and :ref:`atomic store <i_store>`) take
1927ordering parameters that determine which other atomic instructions on
1928the same address they *synchronize with*. These semantics are borrowed
1929from Java and C++0x, but are somewhat more colloquial. If these
1930descriptions aren't precise enough, check those specs (see spec
1931references in the :doc:`atomics guide <Atomics>`).
1932:ref:`fence <i_fence>` instructions treat these orderings somewhat
1933differently since they don't take an address. See that instruction's
1934documentation for details.
1935
1936For a simpler introduction to the ordering constraints, see the
1937:doc:`Atomics`.
1938
1939``unordered``
1940    The set of values that can be read is governed by the happens-before
1941    partial order. A value cannot be read unless some operation wrote
1942    it. This is intended to provide a guarantee strong enough to model
1943    Java's non-volatile shared variables. This ordering cannot be
1944    specified for read-modify-write operations; it is not strong enough
1945    to make them atomic in any interesting way.
1946``monotonic``
1947    In addition to the guarantees of ``unordered``, there is a single
1948    total order for modifications by ``monotonic`` operations on each
1949    address. All modification orders must be compatible with the
1950    happens-before order. There is no guarantee that the modification
1951    orders can be combined to a global total order for the whole program
1952    (and this often will not be possible). The read in an atomic
1953    read-modify-write operation (:ref:`cmpxchg <i_cmpxchg>` and
1954    :ref:`atomicrmw <i_atomicrmw>`) reads the value in the modification
1955    order immediately before the value it writes. If one atomic read
1956    happens before another atomic read of the same address, the later
1957    read must see the same value or a later value in the address's
1958    modification order. This disallows reordering of ``monotonic`` (or
1959    stronger) operations on the same address. If an address is written
1960    ``monotonic``-ally by one thread, and other threads ``monotonic``-ally
1961    read that address repeatedly, the other threads must eventually see
1962    the write. This corresponds to the C++0x/C1x
1963    ``memory_order_relaxed``.
1964``acquire``
1965    In addition to the guarantees of ``monotonic``, a
1966    *synchronizes-with* edge may be formed with a ``release`` operation.
1967    This is intended to model C++'s ``memory_order_acquire``.
1968``release``
1969    In addition to the guarantees of ``monotonic``, if this operation
1970    writes a value which is subsequently read by an ``acquire``
1971    operation, it *synchronizes-with* that operation. (This isn't a
1972    complete description; see the C++0x definition of a release
1973    sequence.) This corresponds to the C++0x/C1x
1974    ``memory_order_release``.
1975``acq_rel`` (acquire+release)
1976    Acts as both an ``acquire`` and ``release`` operation on its
1977    address. This corresponds to the C++0x/C1x ``memory_order_acq_rel``.
1978``seq_cst`` (sequentially consistent)
1979    In addition to the guarantees of ``acq_rel`` (``acquire`` for an
1980    operation that only reads, ``release`` for an operation that only
1981    writes), there is a global total order on all
1982    sequentially-consistent operations on all addresses, which is
1983    consistent with the *happens-before* partial order and with the
1984    modification orders of all the affected addresses. Each
1985    sequentially-consistent read sees the last preceding write to the
1986    same address in this global order. This corresponds to the C++0x/C1x
1987    ``memory_order_seq_cst`` and Java volatile.
1988
1989.. _singlethread:
1990
1991If an atomic operation is marked ``singlethread``, it only *synchronizes
1992with* or participates in modification and seq\_cst total orderings with
1993other operations running in the same thread (for example, in signal
1994handlers).
1995
1996.. _fastmath:
1997
1998Fast-Math Flags
1999---------------
2000
2001LLVM IR floating-point binary ops (:ref:`fadd <i_fadd>`,
2002:ref:`fsub <i_fsub>`, :ref:`fmul <i_fmul>`, :ref:`fdiv <i_fdiv>`,
2003:ref:`frem <i_frem>`, :ref:`fcmp <i_fcmp>`) have the following flags that can
2004be set to enable otherwise unsafe floating point operations
2005
2006``nnan``
2007   No NaNs - Allow optimizations to assume the arguments and result are not
2008   NaN. Such optimizations are required to retain defined behavior over
2009   NaNs, but the value of the result is undefined.
2010
2011``ninf``
2012   No Infs - Allow optimizations to assume the arguments and result are not
2013   +/-Inf. Such optimizations are required to retain defined behavior over
2014   +/-Inf, but the value of the result is undefined.
2015
2016``nsz``
2017   No Signed Zeros - Allow optimizations to treat the sign of a zero
2018   argument or result as insignificant.
2019
2020``arcp``
2021   Allow Reciprocal - Allow optimizations to use the reciprocal of an
2022   argument rather than perform division.
2023
2024``fast``
2025   Fast - Allow algebraically equivalent transformations that may
2026   dramatically change results in floating point (e.g. reassociate). This
2027   flag implies all the others.
2028
2029.. _uselistorder:
2030
2031Use-list Order Directives
2032-------------------------
2033
2034Use-list directives encode the in-memory order of each use-list, allowing the
2035order to be recreated. ``<order-indexes>`` is a comma-separated list of
2036indexes that are assigned to the referenced value's uses. The referenced
2037value's use-list is immediately sorted by these indexes.
2038
2039Use-list directives may appear at function scope or global scope. They are not
2040instructions, and have no effect on the semantics of the IR. When they're at
2041function scope, they must appear after the terminator of the final basic block.
2042
2043If basic blocks have their address taken via ``blockaddress()`` expressions,
2044``uselistorder_bb`` can be used to reorder their use-lists from outside their
2045function's scope.
2046
2047:Syntax:
2048
2049::
2050
2051    uselistorder <ty> <value>, { <order-indexes> }
2052    uselistorder_bb @function, %block { <order-indexes> }
2053
2054:Examples:
2055
2056::
2057
2058    define void @foo(i32 %arg1, i32 %arg2) {
2059    entry:
2060      ; ... instructions ...
2061    bb:
2062      ; ... instructions ...
2063
2064      ; At function scope.
2065      uselistorder i32 %arg1, { 1, 0, 2 }
2066      uselistorder label %bb, { 1, 0 }
2067    }
2068
2069    ; At global scope.
2070    uselistorder i32* @global, { 1, 2, 0 }
2071    uselistorder i32 7, { 1, 0 }
2072    uselistorder i32 (i32) @bar, { 1, 0 }
2073    uselistorder_bb @foo, %bb, { 5, 1, 3, 2, 0, 4 }
2074
2075.. _typesystem:
2076
2077Type System
2078===========
2079
2080The LLVM type system is one of the most important features of the
2081intermediate representation. Being typed enables a number of
2082optimizations to be performed on the intermediate representation
2083directly, without having to do extra analyses on the side before the
2084transformation. A strong type system makes it easier to read the
2085generated code and enables novel analyses and transformations that are
2086not feasible to perform on normal three address code representations.
2087
2088.. _t_void:
2089
2090Void Type
2091---------
2092
2093:Overview:
2094
2095
2096The void type does not represent any value and has no size.
2097
2098:Syntax:
2099
2100
2101::
2102
2103      void
2104
2105
2106.. _t_function:
2107
2108Function Type
2109-------------
2110
2111:Overview:
2112
2113
2114The function type can be thought of as a function signature. It consists of a
2115return type and a list of formal parameter types. The return type of a function
2116type is a void type or first class type --- except for :ref:`label <t_label>`
2117and :ref:`metadata <t_metadata>` types.
2118
2119:Syntax:
2120
2121::
2122
2123      <returntype> (<parameter list>)
2124
2125...where '``<parameter list>``' is a comma-separated list of type
2126specifiers. Optionally, the parameter list may include a type ``...``, which
2127indicates that the function takes a variable number of arguments. Variable
2128argument functions can access their arguments with the :ref:`variable argument
2129handling intrinsic <int_varargs>` functions. '``<returntype>``' is any type
2130except :ref:`label <t_label>` and :ref:`metadata <t_metadata>`.
2131
2132:Examples:
2133
2134+---------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2135| ``i32 (i32)``                   | function taking an ``i32``, returning an ``i32``                                                                                                                    |
2136+---------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2137| ``float (i16, i32 *) *``        | :ref:`Pointer <t_pointer>` to a function that takes an ``i16`` and a :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to ``i32``, returning ``float``.                                    |
2138+---------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2139| ``i32 (i8*, ...)``              | A vararg function that takes at least one :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to ``i8`` (char in C), which returns an integer. This is the signature for ``printf`` in LLVM. |
2140+---------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2141| ``{i32, i32} (i32)``            | A function taking an ``i32``, returning a :ref:`structure <t_struct>` containing two ``i32`` values                                                                 |
2142+---------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2143
2144.. _t_firstclass:
2145
2146First Class Types
2147-----------------
2148
2149The :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` types are perhaps the most important.
2150Values of these types are the only ones which can be produced by
2151instructions.
2152
2153.. _t_single_value:
2154
2155Single Value Types
2156^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2157
2158These are the types that are valid in registers from CodeGen's perspective.
2159
2160.. _t_integer:
2161
2162Integer Type
2163""""""""""""
2164
2165:Overview:
2166
2167The integer type is a very simple type that simply specifies an
2168arbitrary bit width for the integer type desired. Any bit width from 1
2169bit to 2\ :sup:`23`\ -1 (about 8 million) can be specified.
2170
2171:Syntax:
2172
2173::
2174
2175      iN
2176
2177The number of bits the integer will occupy is specified by the ``N``
2178value.
2179
2180Examples:
2181*********
2182
2183+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
2184| ``i1``         | a single-bit integer.                          |
2185+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
2186| ``i32``        | a 32-bit integer.                              |
2187+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
2188| ``i1942652``   | a really big integer of over 1 million bits.   |
2189+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
2190
2191.. _t_floating:
2192
2193Floating Point Types
2194""""""""""""""""""""
2195
2196.. list-table::
2197   :header-rows: 1
2198
2199   * - Type
2200     - Description
2201
2202   * - ``half``
2203     - 16-bit floating point value
2204
2205   * - ``float``
2206     - 32-bit floating point value
2207
2208   * - ``double``
2209     - 64-bit floating point value
2210
2211   * - ``fp128``
2212     - 128-bit floating point value (112-bit mantissa)
2213
2214   * - ``x86_fp80``
2215     -  80-bit floating point value (X87)
2216
2217   * - ``ppc_fp128``
2218     - 128-bit floating point value (two 64-bits)
2219
2220X86_mmx Type
2221""""""""""""
2222
2223:Overview:
2224
2225The x86_mmx type represents a value held in an MMX register on an x86
2226machine. The operations allowed on it are quite limited: parameters and
2227return values, load and store, and bitcast. User-specified MMX
2228instructions are represented as intrinsic or asm calls with arguments
2229and/or results of this type. There are no arrays, vectors or constants
2230of this type.
2231
2232:Syntax:
2233
2234::
2235
2236      x86_mmx
2237
2238
2239.. _t_pointer:
2240
2241Pointer Type
2242""""""""""""
2243
2244:Overview:
2245
2246The pointer type is used to specify memory locations. Pointers are
2247commonly used to reference objects in memory.
2248
2249Pointer types may have an optional address space attribute defining the
2250numbered address space where the pointed-to object resides. The default
2251address space is number zero. The semantics of non-zero address spaces
2252are target-specific.
2253
2254Note that LLVM does not permit pointers to void (``void*``) nor does it
2255permit pointers to labels (``label*``). Use ``i8*`` instead.
2256
2257:Syntax:
2258
2259::
2260
2261      <type> *
2262
2263:Examples:
2264
2265+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2266| ``[4 x i32]*``          | A :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to :ref:`array <t_array>` of four ``i32`` values.                               |
2267+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2268| ``i32 (i32*) *``        | A :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to a :ref:`function <t_function>` that takes an ``i32*``, returning an ``i32``. |
2269+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2270| ``i32 addrspace(5)*``   | A :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to an ``i32`` value that resides in address space #5.                           |
2271+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2272
2273.. _t_vector:
2274
2275Vector Type
2276"""""""""""
2277
2278:Overview:
2279
2280A vector type is a simple derived type that represents a vector of
2281elements. Vector types are used when multiple primitive data are
2282operated in parallel using a single instruction (SIMD). A vector type
2283requires a size (number of elements) and an underlying primitive data
2284type. Vector types are considered :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>`.
2285
2286:Syntax:
2287
2288::
2289
2290      < <# elements> x <elementtype> >
2291
2292The number of elements is a constant integer value larger than 0;
2293elementtype may be any integer, floating point or pointer type. Vectors
2294of size zero are not allowed.
2295
2296:Examples:
2297
2298+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
2299| ``<4 x i32>``     | Vector of 4 32-bit integer values.               |
2300+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
2301| ``<8 x float>``   | Vector of 8 32-bit floating-point values.        |
2302+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
2303| ``<2 x i64>``     | Vector of 2 64-bit integer values.               |
2304+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
2305| ``<4 x i64*>``    | Vector of 4 pointers to 64-bit integer values.   |
2306+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
2307
2308.. _t_label:
2309
2310Label Type
2311^^^^^^^^^^
2312
2313:Overview:
2314
2315The label type represents code labels.
2316
2317:Syntax:
2318
2319::
2320
2321      label
2322
2323.. _t_token:
2324
2325Token Type
2326^^^^^^^^^^
2327
2328:Overview:
2329
2330The token type is used when a value is associated with an instruction
2331but all uses of the value must not attempt to introspect or obscure it.
2332As such, it is not appropriate to have a :ref:`phi <i_phi>` or
2333:ref:`select <i_select>` of type token.
2334
2335:Syntax:
2336
2337::
2338
2339      token
2340
2341
2342
2343.. _t_metadata:
2344
2345Metadata Type
2346^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2347
2348:Overview:
2349
2350The metadata type represents embedded metadata. No derived types may be
2351created from metadata except for :ref:`function <t_function>` arguments.
2352
2353:Syntax:
2354
2355::
2356
2357      metadata
2358
2359.. _t_aggregate:
2360
2361Aggregate Types
2362^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2363
2364Aggregate Types are a subset of derived types that can contain multiple
2365member types. :ref:`Arrays <t_array>` and :ref:`structs <t_struct>` are
2366aggregate types. :ref:`Vectors <t_vector>` are not considered to be
2367aggregate types.
2368
2369.. _t_array:
2370
2371Array Type
2372""""""""""
2373
2374:Overview:
2375
2376The array type is a very simple derived type that arranges elements
2377sequentially in memory. The array type requires a size (number of
2378elements) and an underlying data type.
2379
2380:Syntax:
2381
2382::
2383
2384      [<# elements> x <elementtype>]
2385
2386The number of elements is a constant integer value; ``elementtype`` may
2387be any type with a size.
2388
2389:Examples:
2390
2391+------------------+--------------------------------------+
2392| ``[40 x i32]``   | Array of 40 32-bit integer values.   |
2393+------------------+--------------------------------------+
2394| ``[41 x i32]``   | Array of 41 32-bit integer values.   |
2395+------------------+--------------------------------------+
2396| ``[4 x i8]``     | Array of 4 8-bit integer values.     |
2397+------------------+--------------------------------------+
2398
2399Here are some examples of multidimensional arrays:
2400
2401+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2402| ``[3 x [4 x i32]]``         | 3x4 array of 32-bit integer values.                      |
2403+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2404| ``[12 x [10 x float]]``     | 12x10 array of single precision floating point values.   |
2405+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2406| ``[2 x [3 x [4 x i16]]]``   | 2x3x4 array of 16-bit integer values.                    |
2407+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2408
2409There is no restriction on indexing beyond the end of the array implied
2410by a static type (though there are restrictions on indexing beyond the
2411bounds of an allocated object in some cases). This means that
2412single-dimension 'variable sized array' addressing can be implemented in
2413LLVM with a zero length array type. An implementation of 'pascal style
2414arrays' in LLVM could use the type "``{ i32, [0 x float]}``", for
2415example.
2416
2417.. _t_struct:
2418
2419Structure Type
2420""""""""""""""
2421
2422:Overview:
2423
2424The structure type is used to represent a collection of data members
2425together in memory. The elements of a structure may be any type that has
2426a size.
2427
2428Structures in memory are accessed using '``load``' and '``store``' by
2429getting a pointer to a field with the '``getelementptr``' instruction.
2430Structures in registers are accessed using the '``extractvalue``' and
2431'``insertvalue``' instructions.
2432
2433Structures may optionally be "packed" structures, which indicate that
2434the alignment of the struct is one byte, and that there is no padding
2435between the elements. In non-packed structs, padding between field types
2436is inserted as defined by the DataLayout string in the module, which is
2437required to match what the underlying code generator expects.
2438
2439Structures can either be "literal" or "identified". A literal structure
2440is defined inline with other types (e.g. ``{i32, i32}*``) whereas
2441identified types are always defined at the top level with a name.
2442Literal types are uniqued by their contents and can never be recursive
2443or opaque since there is no way to write one. Identified types can be
2444recursive, can be opaqued, and are never uniqued.
2445
2446:Syntax:
2447
2448::
2449
2450      %T1 = type { <type list> }     ; Identified normal struct type
2451      %T2 = type <{ <type list> }>   ; Identified packed struct type
2452
2453:Examples:
2454
2455+------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2456| ``{ i32, i32, i32 }``        | A triple of three ``i32`` values                                                                                                                                                      |
2457+------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2458| ``{ float, i32 (i32) * }``   | A pair, where the first element is a ``float`` and the second element is a :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` to a :ref:`function <t_function>` that takes an ``i32``, returning an ``i32``.  |
2459+------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2460| ``<{ i8, i32 }>``            | A packed struct known to be 5 bytes in size.                                                                                                                                          |
2461+------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
2462
2463.. _t_opaque:
2464
2465Opaque Structure Types
2466""""""""""""""""""""""
2467
2468:Overview:
2469
2470Opaque structure types are used to represent named structure types that
2471do not have a body specified. This corresponds (for example) to the C
2472notion of a forward declared structure.
2473
2474:Syntax:
2475
2476::
2477
2478      %X = type opaque
2479      %52 = type opaque
2480
2481:Examples:
2482
2483+--------------+-------------------+
2484| ``opaque``   | An opaque type.   |
2485+--------------+-------------------+
2486
2487.. _constants:
2488
2489Constants
2490=========
2491
2492LLVM has several different basic types of constants. This section
2493describes them all and their syntax.
2494
2495Simple Constants
2496----------------
2497
2498**Boolean constants**
2499    The two strings '``true``' and '``false``' are both valid constants
2500    of the ``i1`` type.
2501**Integer constants**
2502    Standard integers (such as '4') are constants of the
2503    :ref:`integer <t_integer>` type. Negative numbers may be used with
2504    integer types.
2505**Floating point constants**
2506    Floating point constants use standard decimal notation (e.g.
2507    123.421), exponential notation (e.g. 1.23421e+2), or a more precise
2508    hexadecimal notation (see below). The assembler requires the exact
2509    decimal value of a floating-point constant. For example, the
2510    assembler accepts 1.25 but rejects 1.3 because 1.3 is a repeating
2511    decimal in binary. Floating point constants must have a :ref:`floating
2512    point <t_floating>` type.
2513**Null pointer constants**
2514    The identifier '``null``' is recognized as a null pointer constant
2515    and must be of :ref:`pointer type <t_pointer>`.
2516**Token constants**
2517    The identifier '``none``' is recognized as an empty token constant
2518    and must be of :ref:`token type <t_token>`.
2519
2520The one non-intuitive notation for constants is the hexadecimal form of
2521floating point constants. For example, the form
2522'``double    0x432ff973cafa8000``' is equivalent to (but harder to read
2523than) '``double 4.5e+15``'. The only time hexadecimal floating point
2524constants are required (and the only time that they are generated by the
2525disassembler) is when a floating point constant must be emitted but it
2526cannot be represented as a decimal floating point number in a reasonable
2527number of digits. For example, NaN's, infinities, and other special
2528values are represented in their IEEE hexadecimal format so that assembly
2529and disassembly do not cause any bits to change in the constants.
2530
2531When using the hexadecimal form, constants of types half, float, and
2532double are represented using the 16-digit form shown above (which
2533matches the IEEE754 representation for double); half and float values
2534must, however, be exactly representable as IEEE 754 half and single
2535precision, respectively. Hexadecimal format is always used for long
2536double, and there are three forms of long double. The 80-bit format used
2537by x86 is represented as ``0xK`` followed by 20 hexadecimal digits. The
2538128-bit format used by PowerPC (two adjacent doubles) is represented by
2539``0xM`` followed by 32 hexadecimal digits. The IEEE 128-bit format is
2540represented by ``0xL`` followed by 32 hexadecimal digits. Long doubles
2541will only work if they match the long double format on your target.
2542The IEEE 16-bit format (half precision) is represented by ``0xH``
2543followed by 4 hexadecimal digits. All hexadecimal formats are big-endian
2544(sign bit at the left).
2545
2546There are no constants of type x86_mmx.
2547
2548.. _complexconstants:
2549
2550Complex Constants
2551-----------------
2552
2553Complex constants are a (potentially recursive) combination of simple
2554constants and smaller complex constants.
2555
2556**Structure constants**
2557    Structure constants are represented with notation similar to
2558    structure type definitions (a comma separated list of elements,
2559    surrounded by braces (``{}``)). For example:
2560    "``{ i32 4, float 17.0, i32* @G }``", where "``@G``" is declared as
2561    "``@G = external global i32``". Structure constants must have
2562    :ref:`structure type <t_struct>`, and the number and types of elements
2563    must match those specified by the type.
2564**Array constants**
2565    Array constants are represented with notation similar to array type
2566    definitions (a comma separated list of elements, surrounded by
2567    square brackets (``[]``)). For example:
2568    "``[ i32 42, i32 11, i32 74 ]``". Array constants must have
2569    :ref:`array type <t_array>`, and the number and types of elements must
2570    match those specified by the type. As a special case, character array
2571    constants may also be represented as a double-quoted string using the ``c``
2572    prefix. For example: "``c"Hello World\0A\00"``".
2573**Vector constants**
2574    Vector constants are represented with notation similar to vector
2575    type definitions (a comma separated list of elements, surrounded by
2576    less-than/greater-than's (``<>``)). For example:
2577    "``< i32 42, i32 11, i32 74, i32 100 >``". Vector constants
2578    must have :ref:`vector type <t_vector>`, and the number and types of
2579    elements must match those specified by the type.
2580**Zero initialization**
2581    The string '``zeroinitializer``' can be used to zero initialize a
2582    value to zero of *any* type, including scalar and
2583    :ref:`aggregate <t_aggregate>` types. This is often used to avoid
2584    having to print large zero initializers (e.g. for large arrays) and
2585    is always exactly equivalent to using explicit zero initializers.
2586**Metadata node**
2587    A metadata node is a constant tuple without types. For example:
2588    "``!{!0, !{!2, !0}, !"test"}``". Metadata can reference constant values,
2589    for example: "``!{!0, i32 0, i8* @global, i64 (i64)* @function, !"str"}``".
2590    Unlike other typed constants that are meant to be interpreted as part of
2591    the instruction stream, metadata is a place to attach additional
2592    information such as debug info.
2593
2594Global Variable and Function Addresses
2595--------------------------------------
2596
2597The addresses of :ref:`global variables <globalvars>` and
2598:ref:`functions <functionstructure>` are always implicitly valid
2599(link-time) constants. These constants are explicitly referenced when
2600the :ref:`identifier for the global <identifiers>` is used and always have
2601:ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` type. For example, the following is a legal LLVM
2602file:
2603
2604.. code-block:: llvm
2605
2606    @X = global i32 17
2607    @Y = global i32 42
2608    @Z = global [2 x i32*] [ i32* @X, i32* @Y ]
2609
2610.. _undefvalues:
2611
2612Undefined Values
2613----------------
2614
2615The string '``undef``' can be used anywhere a constant is expected, and
2616indicates that the user of the value may receive an unspecified
2617bit-pattern. Undefined values may be of any type (other than '``label``'
2618or '``void``') and be used anywhere a constant is permitted.
2619
2620Undefined values are useful because they indicate to the compiler that
2621the program is well defined no matter what value is used. This gives the
2622compiler more freedom to optimize. Here are some examples of
2623(potentially surprising) transformations that are valid (in pseudo IR):
2624
2625.. code-block:: llvm
2626
2627      %A = add %X, undef
2628      %B = sub %X, undef
2629      %C = xor %X, undef
2630    Safe:
2631      %A = undef
2632      %B = undef
2633      %C = undef
2634
2635This is safe because all of the output bits are affected by the undef
2636bits. Any output bit can have a zero or one depending on the input bits.
2637
2638.. code-block:: llvm
2639
2640      %A = or %X, undef
2641      %B = and %X, undef
2642    Safe:
2643      %A = -1
2644      %B = 0
2645    Unsafe:
2646      %A = undef
2647      %B = undef
2648
2649These logical operations have bits that are not always affected by the
2650input. For example, if ``%X`` has a zero bit, then the output of the
2651'``and``' operation will always be a zero for that bit, no matter what
2652the corresponding bit from the '``undef``' is. As such, it is unsafe to
2653optimize or assume that the result of the '``and``' is '``undef``'.
2654However, it is safe to assume that all bits of the '``undef``' could be
26550, and optimize the '``and``' to 0. Likewise, it is safe to assume that
2656all the bits of the '``undef``' operand to the '``or``' could be set,
2657allowing the '``or``' to be folded to -1.
2658
2659.. code-block:: llvm
2660
2661      %A = select undef, %X, %Y
2662      %B = select undef, 42, %Y
2663      %C = select %X, %Y, undef
2664    Safe:
2665      %A = %X     (or %Y)
2666      %B = 42     (or %Y)
2667      %C = %Y
2668    Unsafe:
2669      %A = undef
2670      %B = undef
2671      %C = undef
2672
2673This set of examples shows that undefined '``select``' (and conditional
2674branch) conditions can go *either way*, but they have to come from one
2675of the two operands. In the ``%A`` example, if ``%X`` and ``%Y`` were
2676both known to have a clear low bit, then ``%A`` would have to have a
2677cleared low bit. However, in the ``%C`` example, the optimizer is
2678allowed to assume that the '``undef``' operand could be the same as
2679``%Y``, allowing the whole '``select``' to be eliminated.
2680
2681.. code-block:: llvm
2682
2683      %A = xor undef, undef
2684
2685      %B = undef
2686      %C = xor %B, %B
2687
2688      %D = undef
2689      %E = icmp slt %D, 4
2690      %F = icmp gte %D, 4
2691
2692    Safe:
2693      %A = undef
2694      %B = undef
2695      %C = undef
2696      %D = undef
2697      %E = undef
2698      %F = undef
2699
2700This example points out that two '``undef``' operands are not
2701necessarily the same. This can be surprising to people (and also matches
2702C semantics) where they assume that "``X^X``" is always zero, even if
2703``X`` is undefined. This isn't true for a number of reasons, but the
2704short answer is that an '``undef``' "variable" can arbitrarily change
2705its value over its "live range". This is true because the variable
2706doesn't actually *have a live range*. Instead, the value is logically
2707read from arbitrary registers that happen to be around when needed, so
2708the value is not necessarily consistent over time. In fact, ``%A`` and
2709``%C`` need to have the same semantics or the core LLVM "replace all
2710uses with" concept would not hold.
2711
2712.. code-block:: llvm
2713
2714      %A = fdiv undef, %X
2715      %B = fdiv %X, undef
2716    Safe:
2717      %A = undef
2718    b: unreachable
2719
2720These examples show the crucial difference between an *undefined value*
2721and *undefined behavior*. An undefined value (like '``undef``') is
2722allowed to have an arbitrary bit-pattern. This means that the ``%A``
2723operation can be constant folded to '``undef``', because the '``undef``'
2724could be an SNaN, and ``fdiv`` is not (currently) defined on SNaN's.
2725However, in the second example, we can make a more aggressive
2726assumption: because the ``undef`` is allowed to be an arbitrary value,
2727we are allowed to assume that it could be zero. Since a divide by zero
2728has *undefined behavior*, we are allowed to assume that the operation
2729does not execute at all. This allows us to delete the divide and all
2730code after it. Because the undefined operation "can't happen", the
2731optimizer can assume that it occurs in dead code.
2732
2733.. code-block:: llvm
2734
2735    a:  store undef -> %X
2736    b:  store %X -> undef
2737    Safe:
2738    a: <deleted>
2739    b: unreachable
2740
2741These examples reiterate the ``fdiv`` example: a store *of* an undefined
2742value can be assumed to not have any effect; we can assume that the
2743value is overwritten with bits that happen to match what was already
2744there. However, a store *to* an undefined location could clobber
2745arbitrary memory, therefore, it has undefined behavior.
2746
2747.. _poisonvalues:
2748
2749Poison Values
2750-------------
2751
2752Poison values are similar to :ref:`undef values <undefvalues>`, however
2753they also represent the fact that an instruction or constant expression
2754that cannot evoke side effects has nevertheless detected a condition
2755that results in undefined behavior.
2756
2757There is currently no way of representing a poison value in the IR; they
2758only exist when produced by operations such as :ref:`add <i_add>` with
2759the ``nsw`` flag.
2760
2761Poison value behavior is defined in terms of value *dependence*:
2762
2763-  Values other than :ref:`phi <i_phi>` nodes depend on their operands.
2764-  :ref:`Phi <i_phi>` nodes depend on the operand corresponding to
2765   their dynamic predecessor basic block.
2766-  Function arguments depend on the corresponding actual argument values
2767   in the dynamic callers of their functions.
2768-  :ref:`Call <i_call>` instructions depend on the :ref:`ret <i_ret>`
2769   instructions that dynamically transfer control back to them.
2770-  :ref:`Invoke <i_invoke>` instructions depend on the
2771   :ref:`ret <i_ret>`, :ref:`resume <i_resume>`, or exception-throwing
2772   call instructions that dynamically transfer control back to them.
2773-  Non-volatile loads and stores depend on the most recent stores to all
2774   of the referenced memory addresses, following the order in the IR
2775   (including loads and stores implied by intrinsics such as
2776   :ref:`@llvm.memcpy <int_memcpy>`.)
2777-  An instruction with externally visible side effects depends on the
2778   most recent preceding instruction with externally visible side
2779   effects, following the order in the IR. (This includes :ref:`volatile
2780   operations <volatile>`.)
2781-  An instruction *control-depends* on a :ref:`terminator
2782   instruction <terminators>` if the terminator instruction has
2783   multiple successors and the instruction is always executed when
2784   control transfers to one of the successors, and may not be executed
2785   when control is transferred to another.
2786-  Additionally, an instruction also *control-depends* on a terminator
2787   instruction if the set of instructions it otherwise depends on would
2788   be different if the terminator had transferred control to a different
2789   successor.
2790-  Dependence is transitive.
2791
2792Poison values have the same behavior as :ref:`undef values <undefvalues>`,
2793with the additional effect that any instruction that has a *dependence*
2794on a poison value has undefined behavior.
2795
2796Here are some examples:
2797
2798.. code-block:: llvm
2799
2800    entry:
2801      %poison = sub nuw i32 0, 1           ; Results in a poison value.
2802      %still_poison = and i32 %poison, 0   ; 0, but also poison.
2803      %poison_yet_again = getelementptr i32, i32* @h, i32 %still_poison
2804      store i32 0, i32* %poison_yet_again  ; memory at @h[0] is poisoned
2805
2806      store i32 %poison, i32* @g           ; Poison value stored to memory.
2807      %poison2 = load i32, i32* @g         ; Poison value loaded back from memory.
2808
2809      store volatile i32 %poison, i32* @g  ; External observation; undefined behavior.
2810
2811      %narrowaddr = bitcast i32* @g to i16*
2812      %wideaddr = bitcast i32* @g to i64*
2813      %poison3 = load i16, i16* %narrowaddr ; Returns a poison value.
2814      %poison4 = load i64, i64* %wideaddr  ; Returns a poison value.
2815
2816      %cmp = icmp slt i32 %poison, 0       ; Returns a poison value.
2817      br i1 %cmp, label %true, label %end  ; Branch to either destination.
2818
2819    true:
2820      store volatile i32 0, i32* @g        ; This is control-dependent on %cmp, so
2821                                           ; it has undefined behavior.
2822      br label %end
2823
2824    end:
2825      %p = phi i32 [ 0, %entry ], [ 1, %true ]
2826                                           ; Both edges into this PHI are
2827                                           ; control-dependent on %cmp, so this
2828                                           ; always results in a poison value.
2829
2830      store volatile i32 0, i32* @g        ; This would depend on the store in %true
2831                                           ; if %cmp is true, or the store in %entry
2832                                           ; otherwise, so this is undefined behavior.
2833
2834      br i1 %cmp, label %second_true, label %second_end
2835                                           ; The same branch again, but this time the
2836                                           ; true block doesn't have side effects.
2837
2838    second_true:
2839      ; No side effects!
2840      ret void
2841
2842    second_end:
2843      store volatile i32 0, i32* @g        ; This time, the instruction always depends
2844                                           ; on the store in %end. Also, it is
2845                                           ; control-equivalent to %end, so this is
2846                                           ; well-defined (ignoring earlier undefined
2847                                           ; behavior in this example).
2848
2849.. _blockaddress:
2850
2851Addresses of Basic Blocks
2852-------------------------
2853
2854``blockaddress(@function, %block)``
2855
2856The '``blockaddress``' constant computes the address of the specified
2857basic block in the specified function, and always has an ``i8*`` type.
2858Taking the address of the entry block is illegal.
2859
2860This value only has defined behavior when used as an operand to the
2861':ref:`indirectbr <i_indirectbr>`' instruction, or for comparisons
2862against null. Pointer equality tests between labels addresses results in
2863undefined behavior --- though, again, comparison against null is ok, and
2864no label is equal to the null pointer. This may be passed around as an
2865opaque pointer sized value as long as the bits are not inspected. This
2866allows ``ptrtoint`` and arithmetic to be performed on these values so
2867long as the original value is reconstituted before the ``indirectbr``
2868instruction.
2869
2870Finally, some targets may provide defined semantics when using the value
2871as the operand to an inline assembly, but that is target specific.
2872
2873.. _constantexprs:
2874
2875Constant Expressions
2876--------------------
2877
2878Constant expressions are used to allow expressions involving other
2879constants to be used as constants. Constant expressions may be of any
2880:ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type and may involve any LLVM operation
2881that does not have side effects (e.g. load and call are not supported).
2882The following is the syntax for constant expressions:
2883
2884``trunc (CST to TYPE)``
2885    Truncate a constant to another type. The bit size of CST must be
2886    larger than the bit size of TYPE. Both types must be integers.
2887``zext (CST to TYPE)``
2888    Zero extend a constant to another type. The bit size of CST must be
2889    smaller than the bit size of TYPE. Both types must be integers.
2890``sext (CST to TYPE)``
2891    Sign extend a constant to another type. The bit size of CST must be
2892    smaller than the bit size of TYPE. Both types must be integers.
2893``fptrunc (CST to TYPE)``
2894    Truncate a floating point constant to another floating point type.
2895    The size of CST must be larger than the size of TYPE. Both types
2896    must be floating point.
2897``fpext (CST to TYPE)``
2898    Floating point extend a constant to another type. The size of CST
2899    must be smaller or equal to the size of TYPE. Both types must be
2900    floating point.
2901``fptoui (CST to TYPE)``
2902    Convert a floating point constant to the corresponding unsigned
2903    integer constant. TYPE must be a scalar or vector integer type. CST
2904    must be of scalar or vector floating point type. Both CST and TYPE
2905    must be scalars, or vectors of the same number of elements. If the
2906    value won't fit in the integer type, the results are undefined.
2907``fptosi (CST to TYPE)``
2908    Convert a floating point constant to the corresponding signed
2909    integer constant. TYPE must be a scalar or vector integer type. CST
2910    must be of scalar or vector floating point type. Both CST and TYPE
2911    must be scalars, or vectors of the same number of elements. If the
2912    value won't fit in the integer type, the results are undefined.
2913``uitofp (CST to TYPE)``
2914    Convert an unsigned integer constant to the corresponding floating
2915    point constant. TYPE must be a scalar or vector floating point type.
2916    CST must be of scalar or vector integer type. Both CST and TYPE must
2917    be scalars, or vectors of the same number of elements. If the value
2918    won't fit in the floating point type, the results are undefined.
2919``sitofp (CST to TYPE)``
2920    Convert a signed integer constant to the corresponding floating
2921    point constant. TYPE must be a scalar or vector floating point type.
2922    CST must be of scalar or vector integer type. Both CST and TYPE must
2923    be scalars, or vectors of the same number of elements. If the value
2924    won't fit in the floating point type, the results are undefined.
2925``ptrtoint (CST to TYPE)``
2926    Convert a pointer typed constant to the corresponding integer
2927    constant. ``TYPE`` must be an integer type. ``CST`` must be of
2928    pointer type. The ``CST`` value is zero extended, truncated, or
2929    unchanged to make it fit in ``TYPE``.
2930``inttoptr (CST to TYPE)``
2931    Convert an integer constant to a pointer constant. TYPE must be a
2932    pointer type. CST must be of integer type. The CST value is zero
2933    extended, truncated, or unchanged to make it fit in a pointer size.
2934    This one is *really* dangerous!
2935``bitcast (CST to TYPE)``
2936    Convert a constant, CST, to another TYPE. The constraints of the
2937    operands are the same as those for the :ref:`bitcast
2938    instruction <i_bitcast>`.
2939``addrspacecast (CST to TYPE)``
2940    Convert a constant pointer or constant vector of pointer, CST, to another
2941    TYPE in a different address space. The constraints of the operands are the
2942    same as those for the :ref:`addrspacecast instruction <i_addrspacecast>`.
2943``getelementptr (TY, CSTPTR, IDX0, IDX1, ...)``, ``getelementptr inbounds (TY, CSTPTR, IDX0, IDX1, ...)``
2944    Perform the :ref:`getelementptr operation <i_getelementptr>` on
2945    constants. As with the :ref:`getelementptr <i_getelementptr>`
2946    instruction, the index list may have zero or more indexes, which are
2947    required to make sense for the type of "pointer to TY".
2948``select (COND, VAL1, VAL2)``
2949    Perform the :ref:`select operation <i_select>` on constants.
2950``icmp COND (VAL1, VAL2)``
2951    Performs the :ref:`icmp operation <i_icmp>` on constants.
2952``fcmp COND (VAL1, VAL2)``
2953    Performs the :ref:`fcmp operation <i_fcmp>` on constants.
2954``extractelement (VAL, IDX)``
2955    Perform the :ref:`extractelement operation <i_extractelement>` on
2956    constants.
2957``insertelement (VAL, ELT, IDX)``
2958    Perform the :ref:`insertelement operation <i_insertelement>` on
2959    constants.
2960``shufflevector (VEC1, VEC2, IDXMASK)``
2961    Perform the :ref:`shufflevector operation <i_shufflevector>` on
2962    constants.
2963``extractvalue (VAL, IDX0, IDX1, ...)``
2964    Perform the :ref:`extractvalue operation <i_extractvalue>` on
2965    constants. The index list is interpreted in a similar manner as
2966    indices in a ':ref:`getelementptr <i_getelementptr>`' operation. At
2967    least one index value must be specified.
2968``insertvalue (VAL, ELT, IDX0, IDX1, ...)``
2969    Perform the :ref:`insertvalue operation <i_insertvalue>` on constants.
2970    The index list is interpreted in a similar manner as indices in a
2971    ':ref:`getelementptr <i_getelementptr>`' operation. At least one index
2972    value must be specified.
2973``OPCODE (LHS, RHS)``
2974    Perform the specified operation of the LHS and RHS constants. OPCODE
2975    may be any of the :ref:`binary <binaryops>` or :ref:`bitwise
2976    binary <bitwiseops>` operations. The constraints on operands are
2977    the same as those for the corresponding instruction (e.g. no bitwise
2978    operations on floating point values are allowed).
2979
2980Other Values
2981============
2982
2983.. _inlineasmexprs:
2984
2985Inline Assembler Expressions
2986----------------------------
2987
2988LLVM supports inline assembler expressions (as opposed to :ref:`Module-Level
2989Inline Assembly <moduleasm>`) through the use of a special value. This value
2990represents the inline assembler as a template string (containing the
2991instructions to emit), a list of operand constraints (stored as a string), a
2992flag that indicates whether or not the inline asm expression has side effects,
2993and a flag indicating whether the function containing the asm needs to align its
2994stack conservatively.
2995
2996The template string supports argument substitution of the operands using "``$``"
2997followed by a number, to indicate substitution of the given register/memory
2998location, as specified by the constraint string. "``${NUM:MODIFIER}``" may also
2999be used, where ``MODIFIER`` is a target-specific annotation for how to print the
3000operand (See :ref:`inline-asm-modifiers`).
3001
3002A literal "``$``" may be included by using "``$$``" in the template. To include
3003other special characters into the output, the usual "``\XX``" escapes may be
3004used, just as in other strings. Note that after template substitution, the
3005resulting assembly string is parsed by LLVM's integrated assembler unless it is
3006disabled -- even when emitting a ``.s`` file -- and thus must contain assembly
3007syntax known to LLVM.
3008
3009LLVM's support for inline asm is modeled closely on the requirements of Clang's
3010GCC-compatible inline-asm support. Thus, the feature-set and the constraint and
3011modifier codes listed here are similar or identical to those in GCC's inline asm
3012support. However, to be clear, the syntax of the template and constraint strings
3013described here is *not* the same as the syntax accepted by GCC and Clang, and,
3014while most constraint letters are passed through as-is by Clang, some get
3015translated to other codes when converting from the C source to the LLVM
3016assembly.
3017
3018An example inline assembler expression is:
3019
3020.. code-block:: llvm
3021
3022    i32 (i32) asm "bswap $0", "=r,r"
3023
3024Inline assembler expressions may **only** be used as the callee operand
3025of a :ref:`call <i_call>` or an :ref:`invoke <i_invoke>` instruction.
3026Thus, typically we have:
3027
3028.. code-block:: llvm
3029
3030    %X = call i32 asm "bswap $0", "=r,r"(i32 %Y)
3031
3032Inline asms with side effects not visible in the constraint list must be
3033marked as having side effects. This is done through the use of the
3034'``sideeffect``' keyword, like so:
3035
3036.. code-block:: llvm
3037
3038    call void asm sideeffect "eieio", ""()
3039
3040In some cases inline asms will contain code that will not work unless
3041the stack is aligned in some way, such as calls or SSE instructions on
3042x86, yet will not contain code that does that alignment within the asm.
3043The compiler should make conservative assumptions about what the asm
3044might contain and should generate its usual stack alignment code in the
3045prologue if the '``alignstack``' keyword is present:
3046
3047.. code-block:: llvm
3048
3049    call void asm alignstack "eieio", ""()
3050
3051Inline asms also support using non-standard assembly dialects. The
3052assumed dialect is ATT. When the '``inteldialect``' keyword is present,
3053the inline asm is using the Intel dialect. Currently, ATT and Intel are
3054the only supported dialects. An example is:
3055
3056.. code-block:: llvm
3057
3058    call void asm inteldialect "eieio", ""()
3059
3060If multiple keywords appear the '``sideeffect``' keyword must come
3061first, the '``alignstack``' keyword second and the '``inteldialect``'
3062keyword last.
3063
3064Inline Asm Constraint String
3065^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3066
3067The constraint list is a comma-separated string, each element containing one or
3068more constraint codes.
3069
3070For each element in the constraint list an appropriate register or memory
3071operand will be chosen, and it will be made available to assembly template
3072string expansion as ``$0`` for the first constraint in the list, ``$1`` for the
3073second, etc.
3074
3075There are three different types of constraints, which are distinguished by a
3076prefix symbol in front of the constraint code: Output, Input, and Clobber. The
3077constraints must always be given in that order: outputs first, then inputs, then
3078clobbers. They cannot be intermingled.
3079
3080There are also three different categories of constraint codes:
3081
3082- Register constraint. This is either a register class, or a fixed physical
3083  register. This kind of constraint will allocate a register, and if necessary,
3084  bitcast the argument or result to the appropriate type.
3085- Memory constraint. This kind of constraint is for use with an instruction
3086  taking a memory operand. Different constraints allow for different addressing
3087  modes used by the target.
3088- Immediate value constraint. This kind of constraint is for an integer or other
3089  immediate value which can be rendered directly into an instruction. The
3090  various target-specific constraints allow the selection of a value in the
3091  proper range for the instruction you wish to use it with.
3092
3093Output constraints
3094""""""""""""""""""
3095
3096Output constraints are specified by an "``=``" prefix (e.g. "``=r``"). This
3097indicates that the assembly will write to this operand, and the operand will
3098then be made available as a return value of the ``asm`` expression. Output
3099constraints do not consume an argument from the call instruction. (Except, see
3100below about indirect outputs).
3101
3102Normally, it is expected that no output locations are written to by the assembly
3103expression until *all* of the inputs have been read. As such, LLVM may assign
3104the same register to an output and an input. If this is not safe (e.g. if the
3105assembly contains two instructions, where the first writes to one output, and
3106the second reads an input and writes to a second output), then the "``&``"
3107modifier must be used (e.g. "``=&r``") to specify that the output is an
3108"early-clobber" output. Marking an ouput as "early-clobber" ensures that LLVM
3109will not use the same register for any inputs (other than an input tied to this
3110output).
3111
3112Input constraints
3113"""""""""""""""""
3114
3115Input constraints do not have a prefix -- just the constraint codes. Each input
3116constraint will consume one argument from the call instruction. It is not
3117permitted for the asm to write to any input register or memory location (unless
3118that input is tied to an output). Note also that multiple inputs may all be
3119assigned to the same register, if LLVM can determine that they necessarily all
3120contain the same value.
3121
3122Instead of providing a Constraint Code, input constraints may also "tie"
3123themselves to an output constraint, by providing an integer as the constraint
3124string. Tied inputs still consume an argument from the call instruction, and
3125take up a position in the asm template numbering as is usual -- they will simply
3126be constrained to always use the same register as the output they've been tied
3127to. For example, a constraint string of "``=r,0``" says to assign a register for
3128output, and use that register as an input as well (it being the 0'th
3129constraint).
3130
3131It is permitted to tie an input to an "early-clobber" output. In that case, no
3132*other* input may share the same register as the input tied to the early-clobber
3133(even when the other input has the same value).
3134
3135You may only tie an input to an output which has a register constraint, not a
3136memory constraint. Only a single input may be tied to an output.
3137
3138There is also an "interesting" feature which deserves a bit of explanation: if a
3139register class constraint allocates a register which is too small for the value
3140type operand provided as input, the input value will be split into multiple
3141registers, and all of them passed to the inline asm.
3142
3143However, this feature is often not as useful as you might think.
3144
3145Firstly, the registers are *not* guaranteed to be consecutive. So, on those
3146architectures that have instructions which operate on multiple consecutive
3147instructions, this is not an appropriate way to support them. (e.g. the 32-bit
3148SparcV8 has a 64-bit load, which instruction takes a single 32-bit register. The
3149hardware then loads into both the named register, and the next register. This
3150feature of inline asm would not be useful to support that.)
3151
3152A few of the targets provide a template string modifier allowing explicit access
3153to the second register of a two-register operand (e.g. MIPS ``L``, ``M``, and
3154``D``). On such an architecture, you can actually access the second allocated
3155register (yet, still, not any subsequent ones). But, in that case, you're still
3156probably better off simply splitting the value into two separate operands, for
3157clarity. (e.g. see the description of the ``A`` constraint on X86, which,
3158despite existing only for use with this feature, is not really a good idea to
3159use)
3160
3161Indirect inputs and outputs
3162"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
3163
3164Indirect output or input constraints can be specified by the "``*``" modifier
3165(which goes after the "``=``" in case of an output). This indicates that the asm
3166will write to or read from the contents of an *address* provided as an input
3167argument. (Note that in this way, indirect outputs act more like an *input* than
3168an output: just like an input, they consume an argument of the call expression,
3169rather than producing a return value. An indirect output constraint is an
3170"output" only in that the asm is expected to write to the contents of the input
3171memory location, instead of just read from it).
3172
3173This is most typically used for memory constraint, e.g. "``=*m``", to pass the
3174address of a variable as a value.
3175
3176It is also possible to use an indirect *register* constraint, but only on output
3177(e.g. "``=*r``"). This will cause LLVM to allocate a register for an output
3178value normally, and then, separately emit a store to the address provided as
3179input, after the provided inline asm. (It's not clear what value this
3180functionality provides, compared to writing the store explicitly after the asm
3181statement, and it can only produce worse code, since it bypasses many
3182optimization passes. I would recommend not using it.)
3183
3184
3185Clobber constraints
3186"""""""""""""""""""
3187
3188A clobber constraint is indicated by a "``~``" prefix. A clobber does not
3189consume an input operand, nor generate an output. Clobbers cannot use any of the
3190general constraint code letters -- they may use only explicit register
3191constraints, e.g. "``~{eax}``". The one exception is that a clobber string of
3192"``~{memory}``" indicates that the assembly writes to arbitrary undeclared
3193memory locations -- not only the memory pointed to by a declared indirect
3194output.
3195
3196
3197Constraint Codes
3198""""""""""""""""
3199After a potential prefix comes constraint code, or codes.
3200
3201A Constraint Code is either a single letter (e.g. "``r``"), a "``^``" character
3202followed by two letters (e.g. "``^wc``"), or "``{``" register-name "``}``"
3203(e.g. "``{eax}``").
3204
3205The one and two letter constraint codes are typically chosen to be the same as
3206GCC's constraint codes.
3207
3208A single constraint may include one or more than constraint code in it, leaving
3209it up to LLVM to choose which one to use. This is included mainly for
3210compatibility with the translation of GCC inline asm coming from clang.
3211
3212There are two ways to specify alternatives, and either or both may be used in an
3213inline asm constraint list:
3214
32151) Append the codes to each other, making a constraint code set. E.g. "``im``"
3216   or "``{eax}m``". This means "choose any of the options in the set". The
3217   choice of constraint is made independently for each constraint in the
3218   constraint list.
3219
32202) Use "``|``" between constraint code sets, creating alternatives. Every
3221   constraint in the constraint list must have the same number of alternative
3222   sets. With this syntax, the same alternative in *all* of the items in the
3223   constraint list will be chosen together.
3224
3225Putting those together, you might have a two operand constraint string like
3226``"rm|r,ri|rm"``. This indicates that if operand 0 is ``r`` or ``m``, then
3227operand 1 may be one of ``r`` or ``i``. If operand 0 is ``r``, then operand 1
3228may be one of ``r`` or ``m``. But, operand 0 and 1 cannot both be of type m.
3229
3230However, the use of either of the alternatives features is *NOT* recommended, as
3231LLVM is not able to make an intelligent choice about which one to use. (At the
3232point it currently needs to choose, not enough information is available to do so
3233in a smart way.) Thus, it simply tries to make a choice that's most likely to
3234compile, not one that will be optimal performance. (e.g., given "``rm``", it'll
3235always choose to use memory, not registers). And, if given multiple registers,
3236or multiple register classes, it will simply choose the first one. (In fact, it
3237doesn't currently even ensure explicitly specified physical registers are
3238unique, so specifying multiple physical registers as alternatives, like
3239``{r11}{r12},{r11}{r12}``, will assign r11 to both operands, not at all what was
3240intended.)
3241
3242Supported Constraint Code List
3243""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
3244
3245The constraint codes are, in general, expected to behave the same way they do in
3246GCC. LLVM's support is often implemented on an 'as-needed' basis, to support C
3247inline asm code which was supported by GCC. A mismatch in behavior between LLVM
3248and GCC likely indicates a bug in LLVM.
3249
3250Some constraint codes are typically supported by all targets:
3251
3252- ``r``: A register in the target's general purpose register class.
3253- ``m``: A memory address operand. It is target-specific what addressing modes
3254  are supported, typical examples are register, or register + register offset,
3255  or register + immediate offset (of some target-specific size).
3256- ``i``: An integer constant (of target-specific width). Allows either a simple
3257  immediate, or a relocatable value.
3258- ``n``: An integer constant -- *not* including relocatable values.
3259- ``s``: An integer constant, but allowing *only* relocatable values.
3260- ``X``: Allows an operand of any kind, no constraint whatsoever. Typically
3261  useful to pass a label for an asm branch or call.
3262
3263  .. FIXME: but that surely isn't actually okay to jump out of an asm
3264     block without telling llvm about the control transfer???)
3265
3266- ``{register-name}``: Requires exactly the named physical register.
3267
3268Other constraints are target-specific:
3269
3270AArch64:
3271
3272- ``z``: An immediate integer 0. Outputs ``WZR`` or ``XZR``, as appropriate.
3273- ``I``: An immediate integer valid for an ``ADD`` or ``SUB`` instruction,
3274  i.e. 0 to 4095 with optional shift by 12.
3275- ``J``: An immediate integer that, when negated, is valid for an ``ADD`` or
3276  ``SUB`` instruction, i.e. -1 to -4095 with optional left shift by 12.
3277- ``K``: An immediate integer that is valid for the 'bitmask immediate 32' of a
3278  logical instruction like ``AND``, ``EOR``, or ``ORR`` with a 32-bit register.
3279- ``L``: An immediate integer that is valid for the 'bitmask immediate 64' of a
3280  logical instruction like ``AND``, ``EOR``, or ``ORR`` with a 64-bit register.
3281- ``M``: An immediate integer for use with the ``MOV`` assembly alias on a
3282  32-bit register. This is a superset of ``K``: in addition to the bitmask
3283  immediate, also allows immediate integers which can be loaded with a single
3284  ``MOVZ`` or ``MOVL`` instruction.
3285- ``N``: An immediate integer for use with the ``MOV`` assembly alias on a
3286  64-bit register. This is a superset of ``L``.
3287- ``Q``: Memory address operand must be in a single register (no
3288  offsets). (However, LLVM currently does this for the ``m`` constraint as
3289  well.)
3290- ``r``: A 32 or 64-bit integer register (W* or X*).
3291- ``w``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register.
3292- ``x``: A lower 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register (``V0`` to ``V15``).
3293
3294AMDGPU:
3295
3296- ``r``: A 32 or 64-bit integer register.
3297- ``[0-9]v``: The 32-bit VGPR register, number 0-9.
3298- ``[0-9]s``: The 32-bit SGPR register, number 0-9.
3299
3300
3301All ARM modes:
3302
3303- ``Q``, ``Um``, ``Un``, ``Uq``, ``Us``, ``Ut``, ``Uv``, ``Uy``: Memory address
3304  operand. Treated the same as operand ``m``, at the moment.
3305
3306ARM and ARM's Thumb2 mode:
3307
3308- ``j``: An immediate integer between 0 and 65535 (valid for ``MOVW``)
3309- ``I``: An immediate integer valid for a data-processing instruction.
3310- ``J``: An immediate integer between -4095 and 4095.
3311- ``K``: An immediate integer whose bitwise inverse is valid for a
3312  data-processing instruction. (Can be used with template modifier "``B``" to
3313  print the inverted value).
3314- ``L``: An immediate integer whose negation is valid for a data-processing
3315  instruction. (Can be used with template modifier "``n``" to print the negated
3316  value).
3317- ``M``: A power of two or a integer between 0 and 32.
3318- ``N``: Invalid immediate constraint.
3319- ``O``: Invalid immediate constraint.
3320- ``r``: A general-purpose 32-bit integer register (``r0-r15``).
3321- ``l``: In Thumb2 mode, low 32-bit GPR registers (``r0-r7``). In ARM mode, same
3322  as ``r``.
3323- ``h``: In Thumb2 mode, a high 32-bit GPR register (``r8-r15``). In ARM mode,
3324  invalid.
3325- ``w``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register: ``s0-s31``,
3326  ``d0-d31``, or ``q0-q15``.
3327- ``x``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register: ``s0-s15``,
3328  ``d0-d7``, or ``q0-q3``.
3329- ``t``: A floating-point/SIMD register, only supports 32-bit values:
3330  ``s0-s31``.
3331
3332ARM's Thumb1 mode:
3333
3334- ``I``: An immediate integer between 0 and 255.
3335- ``J``: An immediate integer between -255 and -1.
3336- ``K``: An immediate integer between 0 and 255, with optional left-shift by
3337  some amount.
3338- ``L``: An immediate integer between -7 and 7.
3339- ``M``: An immediate integer which is a multiple of 4 between 0 and 1020.
3340- ``N``: An immediate integer between 0 and 31.
3341- ``O``: An immediate integer which is a multiple of 4 between -508 and 508.
3342- ``r``: A low 32-bit GPR register (``r0-r7``).
3343- ``l``: A low 32-bit GPR register (``r0-r7``).
3344- ``h``: A high GPR register (``r0-r7``).
3345- ``w``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register: ``s0-s31``,
3346  ``d0-d31``, or ``q0-q15``.
3347- ``x``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating-point/SIMD register: ``s0-s15``,
3348  ``d0-d7``, or ``q0-q3``.
3349- ``t``: A floating-point/SIMD register, only supports 32-bit values:
3350  ``s0-s31``.
3351
3352
3353Hexagon:
3354
3355- ``o``, ``v``: A memory address operand, treated the same as constraint ``m``,
3356  at the moment.
3357- ``r``: A 32 or 64-bit register.
3358
3359MSP430:
3360
3361- ``r``: An 8 or 16-bit register.
3362
3363MIPS:
3364
3365- ``I``: An immediate signed 16-bit integer.
3366- ``J``: An immediate integer zero.
3367- ``K``: An immediate unsigned 16-bit integer.
3368- ``L``: An immediate 32-bit integer, where the lower 16 bits are 0.
3369- ``N``: An immediate integer between -65535 and -1.
3370- ``O``: An immediate signed 15-bit integer.
3371- ``P``: An immediate integer between 1 and 65535.
3372- ``m``: A memory address operand. In MIPS-SE mode, allows a base address
3373  register plus 16-bit immediate offset. In MIPS mode, just a base register.
3374- ``R``: A memory address operand. In MIPS-SE mode, allows a base address
3375  register plus a 9-bit signed offset. In MIPS mode, the same as constraint
3376  ``m``.
3377- ``ZC``: A memory address operand, suitable for use in a ``pref``, ``ll``, or
3378  ``sc`` instruction on the given subtarget (details vary).
3379- ``r``, ``d``,  ``y``: A 32 or 64-bit GPR register.
3380- ``f``: A 32 or 64-bit FPU register (``F0-F31``), or a 128-bit MSA register
3381  (``W0-W31``). In the case of MSA registers, it is recommended to use the ``w``
3382  argument modifier for compatibility with GCC.
3383- ``c``: A 32-bit or 64-bit GPR register suitable for indirect jump (always
3384  ``25``).
3385- ``l``: The ``lo`` register, 32 or 64-bit.
3386- ``x``: Invalid.
3387
3388NVPTX:
3389
3390- ``b``: A 1-bit integer register.
3391- ``c`` or ``h``: A 16-bit integer register.
3392- ``r``: A 32-bit integer register.
3393- ``l`` or ``N``: A 64-bit integer register.
3394- ``f``: A 32-bit float register.
3395- ``d``: A 64-bit float register.
3396
3397
3398PowerPC:
3399
3400- ``I``: An immediate signed 16-bit integer.
3401- ``J``: An immediate unsigned 16-bit integer, shifted left 16 bits.
3402- ``K``: An immediate unsigned 16-bit integer.
3403- ``L``: An immediate signed 16-bit integer, shifted left 16 bits.
3404- ``M``: An immediate integer greater than 31.
3405- ``N``: An immediate integer that is an exact power of 2.
3406- ``O``: The immediate integer constant 0.
3407- ``P``: An immediate integer constant whose negation is a signed 16-bit
3408  constant.
3409- ``es``, ``o``, ``Q``, ``Z``, ``Zy``: A memory address operand, currently
3410  treated the same as ``m``.
3411- ``r``: A 32 or 64-bit integer register.
3412- ``b``: A 32 or 64-bit integer register, excluding ``R0`` (that is:
3413  ``R1-R31``).
3414- ``f``: A 32 or 64-bit float register (``F0-F31``), or when QPX is enabled, a
3415  128 or 256-bit QPX register (``Q0-Q31``; aliases the ``F`` registers).
3416- ``v``: For ``4 x f32`` or ``4 x f64`` types, when QPX is enabled, a
3417  128 or 256-bit QPX register (``Q0-Q31``), otherwise a 128-bit
3418  altivec vector register (``V0-V31``).
3419
3420  .. FIXME: is this a bug that v accepts QPX registers? I think this
3421     is supposed to only use the altivec vector registers?
3422
3423- ``y``: Condition register (``CR0-CR7``).
3424- ``wc``: An individual CR bit in a CR register.
3425- ``wa``, ``wd``, ``wf``: Any 128-bit VSX vector register, from the full VSX
3426  register set (overlapping both the floating-point and vector register files).
3427- ``ws``: A 32 or 64-bit floating point register, from the full VSX register
3428  set.
3429
3430Sparc:
3431
3432- ``I``: An immediate 13-bit signed integer.
3433- ``r``: A 32-bit integer register.
3434
3435SystemZ:
3436
3437- ``I``: An immediate unsigned 8-bit integer.
3438- ``J``: An immediate unsigned 12-bit integer.
3439- ``K``: An immediate signed 16-bit integer.
3440- ``L``: An immediate signed 20-bit integer.
3441- ``M``: An immediate integer 0x7fffffff.
3442- ``Q``, ``R``, ``S``, ``T``: A memory address operand, treated the same as
3443  ``m``, at the moment.
3444- ``r`` or ``d``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit integer register.
3445- ``a``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit integer address register (excludes R0, which in an
3446  address context evaluates as zero).
3447- ``h``: A 32-bit value in the high part of a 64bit data register
3448  (LLVM-specific)
3449- ``f``: A 32, 64, or 128-bit floating point register.
3450
3451X86:
3452
3453- ``I``: An immediate integer between 0 and 31.
3454- ``J``: An immediate integer between 0 and 64.
3455- ``K``: An immediate signed 8-bit integer.
3456- ``L``: An immediate integer, 0xff or 0xffff or (in 64-bit mode only)
3457  0xffffffff.
3458- ``M``: An immediate integer between 0 and 3.
3459- ``N``: An immediate unsigned 8-bit integer.
3460- ``O``: An immediate integer between 0 and 127.
3461- ``e``: An immediate 32-bit signed integer.
3462- ``Z``: An immediate 32-bit unsigned integer.
3463- ``o``, ``v``: Treated the same as ``m``, at the moment.
3464- ``q``: An 8, 16, 32, or 64-bit register which can be accessed as an 8-bit
3465  ``l`` integer register. On X86-32, this is the ``a``, ``b``, ``c``, and ``d``
3466  registers, and on X86-64, it is all of the integer registers.
3467- ``Q``: An 8, 16, 32, or 64-bit register which can be accessed as an 8-bit
3468  ``h`` integer register. This is the ``a``, ``b``, ``c``, and ``d`` registers.
3469- ``r`` or ``l``: An 8, 16, 32, or 64-bit integer register.
3470- ``R``: An 8, 16, 32, or 64-bit "legacy" integer register -- one which has
3471  existed since i386, and can be accessed without the REX prefix.
3472- ``f``: A 32, 64, or 80-bit '387 FPU stack pseudo-register.
3473- ``y``: A 64-bit MMX register, if MMX is enabled.
3474- ``x``: If SSE is enabled: a 32 or 64-bit scalar operand, or 128-bit vector
3475  operand in a SSE register. If AVX is also enabled, can also be a 256-bit
3476  vector operand in an AVX register. If AVX-512 is also enabled, can also be a
3477  512-bit vector operand in an AVX512 register, Otherwise, an error.
3478- ``Y``: The same as ``x``, if *SSE2* is enabled, otherwise an error.
3479- ``A``: Special case: allocates EAX first, then EDX, for a single operand (in
3480  32-bit mode, a 64-bit integer operand will get split into two registers). It
3481  is not recommended to use this constraint, as in 64-bit mode, the 64-bit
3482  operand will get allocated only to RAX -- if two 32-bit operands are needed,
3483  you're better off splitting it yourself, before passing it to the asm
3484  statement.
3485
3486XCore:
3487
3488- ``r``: A 32-bit integer register.
3489
3490
3491.. _inline-asm-modifiers:
3492
3493Asm template argument modifiers
3494^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3495
3496In the asm template string, modifiers can be used on the operand reference, like
3497"``${0:n}``".
3498
3499The modifiers are, in general, expected to behave the same way they do in
3500GCC. LLVM's support is often implemented on an 'as-needed' basis, to support C
3501inline asm code which was supported by GCC. A mismatch in behavior between LLVM
3502and GCC likely indicates a bug in LLVM.
3503
3504Target-independent:
3505
3506- ``c``: Print an immediate integer constant unadorned, without
3507  the target-specific immediate punctuation (e.g. no ``$`` prefix).
3508- ``n``: Negate and print immediate integer constant unadorned, without the
3509  target-specific immediate punctuation (e.g. no ``$`` prefix).
3510- ``l``: Print as an unadorned label, without the target-specific label
3511  punctuation (e.g. no ``$`` prefix).
3512
3513AArch64:
3514
3515- ``w``: Print a GPR register with a ``w*`` name instead of ``x*`` name. E.g.,
3516  instead of ``x30``, print ``w30``.
3517- ``x``: Print a GPR register with a ``x*`` name. (this is the default, anyhow).
3518- ``b``, ``h``, ``s``, ``d``, ``q``: Print a floating-point/SIMD register with a
3519  ``b*``, ``h*``, ``s*``, ``d*``, or ``q*`` name, rather than the default of
3520  ``v*``.
3521
3522AMDGPU:
3523
3524- ``r``: No effect.
3525
3526ARM:
3527
3528- ``a``: Print an operand as an address (with ``[`` and ``]`` surrounding a
3529  register).
3530- ``P``: No effect.
3531- ``q``: No effect.
3532- ``y``: Print a VFP single-precision register as an indexed double (e.g. print
3533  as ``d4[1]`` instead of ``s9``)
3534- ``B``: Bitwise invert and print an immediate integer constant without ``#``
3535  prefix.
3536- ``L``: Print the low 16-bits of an immediate integer constant.
3537- ``M``: Print as a register set suitable for ldm/stm. Also prints *all*
3538  register operands subsequent to the specified one (!), so use carefully.
3539- ``Q``: Print the low-order register of a register-pair, or the low-order
3540  register of a two-register operand.
3541- ``R``: Print the high-order register of a register-pair, or the high-order
3542  register of a two-register operand.
3543- ``H``: Print the second register of a register-pair. (On a big-endian system,
3544  ``H`` is equivalent to ``Q``, and on little-endian system, ``H`` is equivalent
3545  to ``R``.)
3546
3547  .. FIXME: H doesn't currently support printing the second register
3548     of a two-register operand.
3549
3550- ``e``: Print the low doubleword register of a NEON quad register.
3551- ``f``: Print the high doubleword register of a NEON quad register.
3552- ``m``: Print the base register of a memory operand without the ``[`` and ``]``
3553  adornment.
3554
3555Hexagon:
3556
3557- ``L``: Print the second register of a two-register operand. Requires that it
3558  has been allocated consecutively to the first.
3559
3560  .. FIXME: why is it restricted to consecutive ones? And there's
3561     nothing that ensures that happens, is there?
3562
3563- ``I``: Print the letter 'i' if the operand is an integer constant, otherwise
3564  nothing. Used to print 'addi' vs 'add' instructions.
3565
3566MSP430:
3567
3568No additional modifiers.
3569
3570MIPS:
3571
3572- ``X``: Print an immediate integer as hexadecimal
3573- ``x``: Print the low 16 bits of an immediate integer as hexadecimal.
3574- ``d``: Print an immediate integer as decimal.
3575- ``m``: Subtract one and print an immediate integer as decimal.
3576- ``z``: Print $0 if an immediate zero, otherwise print normally.
3577- ``L``: Print the low-order register of a two-register operand, or prints the
3578  address of the low-order word of a double-word memory operand.
3579
3580  .. FIXME: L seems to be missing memory operand support.
3581
3582- ``M``: Print the high-order register of a two-register operand, or prints the
3583  address of the high-order word of a double-word memory operand.
3584
3585  .. FIXME: M seems to be missing memory operand support.
3586
3587- ``D``: Print the second register of a two-register operand, or prints the
3588  second word of a double-word memory operand. (On a big-endian system, ``D`` is
3589  equivalent to ``L``, and on little-endian system, ``D`` is equivalent to
3590  ``M``.)
3591- ``w``: No effect. Provided for compatibility with GCC which requires this
3592  modifier in order to print MSA registers (``W0-W31``) with the ``f``
3593  constraint.
3594
3595NVPTX:
3596
3597- ``r``: No effect.
3598
3599PowerPC:
3600
3601- ``L``: Print the second register of a two-register operand. Requires that it
3602  has been allocated consecutively to the first.
3603
3604  .. FIXME: why is it restricted to consecutive ones? And there's
3605     nothing that ensures that happens, is there?
3606
3607- ``I``: Print the letter 'i' if the operand is an integer constant, otherwise
3608  nothing. Used to print 'addi' vs 'add' instructions.
3609- ``y``: For a memory operand, prints formatter for a two-register X-form
3610  instruction. (Currently always prints ``r0,OPERAND``).
3611- ``U``: Prints 'u' if the memory operand is an update form, and nothing
3612  otherwise. (NOTE: LLVM does not support update form, so this will currently
3613  always print nothing)
3614- ``X``: Prints 'x' if the memory operand is an indexed form. (NOTE: LLVM does
3615  not support indexed form, so this will currently always print nothing)
3616
3617Sparc:
3618
3619- ``r``: No effect.
3620
3621SystemZ:
3622
3623SystemZ implements only ``n``, and does *not* support any of the other
3624target-independent modifiers.
3625
3626X86:
3627
3628- ``c``: Print an unadorned integer or symbol name. (The latter is
3629  target-specific behavior for this typically target-independent modifier).
3630- ``A``: Print a register name with a '``*``' before it.
3631- ``b``: Print an 8-bit register name (e.g. ``al``); do nothing on a memory
3632  operand.
3633- ``h``: Print the upper 8-bit register name (e.g. ``ah``); do nothing on a
3634  memory operand.
3635- ``w``: Print the 16-bit register name (e.g. ``ax``); do nothing on a memory
3636  operand.
3637- ``k``: Print the 32-bit register name (e.g. ``eax``); do nothing on a memory
3638  operand.
3639- ``q``: Print the 64-bit register name (e.g. ``rax``), if 64-bit registers are
3640  available, otherwise the 32-bit register name; do nothing on a memory operand.
3641- ``n``: Negate and print an unadorned integer, or, for operands other than an
3642  immediate integer (e.g. a relocatable symbol expression), print a '-' before
3643  the operand. (The behavior for relocatable symbol expressions is a
3644  target-specific behavior for this typically target-independent modifier)
3645- ``H``: Print a memory reference with additional offset +8.
3646- ``P``: Print a memory reference or operand for use as the argument of a call
3647  instruction. (E.g. omit ``(rip)``, even though it's PC-relative.)
3648
3649XCore:
3650
3651No additional modifiers.
3652
3653
3654Inline Asm Metadata
3655^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3656
3657The call instructions that wrap inline asm nodes may have a
3658"``!srcloc``" MDNode attached to it that contains a list of constant
3659integers. If present, the code generator will use the integer as the
3660location cookie value when report errors through the ``LLVMContext``
3661error reporting mechanisms. This allows a front-end to correlate backend
3662errors that occur with inline asm back to the source code that produced
3663it. For example:
3664
3665.. code-block:: llvm
3666
3667    call void asm sideeffect "something bad", ""(), !srcloc !42
3668    ...
3669    !42 = !{ i32 1234567 }
3670
3671It is up to the front-end to make sense of the magic numbers it places
3672in the IR. If the MDNode contains multiple constants, the code generator
3673will use the one that corresponds to the line of the asm that the error
3674occurs on.
3675
3676.. _metadata:
3677
3678Metadata
3679========
3680
3681LLVM IR allows metadata to be attached to instructions in the program
3682that can convey extra information about the code to the optimizers and
3683code generator. One example application of metadata is source-level
3684debug information. There are two metadata primitives: strings and nodes.
3685
3686Metadata does not have a type, and is not a value. If referenced from a
3687``call`` instruction, it uses the ``metadata`` type.
3688
3689All metadata are identified in syntax by a exclamation point ('``!``').
3690
3691.. _metadata-string:
3692
3693Metadata Nodes and Metadata Strings
3694-----------------------------------
3695
3696A metadata string is a string surrounded by double quotes. It can
3697contain any character by escaping non-printable characters with
3698"``\xx``" where "``xx``" is the two digit hex code. For example:
3699"``!"test\00"``".
3700
3701Metadata nodes are represented with notation similar to structure
3702constants (a comma separated list of elements, surrounded by braces and
3703preceded by an exclamation point). Metadata nodes can have any values as
3704their operand. For example:
3705
3706.. code-block:: llvm
3707
3708    !{ !"test\00", i32 10}
3709
3710Metadata nodes that aren't uniqued use the ``distinct`` keyword. For example:
3711
3712.. code-block:: llvm
3713
3714    !0 = distinct !{!"test\00", i32 10}
3715
3716``distinct`` nodes are useful when nodes shouldn't be merged based on their
3717content. They can also occur when transformations cause uniquing collisions
3718when metadata operands change.
3719
3720A :ref:`named metadata <namedmetadatastructure>` is a collection of
3721metadata nodes, which can be looked up in the module symbol table. For
3722example:
3723
3724.. code-block:: llvm
3725
3726    !foo = !{!4, !3}
3727
3728Metadata can be used as function arguments. Here ``llvm.dbg.value``
3729function is using two metadata arguments:
3730
3731.. code-block:: llvm
3732
3733    call void @llvm.dbg.value(metadata !24, i64 0, metadata !25)
3734
3735Metadata can be attached to an instruction. Here metadata ``!21`` is attached
3736to the ``add`` instruction using the ``!dbg`` identifier:
3737
3738.. code-block:: llvm
3739
3740    %indvar.next = add i64 %indvar, 1, !dbg !21
3741
3742Metadata can also be attached to a function definition. Here metadata ``!22``
3743is attached to the ``foo`` function using the ``!dbg`` identifier:
3744
3745.. code-block:: llvm
3746
3747    define void @foo() !dbg !22 {
3748      ret void
3749    }
3750
3751More information about specific metadata nodes recognized by the
3752optimizers and code generator is found below.
3753
3754.. _specialized-metadata:
3755
3756Specialized Metadata Nodes
3757^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3758
3759Specialized metadata nodes are custom data structures in metadata (as opposed
3760to generic tuples). Their fields are labelled, and can be specified in any
3761order.
3762
3763These aren't inherently debug info centric, but currently all the specialized
3764metadata nodes are related to debug info.
3765
3766.. _DICompileUnit:
3767
3768DICompileUnit
3769"""""""""""""
3770
3771``DICompileUnit`` nodes represent a compile unit. The ``enums:``,
3772``retainedTypes:``, ``subprograms:``, ``globals:``, ``imports:`` and ``macros:``
3773fields are tuples containing the debug info to be emitted along with the compile
3774unit, regardless of code optimizations (some nodes are only emitted if there are
3775references to them from instructions).
3776
3777.. code-block:: llvm
3778
3779    !0 = !DICompileUnit(language: DW_LANG_C99, file: !1, producer: "clang",
3780                        isOptimized: true, flags: "-O2", runtimeVersion: 2,
3781                        splitDebugFilename: "abc.debug", emissionKind: 1,
3782                        enums: !2, retainedTypes: !3, subprograms: !4,
3783                        globals: !5, imports: !6, macros: !7, dwoId: 0x0abcd)
3784
3785Compile unit descriptors provide the root scope for objects declared in a
3786specific compilation unit. File descriptors are defined using this scope.
3787These descriptors are collected by a named metadata ``!llvm.dbg.cu``. They
3788keep track of subprograms, global variables, type information, and imported
3789entities (declarations and namespaces).
3790
3791.. _DIFile:
3792
3793DIFile
3794""""""
3795
3796``DIFile`` nodes represent files. The ``filename:`` can include slashes.
3797
3798.. code-block:: llvm
3799
3800    !0 = !DIFile(filename: "path/to/file", directory: "/path/to/dir")
3801
3802Files are sometimes used in ``scope:`` fields, and are the only valid target
3803for ``file:`` fields.
3804
3805.. _DIBasicType:
3806
3807DIBasicType
3808"""""""""""
3809
3810``DIBasicType`` nodes represent primitive types, such as ``int``, ``bool`` and
3811``float``. ``tag:`` defaults to ``DW_TAG_base_type``.
3812
3813.. code-block:: llvm
3814
3815    !0 = !DIBasicType(name: "unsigned char", size: 8, align: 8,
3816                      encoding: DW_ATE_unsigned_char)
3817    !1 = !DIBasicType(tag: DW_TAG_unspecified_type, name: "decltype(nullptr)")
3818
3819The ``encoding:`` describes the details of the type. Usually it's one of the
3820following:
3821
3822.. code-block:: llvm
3823
3824  DW_ATE_address       = 1
3825  DW_ATE_boolean       = 2
3826  DW_ATE_float         = 4
3827  DW_ATE_signed        = 5
3828  DW_ATE_signed_char   = 6
3829  DW_ATE_unsigned      = 7
3830  DW_ATE_unsigned_char = 8
3831
3832.. _DISubroutineType:
3833
3834DISubroutineType
3835""""""""""""""""
3836
3837``DISubroutineType`` nodes represent subroutine types. Their ``types:`` field
3838refers to a tuple; the first operand is the return type, while the rest are the
3839types of the formal arguments in order. If the first operand is ``null``, that
3840represents a function with no return value (such as ``void foo() {}`` in C++).
3841
3842.. code-block:: llvm
3843
3844    !0 = !BasicType(name: "int", size: 32, align: 32, DW_ATE_signed)
3845    !1 = !BasicType(name: "char", size: 8, align: 8, DW_ATE_signed_char)
3846    !2 = !DISubroutineType(types: !{null, !0, !1}) ; void (int, char)
3847
3848.. _DIDerivedType:
3849
3850DIDerivedType
3851"""""""""""""
3852
3853``DIDerivedType`` nodes represent types derived from other types, such as
3854qualified types.
3855
3856.. code-block:: llvm
3857
3858    !0 = !DIBasicType(name: "unsigned char", size: 8, align: 8,
3859                      encoding: DW_ATE_unsigned_char)
3860    !1 = !DIDerivedType(tag: DW_TAG_pointer_type, baseType: !0, size: 32,
3861                        align: 32)
3862
3863The following ``tag:`` values are valid:
3864
3865.. code-block:: llvm
3866
3867  DW_TAG_formal_parameter   = 5
3868  DW_TAG_member             = 13
3869  DW_TAG_pointer_type       = 15
3870  DW_TAG_reference_type     = 16
3871  DW_TAG_typedef            = 22
3872  DW_TAG_ptr_to_member_type = 31
3873  DW_TAG_const_type         = 38
3874  DW_TAG_volatile_type      = 53
3875  DW_TAG_restrict_type      = 55
3876
3877``DW_TAG_member`` is used to define a member of a :ref:`composite type
3878<DICompositeType>` or :ref:`subprogram <DISubprogram>`. The type of the member
3879is the ``baseType:``. The ``offset:`` is the member's bit offset.
3880``DW_TAG_formal_parameter`` is used to define a member which is a formal
3881argument of a subprogram.
3882
3883``DW_TAG_typedef`` is used to provide a name for the ``baseType:``.
3884
3885``DW_TAG_pointer_type``, ``DW_TAG_reference_type``, ``DW_TAG_const_type``,
3886``DW_TAG_volatile_type`` and ``DW_TAG_restrict_type`` are used to qualify the
3887``baseType:``.
3888
3889Note that the ``void *`` type is expressed as a type derived from NULL.
3890
3891.. _DICompositeType:
3892
3893DICompositeType
3894"""""""""""""""
3895
3896``DICompositeType`` nodes represent types composed of other types, like
3897structures and unions. ``elements:`` points to a tuple of the composed types.
3898
3899If the source language supports ODR, the ``identifier:`` field gives the unique
3900identifier used for type merging between modules. When specified, other types
3901can refer to composite types indirectly via a :ref:`metadata string
3902<metadata-string>` that matches their identifier.
3903
3904.. code-block:: llvm
3905
3906    !0 = !DIEnumerator(name: "SixKind", value: 7)
3907    !1 = !DIEnumerator(name: "SevenKind", value: 7)
3908    !2 = !DIEnumerator(name: "NegEightKind", value: -8)
3909    !3 = !DICompositeType(tag: DW_TAG_enumeration_type, name: "Enum", file: !12,
3910                          line: 2, size: 32, align: 32, identifier: "_M4Enum",
3911                          elements: !{!0, !1, !2})
3912
3913The following ``tag:`` values are valid:
3914
3915.. code-block:: llvm
3916
3917  DW_TAG_array_type       = 1
3918  DW_TAG_class_type       = 2
3919  DW_TAG_enumeration_type = 4
3920  DW_TAG_structure_type   = 19
3921  DW_TAG_union_type       = 23
3922  DW_TAG_subroutine_type  = 21
3923  DW_TAG_inheritance      = 28
3924
3925
3926For ``DW_TAG_array_type``, the ``elements:`` should be :ref:`subrange
3927descriptors <DISubrange>`, each representing the range of subscripts at that
3928level of indexing. The ``DIFlagVector`` flag to ``flags:`` indicates that an
3929array type is a native packed vector.
3930
3931For ``DW_TAG_enumeration_type``, the ``elements:`` should be :ref:`enumerator
3932descriptors <DIEnumerator>`, each representing the definition of an enumeration
3933value for the set. All enumeration type descriptors are collected in the
3934``enums:`` field of the :ref:`compile unit <DICompileUnit>`.
3935
3936For ``DW_TAG_structure_type``, ``DW_TAG_class_type``, and
3937``DW_TAG_union_type``, the ``elements:`` should be :ref:`derived types
3938<DIDerivedType>` with ``tag: DW_TAG_member`` or ``tag: DW_TAG_inheritance``.
3939
3940.. _DISubrange:
3941
3942DISubrange
3943""""""""""
3944
3945``DISubrange`` nodes are the elements for ``DW_TAG_array_type`` variants of
3946:ref:`DICompositeType`. ``count: -1`` indicates an empty array.
3947
3948.. code-block:: llvm
3949
3950    !0 = !DISubrange(count: 5, lowerBound: 0) ; array counting from 0
3951    !1 = !DISubrange(count: 5, lowerBound: 1) ; array counting from 1
3952    !2 = !DISubrange(count: -1) ; empty array.
3953
3954.. _DIEnumerator:
3955
3956DIEnumerator
3957""""""""""""
3958
3959``DIEnumerator`` nodes are the elements for ``DW_TAG_enumeration_type``
3960variants of :ref:`DICompositeType`.
3961
3962.. code-block:: llvm
3963
3964    !0 = !DIEnumerator(name: "SixKind", value: 7)
3965    !1 = !DIEnumerator(name: "SevenKind", value: 7)
3966    !2 = !DIEnumerator(name: "NegEightKind", value: -8)
3967
3968DITemplateTypeParameter
3969"""""""""""""""""""""""
3970
3971``DITemplateTypeParameter`` nodes represent type parameters to generic source
3972language constructs. They are used (optionally) in :ref:`DICompositeType` and
3973:ref:`DISubprogram` ``templateParams:`` fields.
3974
3975.. code-block:: llvm
3976
3977    !0 = !DITemplateTypeParameter(name: "Ty", type: !1)
3978
3979DITemplateValueParameter
3980""""""""""""""""""""""""
3981
3982``DITemplateValueParameter`` nodes represent value parameters to generic source
3983language constructs. ``tag:`` defaults to ``DW_TAG_template_value_parameter``,
3984but if specified can also be set to ``DW_TAG_GNU_template_template_param`` or
3985``DW_TAG_GNU_template_param_pack``. They are used (optionally) in
3986:ref:`DICompositeType` and :ref:`DISubprogram` ``templateParams:`` fields.
3987
3988.. code-block:: llvm
3989
3990    !0 = !DITemplateValueParameter(name: "Ty", type: !1, value: i32 7)
3991
3992DINamespace
3993"""""""""""
3994
3995``DINamespace`` nodes represent namespaces in the source language.
3996
3997.. code-block:: llvm
3998
3999    !0 = !DINamespace(name: "myawesomeproject", scope: !1, file: !2, line: 7)
4000
4001DIGlobalVariable
4002""""""""""""""""
4003
4004``DIGlobalVariable`` nodes represent global variables in the source language.
4005
4006.. code-block:: llvm
4007
4008    !0 = !DIGlobalVariable(name: "foo", linkageName: "foo", scope: !1,
4009                           file: !2, line: 7, type: !3, isLocal: true,
4010                           isDefinition: false, variable: i32* @foo,
4011                           declaration: !4)
4012
4013All global variables should be referenced by the `globals:` field of a
4014:ref:`compile unit <DICompileUnit>`.
4015
4016.. _DISubprogram:
4017
4018DISubprogram
4019""""""""""""
4020
4021``DISubprogram`` nodes represent functions from the source language. A
4022``DISubprogram`` may be attached to a function definition using ``!dbg``
4023metadata. The ``variables:`` field points at :ref:`variables <DILocalVariable>`
4024that must be retained, even if their IR counterparts are optimized out of
4025the IR. The ``type:`` field must point at an :ref:`DISubroutineType`.
4026
4027.. code-block:: llvm
4028
4029    define void @_Z3foov() !dbg !0 {
4030      ...
4031    }
4032
4033    !0 = distinct !DISubprogram(name: "foo", linkageName: "_Zfoov", scope: !1,
4034                                file: !2, line: 7, type: !3, isLocal: true,
4035                                isDefinition: false, scopeLine: 8,
4036                                containingType: !4,
4037                                virtuality: DW_VIRTUALITY_pure_virtual,
4038                                virtualIndex: 10, flags: DIFlagPrototyped,
4039                                isOptimized: true, templateParams: !5,
4040                                declaration: !6, variables: !7)
4041
4042.. _DILexicalBlock:
4043
4044DILexicalBlock
4045""""""""""""""
4046
4047``DILexicalBlock`` nodes describe nested blocks within a :ref:`subprogram
4048<DISubprogram>`. The line number and column numbers are used to distinguish
4049two lexical blocks at same depth. They are valid targets for ``scope:``
4050fields.
4051
4052.. code-block:: llvm
4053
4054    !0 = distinct !DILexicalBlock(scope: !1, file: !2, line: 7, column: 35)
4055
4056Usually lexical blocks are ``distinct`` to prevent node merging based on
4057operands.
4058
4059.. _DILexicalBlockFile:
4060
4061DILexicalBlockFile
4062""""""""""""""""""
4063
4064``DILexicalBlockFile`` nodes are used to discriminate between sections of a
4065:ref:`lexical block <DILexicalBlock>`. The ``file:`` field can be changed to
4066indicate textual inclusion, or the ``discriminator:`` field can be used to
4067discriminate between control flow within a single block in the source language.
4068
4069.. code-block:: llvm
4070
4071    !0 = !DILexicalBlock(scope: !3, file: !4, line: 7, column: 35)
4072    !1 = !DILexicalBlockFile(scope: !0, file: !4, discriminator: 0)
4073    !2 = !DILexicalBlockFile(scope: !0, file: !4, discriminator: 1)
4074
4075.. _DILocation:
4076
4077DILocation
4078""""""""""
4079
4080``DILocation`` nodes represent source debug locations. The ``scope:`` field is
4081mandatory, and points at an :ref:`DILexicalBlockFile`, an
4082:ref:`DILexicalBlock`, or an :ref:`DISubprogram`.
4083
4084.. code-block:: llvm
4085
4086    !0 = !DILocation(line: 2900, column: 42, scope: !1, inlinedAt: !2)
4087
4088.. _DILocalVariable:
4089
4090DILocalVariable
4091"""""""""""""""
4092
4093``DILocalVariable`` nodes represent local variables in the source language. If
4094the ``arg:`` field is set to non-zero, then this variable is a subprogram
4095parameter, and it will be included in the ``variables:`` field of its
4096:ref:`DISubprogram`.
4097
4098.. code-block:: llvm
4099
4100    !0 = !DILocalVariable(name: "this", arg: 1, scope: !3, file: !2, line: 7,
4101                          type: !3, flags: DIFlagArtificial)
4102    !1 = !DILocalVariable(name: "x", arg: 2, scope: !4, file: !2, line: 7,
4103                          type: !3)
4104    !2 = !DILocalVariable(name: "y", scope: !5, file: !2, line: 7, type: !3)
4105
4106DIExpression
4107""""""""""""
4108
4109``DIExpression`` nodes represent DWARF expression sequences. They are used in
4110:ref:`debug intrinsics<dbg_intrinsics>` (such as ``llvm.dbg.declare``) to
4111describe how the referenced LLVM variable relates to the source language
4112variable.
4113
4114The current supported vocabulary is limited:
4115
4116- ``DW_OP_deref`` dereferences the working expression.
4117- ``DW_OP_plus, 93`` adds ``93`` to the working expression.
4118- ``DW_OP_bit_piece, 16, 8`` specifies the offset and size (``16`` and ``8``
4119  here, respectively) of the variable piece from the working expression.
4120
4121.. code-block:: llvm
4122
4123    !0 = !DIExpression(DW_OP_deref)
4124    !1 = !DIExpression(DW_OP_plus, 3)
4125    !2 = !DIExpression(DW_OP_bit_piece, 3, 7)
4126    !3 = !DIExpression(DW_OP_deref, DW_OP_plus, 3, DW_OP_bit_piece, 3, 7)
4127
4128DIObjCProperty
4129""""""""""""""
4130
4131``DIObjCProperty`` nodes represent Objective-C property nodes.
4132
4133.. code-block:: llvm
4134
4135    !3 = !DIObjCProperty(name: "foo", file: !1, line: 7, setter: "setFoo",
4136                         getter: "getFoo", attributes: 7, type: !2)
4137
4138DIImportedEntity
4139""""""""""""""""
4140
4141``DIImportedEntity`` nodes represent entities (such as modules) imported into a
4142compile unit.
4143
4144.. code-block:: llvm
4145
4146   !2 = !DIImportedEntity(tag: DW_TAG_imported_module, name: "foo", scope: !0,
4147                          entity: !1, line: 7)
4148
4149DIMacro
4150"""""""
4151
4152``DIMacro`` nodes represent definition or undefinition of a macro identifiers.
4153The ``name:`` field is the macro identifier, followed by macro parameters when
4154definining a function-like macro, and the ``value`` field is the token-string
4155used to expand the macro identifier.
4156
4157.. code-block:: llvm
4158
4159   !2 = !DIMacro(macinfo: DW_MACINFO_define, line: 7, name: "foo(x)",
4160                 value: "((x) + 1)")
4161   !3 = !DIMacro(macinfo: DW_MACINFO_undef, line: 30, name: "foo")
4162
4163DIMacroFile
4164"""""""""""
4165
4166``DIMacroFile`` nodes represent inclusion of source files.
4167The ``nodes:`` field is a list of ``DIMacro`` and ``DIMacroFile`` nodes that
4168appear in the included source file.
4169
4170.. code-block:: llvm
4171
4172   !2 = !DIMacroFile(macinfo: DW_MACINFO_start_file, line: 7, file: !2,
4173                     nodes: !3)
4174
4175'``tbaa``' Metadata
4176^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4177
4178In LLVM IR, memory does not have types, so LLVM's own type system is not
4179suitable for doing TBAA. Instead, metadata is added to the IR to
4180describe a type system of a higher level language. This can be used to
4181implement typical C/C++ TBAA, but it can also be used to implement
4182custom alias analysis behavior for other languages.
4183
4184The current metadata format is very simple. TBAA metadata nodes have up
4185to three fields, e.g.:
4186
4187.. code-block:: llvm
4188
4189    !0 = !{ !"an example type tree" }
4190    !1 = !{ !"int", !0 }
4191    !2 = !{ !"float", !0 }
4192    !3 = !{ !"const float", !2, i64 1 }
4193
4194The first field is an identity field. It can be any value, usually a
4195metadata string, which uniquely identifies the type. The most important
4196name in the tree is the name of the root node. Two trees with different
4197root node names are entirely disjoint, even if they have leaves with
4198common names.
4199
4200The second field identifies the type's parent node in the tree, or is
4201null or omitted for a root node. A type is considered to alias all of
4202its descendants and all of its ancestors in the tree. Also, a type is
4203considered to alias all types in other trees, so that bitcode produced
4204from multiple front-ends is handled conservatively.
4205
4206If the third field is present, it's an integer which if equal to 1
4207indicates that the type is "constant" (meaning
4208``pointsToConstantMemory`` should return true; see `other useful
4209AliasAnalysis methods <AliasAnalysis.html#OtherItfs>`_).
4210
4211'``tbaa.struct``' Metadata
4212^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4213
4214The :ref:`llvm.memcpy <int_memcpy>` is often used to implement
4215aggregate assignment operations in C and similar languages, however it
4216is defined to copy a contiguous region of memory, which is more than
4217strictly necessary for aggregate types which contain holes due to
4218padding. Also, it doesn't contain any TBAA information about the fields
4219of the aggregate.
4220
4221``!tbaa.struct`` metadata can describe which memory subregions in a
4222memcpy are padding and what the TBAA tags of the struct are.
4223
4224The current metadata format is very simple. ``!tbaa.struct`` metadata
4225nodes are a list of operands which are in conceptual groups of three.
4226For each group of three, the first operand gives the byte offset of a
4227field in bytes, the second gives its size in bytes, and the third gives
4228its tbaa tag. e.g.:
4229
4230.. code-block:: llvm
4231
4232    !4 = !{ i64 0, i64 4, !1, i64 8, i64 4, !2 }
4233
4234This describes a struct with two fields. The first is at offset 0 bytes
4235with size 4 bytes, and has tbaa tag !1. The second is at offset 8 bytes
4236and has size 4 bytes and has tbaa tag !2.
4237
4238Note that the fields need not be contiguous. In this example, there is a
42394 byte gap between the two fields. This gap represents padding which
4240does not carry useful data and need not be preserved.
4241
4242'``noalias``' and '``alias.scope``' Metadata
4243^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4244
4245``noalias`` and ``alias.scope`` metadata provide the ability to specify generic
4246noalias memory-access sets. This means that some collection of memory access
4247instructions (loads, stores, memory-accessing calls, etc.) that carry
4248``noalias`` metadata can specifically be specified not to alias with some other
4249collection of memory access instructions that carry ``alias.scope`` metadata.
4250Each type of metadata specifies a list of scopes where each scope has an id and
4251a domain. When evaluating an aliasing query, if for some domain, the set
4252of scopes with that domain in one instruction's ``alias.scope`` list is a
4253subset of (or equal to) the set of scopes for that domain in another
4254instruction's ``noalias`` list, then the two memory accesses are assumed not to
4255alias.
4256
4257The metadata identifying each domain is itself a list containing one or two
4258entries. The first entry is the name of the domain. Note that if the name is a
4259string then it can be combined across functions and translation units. A
4260self-reference can be used to create globally unique domain names. A
4261descriptive string may optionally be provided as a second list entry.
4262
4263The metadata identifying each scope is also itself a list containing two or
4264three entries. The first entry is the name of the scope. Note that if the name
4265is a string then it can be combined across functions and translation units. A
4266self-reference can be used to create globally unique scope names. A metadata
4267reference to the scope's domain is the second entry. A descriptive string may
4268optionally be provided as a third list entry.
4269
4270For example,
4271
4272.. code-block:: llvm
4273
4274    ; Two scope domains:
4275    !0 = !{!0}
4276    !1 = !{!1}
4277
4278    ; Some scopes in these domains:
4279    !2 = !{!2, !0}
4280    !3 = !{!3, !0}
4281    !4 = !{!4, !1}
4282
4283    ; Some scope lists:
4284    !5 = !{!4} ; A list containing only scope !4
4285    !6 = !{!4, !3, !2}
4286    !7 = !{!3}
4287
4288    ; These two instructions don't alias:
4289    %0 = load float, float* %c, align 4, !alias.scope !5
4290    store float %0, float* %arrayidx.i, align 4, !noalias !5
4291
4292    ; These two instructions also don't alias (for domain !1, the set of scopes
4293    ; in the !alias.scope equals that in the !noalias list):
4294    %2 = load float, float* %c, align 4, !alias.scope !5
4295    store float %2, float* %arrayidx.i2, align 4, !noalias !6
4296
4297    ; These two instructions may alias (for domain !0, the set of scopes in
4298    ; the !noalias list is not a superset of, or equal to, the scopes in the
4299    ; !alias.scope list):
4300    %2 = load float, float* %c, align 4, !alias.scope !6
4301    store float %0, float* %arrayidx.i, align 4, !noalias !7
4302
4303'``fpmath``' Metadata
4304^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4305
4306``fpmath`` metadata may be attached to any instruction of floating point
4307type. It can be used to express the maximum acceptable error in the
4308result of that instruction, in ULPs, thus potentially allowing the
4309compiler to use a more efficient but less accurate method of computing
4310it. ULP is defined as follows:
4311
4312    If ``x`` is a real number that lies between two finite consecutive
4313    floating-point numbers ``a`` and ``b``, without being equal to one
4314    of them, then ``ulp(x) = |b - a|``, otherwise ``ulp(x)`` is the
4315    distance between the two non-equal finite floating-point numbers
4316    nearest ``x``. Moreover, ``ulp(NaN)`` is ``NaN``.
4317
4318The metadata node shall consist of a single positive floating point
4319number representing the maximum relative error, for example:
4320
4321.. code-block:: llvm
4322
4323    !0 = !{ float 2.5 } ; maximum acceptable inaccuracy is 2.5 ULPs
4324
4325.. _range-metadata:
4326
4327'``range``' Metadata
4328^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4329
4330``range`` metadata may be attached only to ``load``, ``call`` and ``invoke`` of
4331integer types. It expresses the possible ranges the loaded value or the value
4332returned by the called function at this call site is in. The ranges are
4333represented with a flattened list of integers. The loaded value or the value
4334returned is known to be in the union of the ranges defined by each consecutive
4335pair. Each pair has the following properties:
4336
4337-  The type must match the type loaded by the instruction.
4338-  The pair ``a,b`` represents the range ``[a,b)``.
4339-  Both ``a`` and ``b`` are constants.
4340-  The range is allowed to wrap.
4341-  The range should not represent the full or empty set. That is,
4342   ``a!=b``.
4343
4344In addition, the pairs must be in signed order of the lower bound and
4345they must be non-contiguous.
4346
4347Examples:
4348
4349.. code-block:: llvm
4350
4351      %a = load i8, i8* %x, align 1, !range !0 ; Can only be 0 or 1
4352      %b = load i8, i8* %y, align 1, !range !1 ; Can only be 255 (-1), 0 or 1
4353      %c = call i8 @foo(),       !range !2 ; Can only be 0, 1, 3, 4 or 5
4354      %d = invoke i8 @bar() to label %cont
4355             unwind label %lpad, !range !3 ; Can only be -2, -1, 3, 4 or 5
4356    ...
4357    !0 = !{ i8 0, i8 2 }
4358    !1 = !{ i8 255, i8 2 }
4359    !2 = !{ i8 0, i8 2, i8 3, i8 6 }
4360    !3 = !{ i8 -2, i8 0, i8 3, i8 6 }
4361
4362'``unpredictable``' Metadata
4363^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4364
4365``unpredictable`` metadata may be attached to any branch or switch
4366instruction. It can be used to express the unpredictability of control
4367flow. Similar to the llvm.expect intrinsic, it may be used to alter
4368optimizations related to compare and branch instructions. The metadata
4369is treated as a boolean value; if it exists, it signals that the branch
4370or switch that it is attached to is completely unpredictable.
4371
4372'``llvm.loop``'
4373^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4374
4375It is sometimes useful to attach information to loop constructs. Currently,
4376loop metadata is implemented as metadata attached to the branch instruction
4377in the loop latch block. This type of metadata refer to a metadata node that is
4378guaranteed to be separate for each loop. The loop identifier metadata is
4379specified with the name ``llvm.loop``.
4380
4381The loop identifier metadata is implemented using a metadata that refers to
4382itself to avoid merging it with any other identifier metadata, e.g.,
4383during module linkage or function inlining. That is, each loop should refer
4384to their own identification metadata even if they reside in separate functions.
4385The following example contains loop identifier metadata for two separate loop
4386constructs:
4387
4388.. code-block:: llvm
4389
4390    !0 = !{!0}
4391    !1 = !{!1}
4392
4393The loop identifier metadata can be used to specify additional
4394per-loop metadata. Any operands after the first operand can be treated
4395as user-defined metadata. For example the ``llvm.loop.unroll.count``
4396suggests an unroll factor to the loop unroller:
4397
4398.. code-block:: llvm
4399
4400      br i1 %exitcond, label %._crit_edge, label %.lr.ph, !llvm.loop !0
4401    ...
4402    !0 = !{!0, !1}
4403    !1 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.count", i32 4}
4404
4405'``llvm.loop.vectorize``' and '``llvm.loop.interleave``'
4406^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4407
4408Metadata prefixed with ``llvm.loop.vectorize`` or ``llvm.loop.interleave`` are
4409used to control per-loop vectorization and interleaving parameters such as
4410vectorization width and interleave count. These metadata should be used in
4411conjunction with ``llvm.loop`` loop identification metadata. The
4412``llvm.loop.vectorize`` and ``llvm.loop.interleave`` metadata are only
4413optimization hints and the optimizer will only interleave and vectorize loops if
4414it believes it is safe to do so. The ``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access`` metadata
4415which contains information about loop-carried memory dependencies can be helpful
4416in determining the safety of these transformations.
4417
4418'``llvm.loop.interleave.count``' Metadata
4419^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4420
4421This metadata suggests an interleave count to the loop interleaver.
4422The first operand is the string ``llvm.loop.interleave.count`` and the
4423second operand is an integer specifying the interleave count. For
4424example:
4425
4426.. code-block:: llvm
4427
4428   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.interleave.count", i32 4}
4429
4430Note that setting ``llvm.loop.interleave.count`` to 1 disables interleaving
4431multiple iterations of the loop. If ``llvm.loop.interleave.count`` is set to 0
4432then the interleave count will be determined automatically.
4433
4434'``llvm.loop.vectorize.enable``' Metadata
4435^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4436
4437This metadata selectively enables or disables vectorization for the loop. The
4438first operand is the string ``llvm.loop.vectorize.enable`` and the second operand
4439is a bit. If the bit operand value is 1 vectorization is enabled. A value of
44400 disables vectorization:
4441
4442.. code-block:: llvm
4443
4444   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.vectorize.enable", i1 0}
4445   !1 = !{!"llvm.loop.vectorize.enable", i1 1}
4446
4447'``llvm.loop.vectorize.width``' Metadata
4448^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4449
4450This metadata sets the target width of the vectorizer. The first
4451operand is the string ``llvm.loop.vectorize.width`` and the second
4452operand is an integer specifying the width. For example:
4453
4454.. code-block:: llvm
4455
4456   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.vectorize.width", i32 4}
4457
4458Note that setting ``llvm.loop.vectorize.width`` to 1 disables
4459vectorization of the loop. If ``llvm.loop.vectorize.width`` is set to
44600 or if the loop does not have this metadata the width will be
4461determined automatically.
4462
4463'``llvm.loop.unroll``'
4464^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4465
4466Metadata prefixed with ``llvm.loop.unroll`` are loop unrolling
4467optimization hints such as the unroll factor. ``llvm.loop.unroll``
4468metadata should be used in conjunction with ``llvm.loop`` loop
4469identification metadata. The ``llvm.loop.unroll`` metadata are only
4470optimization hints and the unrolling will only be performed if the
4471optimizer believes it is safe to do so.
4472
4473'``llvm.loop.unroll.count``' Metadata
4474^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4475
4476This metadata suggests an unroll factor to the loop unroller. The
4477first operand is the string ``llvm.loop.unroll.count`` and the second
4478operand is a positive integer specifying the unroll factor. For
4479example:
4480
4481.. code-block:: llvm
4482
4483   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.count", i32 4}
4484
4485If the trip count of the loop is less than the unroll count the loop
4486will be partially unrolled.
4487
4488'``llvm.loop.unroll.disable``' Metadata
4489^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4490
4491This metadata disables loop unrolling. The metadata has a single operand
4492which is the string ``llvm.loop.unroll.disable``. For example:
4493
4494.. code-block:: llvm
4495
4496   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.disable"}
4497
4498'``llvm.loop.unroll.runtime.disable``' Metadata
4499^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4500
4501This metadata disables runtime loop unrolling. The metadata has a single
4502operand which is the string ``llvm.loop.unroll.runtime.disable``. For example:
4503
4504.. code-block:: llvm
4505
4506   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.runtime.disable"}
4507
4508'``llvm.loop.unroll.enable``' Metadata
4509^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4510
4511This metadata suggests that the loop should be fully unrolled if the trip count
4512is known at compile time and partially unrolled if the trip count is not known
4513at compile time. The metadata has a single operand which is the string
4514``llvm.loop.unroll.enable``.  For example:
4515
4516.. code-block:: llvm
4517
4518   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.enable"}
4519
4520'``llvm.loop.unroll.full``' Metadata
4521^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4522
4523This metadata suggests that the loop should be unrolled fully. The
4524metadata has a single operand which is the string ``llvm.loop.unroll.full``.
4525For example:
4526
4527.. code-block:: llvm
4528
4529   !0 = !{!"llvm.loop.unroll.full"}
4530
4531'``llvm.mem``'
4532^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4533
4534Metadata types used to annotate memory accesses with information helpful
4535for optimizations are prefixed with ``llvm.mem``.
4536
4537'``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access``' Metadata
4538^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4539
4540The ``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access`` metadata refers to a loop identifier,
4541or metadata containing a list of loop identifiers for nested loops.
4542The metadata is attached to memory accessing instructions and denotes that
4543no loop carried memory dependence exist between it and other instructions denoted
4544with the same loop identifier.
4545
4546Precisely, given two instructions ``m1`` and ``m2`` that both have the
4547``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access`` metadata, with ``L1`` and ``L2`` being the
4548set of loops associated with that metadata, respectively, then there is no loop
4549carried dependence between ``m1`` and ``m2`` for loops in both ``L1`` and
4550``L2``.
4551
4552As a special case, if all memory accessing instructions in a loop have
4553``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access`` metadata that refers to that loop, then the
4554loop has no loop carried memory dependences and is considered to be a parallel
4555loop.
4556
4557Note that if not all memory access instructions have such metadata referring to
4558the loop, then the loop is considered not being trivially parallel. Additional
4559memory dependence analysis is required to make that determination. As a fail
4560safe mechanism, this causes loops that were originally parallel to be considered
4561sequential (if optimization passes that are unaware of the parallel semantics
4562insert new memory instructions into the loop body).
4563
4564Example of a loop that is considered parallel due to its correct use of
4565both ``llvm.loop`` and ``llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access``
4566metadata types that refer to the same loop identifier metadata.
4567
4568.. code-block:: llvm
4569
4570   for.body:
4571     ...
4572     %val0 = load i32, i32* %arrayidx, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !0
4573     ...
4574     store i32 %val0, i32* %arrayidx1, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !0
4575     ...
4576     br i1 %exitcond, label %for.end, label %for.body, !llvm.loop !0
4577
4578   for.end:
4579   ...
4580   !0 = !{!0}
4581
4582It is also possible to have nested parallel loops. In that case the
4583memory accesses refer to a list of loop identifier metadata nodes instead of
4584the loop identifier metadata node directly:
4585
4586.. code-block:: llvm
4587
4588   outer.for.body:
4589     ...
4590     %val1 = load i32, i32* %arrayidx3, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !2
4591     ...
4592     br label %inner.for.body
4593
4594   inner.for.body:
4595     ...
4596     %val0 = load i32, i32* %arrayidx1, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !0
4597     ...
4598     store i32 %val0, i32* %arrayidx2, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !0
4599     ...
4600     br i1 %exitcond, label %inner.for.end, label %inner.for.body, !llvm.loop !1
4601
4602   inner.for.end:
4603     ...
4604     store i32 %val1, i32* %arrayidx4, !llvm.mem.parallel_loop_access !2
4605     ...
4606     br i1 %exitcond, label %outer.for.end, label %outer.for.body, !llvm.loop !2
4607
4608   outer.for.end:                                          ; preds = %for.body
4609   ...
4610   !0 = !{!1, !2} ; a list of loop identifiers
4611   !1 = !{!1} ; an identifier for the inner loop
4612   !2 = !{!2} ; an identifier for the outer loop
4613
4614'``llvm.bitsets``'
4615^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4616
4617The ``llvm.bitsets`` global metadata is used to implement
4618:doc:`bitsets <BitSets>`.
4619
4620'``invariant.group``' Metadata
4621^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4622
4623The ``invariant.group`` metadata may be attached to ``load``/``store`` instructions.
4624The existence of the ``invariant.group`` metadata on the instruction tells
4625the optimizer that every ``load`` and ``store`` to the same pointer operand
4626within the same invariant group can be assumed to load or store the same
4627value (but see the ``llvm.invariant.group.barrier`` intrinsic which affects
4628when two pointers are considered the same).
4629
4630Examples:
4631
4632.. code-block:: llvm
4633
4634   @unknownPtr = external global i8
4635   ...
4636   %ptr = alloca i8
4637   store i8 42, i8* %ptr, !invariant.group !0
4638   call void @foo(i8* %ptr)
4639
4640   %a = load i8, i8* %ptr, !invariant.group !0 ; Can assume that value under %ptr didn't change
4641   call void @foo(i8* %ptr)
4642   %b = load i8, i8* %ptr, !invariant.group !1 ; Can't assume anything, because group changed
4643
4644   %newPtr = call i8* @getPointer(i8* %ptr)
4645   %c = load i8, i8* %newPtr, !invariant.group !0 ; Can't assume anything, because we only have information about %ptr
4646
4647   %unknownValue = load i8, i8* @unknownPtr
4648   store i8 %unknownValue, i8* %ptr, !invariant.group !0 ; Can assume that %unknownValue == 42
4649
4650   call void @foo(i8* %ptr)
4651   %newPtr2 = call i8* @llvm.invariant.group.barrier(i8* %ptr)
4652   %d = load i8, i8* %newPtr2, !invariant.group !0  ; Can't step through invariant.group.barrier to get value of %ptr
4653
4654   ...
4655   declare void @foo(i8*)
4656   declare i8* @getPointer(i8*)
4657   declare i8* @llvm.invariant.group.barrier(i8*)
4658
4659   !0 = !{!"magic ptr"}
4660   !1 = !{!"other ptr"}
4661
4662
4663
4664Module Flags Metadata
4665=====================
4666
4667Information about the module as a whole is difficult to convey to LLVM's
4668subsystems. The LLVM IR isn't sufficient to transmit this information.
4669The ``llvm.module.flags`` named metadata exists in order to facilitate
4670this. These flags are in the form of key / value pairs --- much like a
4671dictionary --- making it easy for any subsystem who cares about a flag to
4672look it up.
4673
4674The ``llvm.module.flags`` metadata contains a list of metadata triplets.
4675Each triplet has the following form:
4676
4677-  The first element is a *behavior* flag, which specifies the behavior
4678   when two (or more) modules are merged together, and it encounters two
4679   (or more) metadata with the same ID. The supported behaviors are
4680   described below.
4681-  The second element is a metadata string that is a unique ID for the
4682   metadata. Each module may only have one flag entry for each unique ID (not
4683   including entries with the **Require** behavior).
4684-  The third element is the value of the flag.
4685
4686When two (or more) modules are merged together, the resulting
4687``llvm.module.flags`` metadata is the union of the modules' flags. That is, for
4688each unique metadata ID string, there will be exactly one entry in the merged
4689modules ``llvm.module.flags`` metadata table, and the value for that entry will
4690be determined by the merge behavior flag, as described below. The only exception
4691is that entries with the *Require* behavior are always preserved.
4692
4693The following behaviors are supported:
4694
4695.. list-table::
4696   :header-rows: 1
4697   :widths: 10 90
4698
4699   * - Value
4700     - Behavior
4701
4702   * - 1
4703     - **Error**
4704           Emits an error if two values disagree, otherwise the resulting value
4705           is that of the operands.
4706
4707   * - 2
4708     - **Warning**
4709           Emits a warning if two values disagree. The result value will be the
4710           operand for the flag from the first module being linked.
4711
4712   * - 3
4713     - **Require**
4714           Adds a requirement that another module flag be present and have a
4715           specified value after linking is performed. The value must be a
4716           metadata pair, where the first element of the pair is the ID of the
4717           module flag to be restricted, and the second element of the pair is
4718           the value the module flag should be restricted to. This behavior can
4719           be used to restrict the allowable results (via triggering of an
4720           error) of linking IDs with the **Override** behavior.
4721
4722   * - 4
4723     - **Override**
4724           Uses the specified value, regardless of the behavior or value of the
4725           other module. If both modules specify **Override**, but the values
4726           differ, an error will be emitted.
4727
4728   * - 5
4729     - **Append**
4730           Appends the two values, which are required to be metadata nodes.
4731
4732   * - 6
4733     - **AppendUnique**
4734           Appends the two values, which are required to be metadata
4735           nodes. However, duplicate entries in the second list are dropped
4736           during the append operation.
4737
4738It is an error for a particular unique flag ID to have multiple behaviors,
4739except in the case of **Require** (which adds restrictions on another metadata
4740value) or **Override**.
4741
4742An example of module flags:
4743
4744.. code-block:: llvm
4745
4746    !0 = !{ i32 1, !"foo", i32 1 }
4747    !1 = !{ i32 4, !"bar", i32 37 }
4748    !2 = !{ i32 2, !"qux", i32 42 }
4749    !3 = !{ i32 3, !"qux",
4750      !{
4751        !"foo", i32 1
4752      }
4753    }
4754    !llvm.module.flags = !{ !0, !1, !2, !3 }
4755
4756-  Metadata ``!0`` has the ID ``!"foo"`` and the value '1'. The behavior
4757   if two or more ``!"foo"`` flags are seen is to emit an error if their
4758   values are not equal.
4759
4760-  Metadata ``!1`` has the ID ``!"bar"`` and the value '37'. The
4761   behavior if two or more ``!"bar"`` flags are seen is to use the value
4762   '37'.
4763
4764-  Metadata ``!2`` has the ID ``!"qux"`` and the value '42'. The
4765   behavior if two or more ``!"qux"`` flags are seen is to emit a
4766   warning if their values are not equal.
4767
4768-  Metadata ``!3`` has the ID ``!"qux"`` and the value:
4769
4770   ::
4771
4772       !{ !"foo", i32 1 }
4773
4774   The behavior is to emit an error if the ``llvm.module.flags`` does not
4775   contain a flag with the ID ``!"foo"`` that has the value '1' after linking is
4776   performed.
4777
4778Objective-C Garbage Collection Module Flags Metadata
4779----------------------------------------------------
4780
4781On the Mach-O platform, Objective-C stores metadata about garbage
4782collection in a special section called "image info". The metadata
4783consists of a version number and a bitmask specifying what types of
4784garbage collection are supported (if any) by the file. If two or more
4785modules are linked together their garbage collection metadata needs to
4786be merged rather than appended together.
4787
4788The Objective-C garbage collection module flags metadata consists of the
4789following key-value pairs:
4790
4791.. list-table::
4792   :header-rows: 1
4793   :widths: 30 70
4794
4795   * - Key
4796     - Value
4797
4798   * - ``Objective-C Version``
4799     - **[Required]** --- The Objective-C ABI version. Valid values are 1 and 2.
4800
4801   * - ``Objective-C Image Info Version``
4802     - **[Required]** --- The version of the image info section. Currently
4803       always 0.
4804
4805   * - ``Objective-C Image Info Section``
4806     - **[Required]** --- The section to place the metadata. Valid values are
4807       ``"__OBJC, __image_info, regular"`` for Objective-C ABI version 1, and
4808       ``"__DATA,__objc_imageinfo, regular, no_dead_strip"`` for
4809       Objective-C ABI version 2.
4810
4811   * - ``Objective-C Garbage Collection``
4812     - **[Required]** --- Specifies whether garbage collection is supported or
4813       not. Valid values are 0, for no garbage collection, and 2, for garbage
4814       collection supported.
4815
4816   * - ``Objective-C GC Only``
4817     - **[Optional]** --- Specifies that only garbage collection is supported.
4818       If present, its value must be 6. This flag requires that the
4819       ``Objective-C Garbage Collection`` flag have the value 2.
4820
4821Some important flag interactions:
4822
4823-  If a module with ``Objective-C Garbage Collection`` set to 0 is
4824   merged with a module with ``Objective-C Garbage Collection`` set to
4825   2, then the resulting module has the
4826   ``Objective-C Garbage Collection`` flag set to 0.
4827-  A module with ``Objective-C Garbage Collection`` set to 0 cannot be
4828   merged with a module with ``Objective-C GC Only`` set to 6.
4829
4830Automatic Linker Flags Module Flags Metadata
4831--------------------------------------------
4832
4833Some targets support embedding flags to the linker inside individual object
4834files. Typically this is used in conjunction with language extensions which
4835allow source files to explicitly declare the libraries they depend on, and have
4836these automatically be transmitted to the linker via object files.
4837
4838These flags are encoded in the IR using metadata in the module flags section,
4839using the ``Linker Options`` key. The merge behavior for this flag is required
4840to be ``AppendUnique``, and the value for the key is expected to be a metadata
4841node which should be a list of other metadata nodes, each of which should be a
4842list of metadata strings defining linker options.
4843
4844For example, the following metadata section specifies two separate sets of
4845linker options, presumably to link against ``libz`` and the ``Cocoa``
4846framework::
4847
4848    !0 = !{ i32 6, !"Linker Options",
4849       !{
4850          !{ !"-lz" },
4851          !{ !"-framework", !"Cocoa" } } }
4852    !llvm.module.flags = !{ !0 }
4853
4854The metadata encoding as lists of lists of options, as opposed to a collapsed
4855list of options, is chosen so that the IR encoding can use multiple option
4856strings to specify e.g., a single library, while still having that specifier be
4857preserved as an atomic element that can be recognized by a target specific
4858assembly writer or object file emitter.
4859
4860Each individual option is required to be either a valid option for the target's
4861linker, or an option that is reserved by the target specific assembly writer or
4862object file emitter. No other aspect of these options is defined by the IR.
4863
4864C type width Module Flags Metadata
4865----------------------------------
4866
4867The ARM backend emits a section into each generated object file describing the
4868options that it was compiled with (in a compiler-independent way) to prevent
4869linking incompatible objects, and to allow automatic library selection. Some
4870of these options are not visible at the IR level, namely wchar_t width and enum
4871width.
4872
4873To pass this information to the backend, these options are encoded in module
4874flags metadata, using the following key-value pairs:
4875
4876.. list-table::
4877   :header-rows: 1
4878   :widths: 30 70
4879
4880   * - Key
4881     - Value
4882
4883   * - short_wchar
4884     - * 0 --- sizeof(wchar_t) == 4
4885       * 1 --- sizeof(wchar_t) == 2
4886
4887   * - short_enum
4888     - * 0 --- Enums are at least as large as an ``int``.
4889       * 1 --- Enums are stored in the smallest integer type which can
4890         represent all of its values.
4891
4892For example, the following metadata section specifies that the module was
4893compiled with a ``wchar_t`` width of 4 bytes, and the underlying type of an
4894enum is the smallest type which can represent all of its values::
4895
4896    !llvm.module.flags = !{!0, !1}
4897    !0 = !{i32 1, !"short_wchar", i32 1}
4898    !1 = !{i32 1, !"short_enum", i32 0}
4899
4900.. _intrinsicglobalvariables:
4901
4902Intrinsic Global Variables
4903==========================
4904
4905LLVM has a number of "magic" global variables that contain data that
4906affect code generation or other IR semantics. These are documented here.
4907All globals of this sort should have a section specified as
4908"``llvm.metadata``". This section and all globals that start with
4909"``llvm.``" are reserved for use by LLVM.
4910
4911.. _gv_llvmused:
4912
4913The '``llvm.used``' Global Variable
4914-----------------------------------
4915
4916The ``@llvm.used`` global is an array which has
4917:ref:`appending linkage <linkage_appending>`. This array contains a list of
4918pointers to named global variables, functions and aliases which may optionally
4919have a pointer cast formed of bitcast or getelementptr. For example, a legal
4920use of it is:
4921
4922.. code-block:: llvm
4923
4924    @X = global i8 4
4925    @Y = global i32 123
4926
4927    @llvm.used = appending global [2 x i8*] [
4928       i8* @X,
4929       i8* bitcast (i32* @Y to i8*)
4930    ], section "llvm.metadata"
4931
4932If a symbol appears in the ``@llvm.used`` list, then the compiler, assembler,
4933and linker are required to treat the symbol as if there is a reference to the
4934symbol that it cannot see (which is why they have to be named). For example, if
4935a variable has internal linkage and no references other than that from the
4936``@llvm.used`` list, it cannot be deleted. This is commonly used to represent
4937references from inline asms and other things the compiler cannot "see", and
4938corresponds to "``attribute((used))``" in GNU C.
4939
4940On some targets, the code generator must emit a directive to the
4941assembler or object file to prevent the assembler and linker from
4942molesting the symbol.
4943
4944.. _gv_llvmcompilerused:
4945
4946The '``llvm.compiler.used``' Global Variable
4947--------------------------------------------
4948
4949The ``@llvm.compiler.used`` directive is the same as the ``@llvm.used``
4950directive, except that it only prevents the compiler from touching the
4951symbol. On targets that support it, this allows an intelligent linker to
4952optimize references to the symbol without being impeded as it would be
4953by ``@llvm.used``.
4954
4955This is a rare construct that should only be used in rare circumstances,
4956and should not be exposed to source languages.
4957
4958.. _gv_llvmglobalctors:
4959
4960The '``llvm.global_ctors``' Global Variable
4961-------------------------------------------
4962
4963.. code-block:: llvm
4964
4965    %0 = type { i32, void ()*, i8* }
4966    @llvm.global_ctors = appending global [1 x %0] [%0 { i32 65535, void ()* @ctor, i8* @data }]
4967
4968The ``@llvm.global_ctors`` array contains a list of constructor
4969functions, priorities, and an optional associated global or function.
4970The functions referenced by this array will be called in ascending order
4971of priority (i.e. lowest first) when the module is loaded. The order of
4972functions with the same priority is not defined.
4973
4974If the third field is present, non-null, and points to a global variable
4975or function, the initializer function will only run if the associated
4976data from the current module is not discarded.
4977
4978.. _llvmglobaldtors:
4979
4980The '``llvm.global_dtors``' Global Variable
4981-------------------------------------------
4982
4983.. code-block:: llvm
4984
4985    %0 = type { i32, void ()*, i8* }
4986    @llvm.global_dtors = appending global [1 x %0] [%0 { i32 65535, void ()* @dtor, i8* @data }]
4987
4988The ``@llvm.global_dtors`` array contains a list of destructor
4989functions, priorities, and an optional associated global or function.
4990The functions referenced by this array will be called in descending
4991order of priority (i.e. highest first) when the module is unloaded. The
4992order of functions with the same priority is not defined.
4993
4994If the third field is present, non-null, and points to a global variable
4995or function, the destructor function will only run if the associated
4996data from the current module is not discarded.
4997
4998Instruction Reference
4999=====================
5000
5001The LLVM instruction set consists of several different classifications
5002of instructions: :ref:`terminator instructions <terminators>`, :ref:`binary
5003instructions <binaryops>`, :ref:`bitwise binary
5004instructions <bitwiseops>`, :ref:`memory instructions <memoryops>`, and
5005:ref:`other instructions <otherops>`.
5006
5007.. _terminators:
5008
5009Terminator Instructions
5010-----------------------
5011
5012As mentioned :ref:`previously <functionstructure>`, every basic block in a
5013program ends with a "Terminator" instruction, which indicates which
5014block should be executed after the current block is finished. These
5015terminator instructions typically yield a '``void``' value: they produce
5016control flow, not values (the one exception being the
5017':ref:`invoke <i_invoke>`' instruction).
5018
5019The terminator instructions are: ':ref:`ret <i_ret>`',
5020':ref:`br <i_br>`', ':ref:`switch <i_switch>`',
5021':ref:`indirectbr <i_indirectbr>`', ':ref:`invoke <i_invoke>`',
5022':ref:`resume <i_resume>`', ':ref:`catchswitch <i_catchswitch>`',
5023':ref:`catchret <i_catchret>`',
5024':ref:`cleanupret <i_cleanupret>`',
5025and ':ref:`unreachable <i_unreachable>`'.
5026
5027.. _i_ret:
5028
5029'``ret``' Instruction
5030^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5031
5032Syntax:
5033"""""""
5034
5035::
5036
5037      ret <type> <value>       ; Return a value from a non-void function
5038      ret void                 ; Return from void function
5039
5040Overview:
5041"""""""""
5042
5043The '``ret``' instruction is used to return control flow (and optionally
5044a value) from a function back to the caller.
5045
5046There are two forms of the '``ret``' instruction: one that returns a
5047value and then causes control flow, and one that just causes control
5048flow to occur.
5049
5050Arguments:
5051""""""""""
5052
5053The '``ret``' instruction optionally accepts a single argument, the
5054return value. The type of the return value must be a ':ref:`first
5055class <t_firstclass>`' type.
5056
5057A function is not :ref:`well formed <wellformed>` if it it has a non-void
5058return type and contains a '``ret``' instruction with no return value or
5059a return value with a type that does not match its type, or if it has a
5060void return type and contains a '``ret``' instruction with a return
5061value.
5062
5063Semantics:
5064""""""""""
5065
5066When the '``ret``' instruction is executed, control flow returns back to
5067the calling function's context. If the caller is a
5068":ref:`call <i_call>`" instruction, execution continues at the
5069instruction after the call. If the caller was an
5070":ref:`invoke <i_invoke>`" instruction, execution continues at the
5071beginning of the "normal" destination block. If the instruction returns
5072a value, that value shall set the call or invoke instruction's return
5073value.
5074
5075Example:
5076""""""""
5077
5078.. code-block:: llvm
5079
5080      ret i32 5                       ; Return an integer value of 5
5081      ret void                        ; Return from a void function
5082      ret { i32, i8 } { i32 4, i8 2 } ; Return a struct of values 4 and 2
5083
5084.. _i_br:
5085
5086'``br``' Instruction
5087^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5088
5089Syntax:
5090"""""""
5091
5092::
5093
5094      br i1 <cond>, label <iftrue>, label <iffalse>
5095      br label <dest>          ; Unconditional branch
5096
5097Overview:
5098"""""""""
5099
5100The '``br``' instruction is used to cause control flow to transfer to a
5101different basic block in the current function. There are two forms of
5102this instruction, corresponding to a conditional branch and an
5103unconditional branch.
5104
5105Arguments:
5106""""""""""
5107
5108The conditional branch form of the '``br``' instruction takes a single
5109'``i1``' value and two '``label``' values. The unconditional form of the
5110'``br``' instruction takes a single '``label``' value as a target.
5111
5112Semantics:
5113""""""""""
5114
5115Upon execution of a conditional '``br``' instruction, the '``i1``'
5116argument is evaluated. If the value is ``true``, control flows to the
5117'``iftrue``' ``label`` argument. If "cond" is ``false``, control flows
5118to the '``iffalse``' ``label`` argument.
5119
5120Example:
5121""""""""
5122
5123.. code-block:: llvm
5124
5125    Test:
5126      %cond = icmp eq i32 %a, %b
5127      br i1 %cond, label %IfEqual, label %IfUnequal
5128    IfEqual:
5129      ret i32 1
5130    IfUnequal:
5131      ret i32 0
5132
5133.. _i_switch:
5134
5135'``switch``' Instruction
5136^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5137
5138Syntax:
5139"""""""
5140
5141::
5142
5143      switch <intty> <value>, label <defaultdest> [ <intty> <val>, label <dest> ... ]
5144
5145Overview:
5146"""""""""
5147
5148The '``switch``' instruction is used to transfer control flow to one of
5149several different places. It is a generalization of the '``br``'
5150instruction, allowing a branch to occur to one of many possible
5151destinations.
5152
5153Arguments:
5154""""""""""
5155
5156The '``switch``' instruction uses three parameters: an integer
5157comparison value '``value``', a default '``label``' destination, and an
5158array of pairs of comparison value constants and '``label``'s. The table
5159is not allowed to contain duplicate constant entries.
5160
5161Semantics:
5162""""""""""
5163
5164The ``switch`` instruction specifies a table of values and destinations.
5165When the '``switch``' instruction is executed, this table is searched
5166for the given value. If the value is found, control flow is transferred
5167to the corresponding destination; otherwise, control flow is transferred
5168to the default destination.
5169
5170Implementation:
5171"""""""""""""""
5172
5173Depending on properties of the target machine and the particular
5174``switch`` instruction, this instruction may be code generated in
5175different ways. For example, it could be generated as a series of
5176chained conditional branches or with a lookup table.
5177
5178Example:
5179""""""""
5180
5181.. code-block:: llvm
5182
5183     ; Emulate a conditional br instruction
5184     %Val = zext i1 %value to i32
5185     switch i32 %Val, label %truedest [ i32 0, label %falsedest ]
5186
5187     ; Emulate an unconditional br instruction
5188     switch i32 0, label %dest [ ]
5189
5190     ; Implement a jump table:
5191     switch i32 %val, label %otherwise [ i32 0, label %onzero
5192                                         i32 1, label %onone
5193                                         i32 2, label %ontwo ]
5194
5195.. _i_indirectbr:
5196
5197'``indirectbr``' Instruction
5198^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5199
5200Syntax:
5201"""""""
5202
5203::
5204
5205      indirectbr <somety>* <address>, [ label <dest1>, label <dest2>, ... ]
5206
5207Overview:
5208"""""""""
5209
5210The '``indirectbr``' instruction implements an indirect branch to a
5211label within the current function, whose address is specified by
5212"``address``". Address must be derived from a
5213:ref:`blockaddress <blockaddress>` constant.
5214
5215Arguments:
5216""""""""""
5217
5218The '``address``' argument is the address of the label to jump to. The
5219rest of the arguments indicate the full set of possible destinations
5220that the address may point to. Blocks are allowed to occur multiple
5221times in the destination list, though this isn't particularly useful.
5222
5223This destination list is required so that dataflow analysis has an
5224accurate understanding of the CFG.
5225
5226Semantics:
5227""""""""""
5228
5229Control transfers to the block specified in the address argument. All
5230possible destination blocks must be listed in the label list, otherwise
5231this instruction has undefined behavior. This implies that jumps to
5232labels defined in other functions have undefined behavior as well.
5233
5234Implementation:
5235"""""""""""""""
5236
5237This is typically implemented with a jump through a register.
5238
5239Example:
5240""""""""
5241
5242.. code-block:: llvm
5243
5244     indirectbr i8* %Addr, [ label %bb1, label %bb2, label %bb3 ]
5245
5246.. _i_invoke:
5247
5248'``invoke``' Instruction
5249^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5250
5251Syntax:
5252"""""""
5253
5254::
5255
5256      <result> = invoke [cconv] [ret attrs] <ptr to function ty> <function ptr val>(<function args>) [fn attrs]
5257                    [operand bundles] to label <normal label> unwind label <exception label>
5258
5259Overview:
5260"""""""""
5261
5262The '``invoke``' instruction causes control to transfer to a specified
5263function, with the possibility of control flow transfer to either the
5264'``normal``' label or the '``exception``' label. If the callee function
5265returns with the "``ret``" instruction, control flow will return to the
5266"normal" label. If the callee (or any indirect callees) returns via the
5267":ref:`resume <i_resume>`" instruction or other exception handling
5268mechanism, control is interrupted and continued at the dynamically
5269nearest "exception" label.
5270
5271The '``exception``' label is a `landing
5272pad <ExceptionHandling.html#overview>`_ for the exception. As such,
5273'``exception``' label is required to have the
5274":ref:`landingpad <i_landingpad>`" instruction, which contains the
5275information about the behavior of the program after unwinding happens,
5276as its first non-PHI instruction. The restrictions on the
5277"``landingpad``" instruction's tightly couples it to the "``invoke``"
5278instruction, so that the important information contained within the
5279"``landingpad``" instruction can't be lost through normal code motion.
5280
5281Arguments:
5282""""""""""
5283
5284This instruction requires several arguments:
5285
5286#. The optional "cconv" marker indicates which :ref:`calling
5287   convention <callingconv>` the call should use. If none is
5288   specified, the call defaults to using C calling conventions.
5289#. The optional :ref:`Parameter Attributes <paramattrs>` list for return
5290   values. Only '``zeroext``', '``signext``', and '``inreg``' attributes
5291   are valid here.
5292#. '``ptr to function ty``': shall be the signature of the pointer to
5293   function value being invoked. In most cases, this is a direct
5294   function invocation, but indirect ``invoke``'s are just as possible,
5295   branching off an arbitrary pointer to function value.
5296#. '``function ptr val``': An LLVM value containing a pointer to a
5297   function to be invoked.
5298#. '``function args``': argument list whose types match the function
5299   signature argument types and parameter attributes. All arguments must
5300   be of :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type. If the function signature
5301   indicates the function accepts a variable number of arguments, the
5302   extra arguments can be specified.
5303#. '``normal label``': the label reached when the called function
5304   executes a '``ret``' instruction.
5305#. '``exception label``': the label reached when a callee returns via
5306   the :ref:`resume <i_resume>` instruction or other exception handling
5307   mechanism.
5308#. The optional :ref:`function attributes <fnattrs>` list. Only
5309   '``noreturn``', '``nounwind``', '``readonly``' and '``readnone``'
5310   attributes are valid here.
5311#. The optional :ref:`operand bundles <opbundles>` list.
5312
5313Semantics:
5314""""""""""
5315
5316This instruction is designed to operate as a standard '``call``'
5317instruction in most regards. The primary difference is that it
5318establishes an association with a label, which is used by the runtime
5319library to unwind the stack.
5320
5321This instruction is used in languages with destructors to ensure that
5322proper cleanup is performed in the case of either a ``longjmp`` or a
5323thrown exception. Additionally, this is important for implementation of
5324'``catch``' clauses in high-level languages that support them.
5325
5326For the purposes of the SSA form, the definition of the value returned
5327by the '``invoke``' instruction is deemed to occur on the edge from the
5328current block to the "normal" label. If the callee unwinds then no
5329return value is available.
5330
5331Example:
5332""""""""
5333
5334.. code-block:: llvm
5335
5336      %retval = invoke i32 @Test(i32 15) to label %Continue
5337                  unwind label %TestCleanup              ; i32:retval set
5338      %retval = invoke coldcc i32 %Testfnptr(i32 15) to label %Continue
5339                  unwind label %TestCleanup              ; i32:retval set
5340
5341.. _i_resume:
5342
5343'``resume``' Instruction
5344^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5345
5346Syntax:
5347"""""""
5348
5349::
5350
5351      resume <type> <value>
5352
5353Overview:
5354"""""""""
5355
5356The '``resume``' instruction is a terminator instruction that has no
5357successors.
5358
5359Arguments:
5360""""""""""
5361
5362The '``resume``' instruction requires one argument, which must have the
5363same type as the result of any '``landingpad``' instruction in the same
5364function.
5365
5366Semantics:
5367""""""""""
5368
5369The '``resume``' instruction resumes propagation of an existing
5370(in-flight) exception whose unwinding was interrupted with a
5371:ref:`landingpad <i_landingpad>` instruction.
5372
5373Example:
5374""""""""
5375
5376.. code-block:: llvm
5377
5378      resume { i8*, i32 } %exn
5379
5380.. _i_catchswitch:
5381
5382'``catchswitch``' Instruction
5383^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5384
5385Syntax:
5386"""""""
5387
5388::
5389
5390      <resultval> = catchswitch within <parent> [ label <handler1>, label <handler2>, ... ] unwind to caller
5391      <resultval> = catchswitch within <parent> [ label <handler1>, label <handler2>, ... ] unwind label <default>
5392
5393Overview:
5394"""""""""
5395
5396The '``catchswitch``' instruction is used by `LLVM's exception handling system
5397<ExceptionHandling.html#overview>`_ to describe the set of possible catch handlers
5398that may be executed by the :ref:`EH personality routine <personalityfn>`.
5399
5400Arguments:
5401""""""""""
5402
5403The ``parent`` argument is the token of the funclet that contains the
5404``catchswitch`` instruction. If the ``catchswitch`` is not inside a funclet,
5405this operand may be the token ``none``.
5406
5407The ``default`` argument is the label of another basic block beginning with a
5408"pad" instruction, one of ``cleanuppad`` or ``catchswitch``.
5409
5410The ``handlers`` are a list of successor blocks that each begin with a
5411:ref:`catchpad <i_catchpad>` instruction.
5412
5413Semantics:
5414""""""""""
5415
5416Executing this instruction transfers control to one of the successors in
5417``handlers``, if appropriate, or continues to unwind via the unwind label if
5418present.
5419
5420The ``catchswitch`` is both a terminator and a "pad" instruction, meaning that
5421it must be both the first non-phi instruction and last instruction in the basic
5422block. Therefore, it must be the only non-phi instruction in the block.
5423
5424Example:
5425""""""""
5426
5427.. code-block:: llvm
5428
5429    dispatch1:
5430      %cs1 = catchswitch within none [label %handler0, label %handler1] unwind to caller
5431    dispatch2:
5432      %cs2 = catchswitch within %parenthandler [label %handler0] unwind label %cleanup
5433
5434.. _i_catchpad:
5435
5436'``catchpad``' Instruction
5437^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5438
5439Syntax:
5440"""""""
5441
5442::
5443
5444      <resultval> = catchpad within <catchswitch> [<args>*]
5445
5446Overview:
5447"""""""""
5448
5449The '``catchpad``' instruction is used by `LLVM's exception handling
5450system <ExceptionHandling.html#overview>`_ to specify that a basic block
5451begins a catch handler --- one where a personality routine attempts to transfer
5452control to catch an exception.
5453
5454Arguments:
5455""""""""""
5456
5457The ``catchswitch`` operand must always be a token produced by a
5458:ref:`catchswitch <i_catchswitch>` instruction in a predecessor block. This
5459ensures that each ``catchpad`` has exactly one predecessor block, and it always
5460terminates in a ``catchswitch``.
5461
5462The ``args`` correspond to whatever information the personality routine
5463requires to know if this is an appropriate handler for the exception. Control
5464will transfer to the ``catchpad`` if this is the first appropriate handler for
5465the exception.
5466
5467The ``resultval`` has the type :ref:`token <t_token>` and is used to match the
5468``catchpad`` to corresponding :ref:`catchrets <i_catchret>` and other nested EH
5469pads.
5470
5471Semantics:
5472""""""""""
5473
5474When the call stack is being unwound due to an exception being thrown, the
5475exception is compared against the ``args``. If it doesn't match, control will
5476not reach the ``catchpad`` instruction.  The representation of ``args`` is
5477entirely target and personality function-specific.
5478
5479Like the :ref:`landingpad <i_landingpad>` instruction, the ``catchpad``
5480instruction must be the first non-phi of its parent basic block.
5481
5482The meaning of the tokens produced and consumed by ``catchpad`` and other "pad"
5483instructions is described in the
5484`Windows exception handling documentation <ExceptionHandling.html#wineh>`.
5485
5486Executing a ``catchpad`` instruction constitutes "entering" that pad.
5487The pad may then be "exited" in one of three ways:
5488
54891)  explicitly via a ``catchret`` that consumes it.  Executing such a ``catchret``
5490    is undefined behavior if any descendant pads have been entered but not yet
5491    exited.
54922)  implicitly via a call (which unwinds all the way to the current function's caller),
5493    or via a ``catchswitch`` or a ``cleanupret`` that unwinds to caller.
54943)  implicitly via an unwind edge whose destination EH pad isn't a descendant of
5495    the ``catchpad``.  When the ``catchpad`` is exited in this manner, it is
5496    undefined behavior if the destination EH pad has a parent which is not an
5497    ancestor of the ``catchpad`` being exited.
5498
5499Example:
5500""""""""
5501
5502.. code-block:: llvm
5503
5504    dispatch:
5505      %cs = catchswitch within none [label %handler0] unwind to caller
5506      ;; A catch block which can catch an integer.
5507    handler0:
5508      %tok = catchpad within %cs [i8** @_ZTIi]
5509
5510.. _i_catchret:
5511
5512'``catchret``' Instruction
5513^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5514
5515Syntax:
5516"""""""
5517
5518::
5519
5520      catchret from <token> to label <normal>
5521
5522Overview:
5523"""""""""
5524
5525The '``catchret``' instruction is a terminator instruction that has a
5526single successor.
5527
5528
5529Arguments:
5530""""""""""
5531
5532The first argument to a '``catchret``' indicates which ``catchpad`` it
5533exits.  It must be a :ref:`catchpad <i_catchpad>`.
5534The second argument to a '``catchret``' specifies where control will
5535transfer to next.
5536
5537Semantics:
5538""""""""""
5539
5540The '``catchret``' instruction ends an existing (in-flight) exception whose
5541unwinding was interrupted with a :ref:`catchpad <i_catchpad>` instruction.  The
5542:ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` gets a chance to execute arbitrary
5543code to, for example, destroy the active exception.  Control then transfers to
5544``normal``.
5545
5546The ``token`` argument must be a token produced by a dominating ``catchpad``
5547instruction. The ``catchret`` destroys the physical frame established by
5548``catchpad``, so executing multiple returns on the same token without
5549re-executing the ``catchpad`` will result in undefined behavior.
5550See :ref:`catchpad <i_catchpad>` for more details.
5551
5552Example:
5553""""""""
5554
5555.. code-block:: llvm
5556
5557      catchret from %catch label %continue
5558
5559.. _i_cleanupret:
5560
5561'``cleanupret``' Instruction
5562^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5563
5564Syntax:
5565"""""""
5566
5567::
5568
5569      cleanupret from <value> unwind label <continue>
5570      cleanupret from <value> unwind to caller
5571
5572Overview:
5573"""""""""
5574
5575The '``cleanupret``' instruction is a terminator instruction that has
5576an optional successor.
5577
5578
5579Arguments:
5580""""""""""
5581
5582The '``cleanupret``' instruction requires one argument, which indicates
5583which ``cleanuppad`` it exits, and must be a :ref:`cleanuppad <i_cleanuppad>`.
5584It also has an optional successor, ``continue``.
5585
5586Semantics:
5587""""""""""
5588
5589The '``cleanupret``' instruction indicates to the
5590:ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` that one
5591:ref:`cleanuppad <i_cleanuppad>` it transferred control to has ended.
5592It transfers control to ``continue`` or unwinds out of the function.
5593
5594The unwind destination ``continue``, if present, must be an EH pad
5595whose parent is either ``none`` or an ancestor of the ``cleanuppad``
5596being returned from.  This constitutes an exceptional exit from all
5597ancestors of the completed ``cleanuppad``, up to but not including
5598the parent of ``continue``.
5599See :ref:`cleanuppad <i_cleanuppad>` for more details.
5600
5601Example:
5602""""""""
5603
5604.. code-block:: llvm
5605
5606      cleanupret from %cleanup unwind to caller
5607      cleanupret from %cleanup unwind label %continue
5608
5609.. _i_unreachable:
5610
5611'``unreachable``' Instruction
5612^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5613
5614Syntax:
5615"""""""
5616
5617::
5618
5619      unreachable
5620
5621Overview:
5622"""""""""
5623
5624The '``unreachable``' instruction has no defined semantics. This
5625instruction is used to inform the optimizer that a particular portion of
5626the code is not reachable. This can be used to indicate that the code
5627after a no-return function cannot be reached, and other facts.
5628
5629Semantics:
5630""""""""""
5631
5632The '``unreachable``' instruction has no defined semantics.
5633
5634.. _binaryops:
5635
5636Binary Operations
5637-----------------
5638
5639Binary operators are used to do most of the computation in a program.
5640They require two operands of the same type, execute an operation on
5641them, and produce a single value. The operands might represent multiple
5642data, as is the case with the :ref:`vector <t_vector>` data type. The
5643result value has the same type as its operands.
5644
5645There are several different binary operators:
5646
5647.. _i_add:
5648
5649'``add``' Instruction
5650^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5651
5652Syntax:
5653"""""""
5654
5655::
5656
5657      <result> = add <ty> <op1>, <op2>          ; yields ty:result
5658      <result> = add nuw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5659      <result> = add nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5660      <result> = add nuw nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>  ; yields ty:result
5661
5662Overview:
5663"""""""""
5664
5665The '``add``' instruction returns the sum of its two operands.
5666
5667Arguments:
5668""""""""""
5669
5670The two arguments to the '``add``' instruction must be
5671:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
5672arguments must have identical types.
5673
5674Semantics:
5675""""""""""
5676
5677The value produced is the integer sum of the two operands.
5678
5679If the sum has unsigned overflow, the result returned is the
5680mathematical result modulo 2\ :sup:`n`\ , where n is the bit width of
5681the result.
5682
5683Because LLVM integers use a two's complement representation, this
5684instruction is appropriate for both signed and unsigned integers.
5685
5686``nuw`` and ``nsw`` stand for "No Unsigned Wrap" and "No Signed Wrap",
5687respectively. If the ``nuw`` and/or ``nsw`` keywords are present, the
5688result value of the ``add`` is a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if
5689unsigned and/or signed overflow, respectively, occurs.
5690
5691Example:
5692""""""""
5693
5694.. code-block:: llvm
5695
5696      <result> = add i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 + %var
5697
5698.. _i_fadd:
5699
5700'``fadd``' Instruction
5701^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5702
5703Syntax:
5704"""""""
5705
5706::
5707
5708      <result> = fadd [fast-math flags]* <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
5709
5710Overview:
5711"""""""""
5712
5713The '``fadd``' instruction returns the sum of its two operands.
5714
5715Arguments:
5716""""""""""
5717
5718The two arguments to the '``fadd``' instruction must be :ref:`floating
5719point <t_floating>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point values.
5720Both arguments must have identical types.
5721
5722Semantics:
5723""""""""""
5724
5725The value produced is the floating point sum of the two operands. This
5726instruction can also take any number of :ref:`fast-math flags <fastmath>`,
5727which are optimization hints to enable otherwise unsafe floating point
5728optimizations:
5729
5730Example:
5731""""""""
5732
5733.. code-block:: llvm
5734
5735      <result> = fadd float 4.0, %var          ; yields float:result = 4.0 + %var
5736
5737'``sub``' Instruction
5738^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5739
5740Syntax:
5741"""""""
5742
5743::
5744
5745      <result> = sub <ty> <op1>, <op2>          ; yields ty:result
5746      <result> = sub nuw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5747      <result> = sub nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5748      <result> = sub nuw nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>  ; yields ty:result
5749
5750Overview:
5751"""""""""
5752
5753The '``sub``' instruction returns the difference of its two operands.
5754
5755Note that the '``sub``' instruction is used to represent the '``neg``'
5756instruction present in most other intermediate representations.
5757
5758Arguments:
5759""""""""""
5760
5761The two arguments to the '``sub``' instruction must be
5762:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
5763arguments must have identical types.
5764
5765Semantics:
5766""""""""""
5767
5768The value produced is the integer difference of the two operands.
5769
5770If the difference has unsigned overflow, the result returned is the
5771mathematical result modulo 2\ :sup:`n`\ , where n is the bit width of
5772the result.
5773
5774Because LLVM integers use a two's complement representation, this
5775instruction is appropriate for both signed and unsigned integers.
5776
5777``nuw`` and ``nsw`` stand for "No Unsigned Wrap" and "No Signed Wrap",
5778respectively. If the ``nuw`` and/or ``nsw`` keywords are present, the
5779result value of the ``sub`` is a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if
5780unsigned and/or signed overflow, respectively, occurs.
5781
5782Example:
5783""""""""
5784
5785.. code-block:: llvm
5786
5787      <result> = sub i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 - %var
5788      <result> = sub i32 0, %val          ; yields i32:result = -%var
5789
5790.. _i_fsub:
5791
5792'``fsub``' Instruction
5793^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5794
5795Syntax:
5796"""""""
5797
5798::
5799
5800      <result> = fsub [fast-math flags]* <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
5801
5802Overview:
5803"""""""""
5804
5805The '``fsub``' instruction returns the difference of its two operands.
5806
5807Note that the '``fsub``' instruction is used to represent the '``fneg``'
5808instruction present in most other intermediate representations.
5809
5810Arguments:
5811""""""""""
5812
5813The two arguments to the '``fsub``' instruction must be :ref:`floating
5814point <t_floating>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point values.
5815Both arguments must have identical types.
5816
5817Semantics:
5818""""""""""
5819
5820The value produced is the floating point difference of the two operands.
5821This instruction can also take any number of :ref:`fast-math
5822flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints to enable otherwise
5823unsafe floating point optimizations:
5824
5825Example:
5826""""""""
5827
5828.. code-block:: llvm
5829
5830      <result> = fsub float 4.0, %var           ; yields float:result = 4.0 - %var
5831      <result> = fsub float -0.0, %val          ; yields float:result = -%var
5832
5833'``mul``' Instruction
5834^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5835
5836Syntax:
5837"""""""
5838
5839::
5840
5841      <result> = mul <ty> <op1>, <op2>          ; yields ty:result
5842      <result> = mul nuw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5843      <result> = mul nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>      ; yields ty:result
5844      <result> = mul nuw nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>  ; yields ty:result
5845
5846Overview:
5847"""""""""
5848
5849The '``mul``' instruction returns the product of its two operands.
5850
5851Arguments:
5852""""""""""
5853
5854The two arguments to the '``mul``' instruction must be
5855:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
5856arguments must have identical types.
5857
5858Semantics:
5859""""""""""
5860
5861The value produced is the integer product of the two operands.
5862
5863If the result of the multiplication has unsigned overflow, the result
5864returned is the mathematical result modulo 2\ :sup:`n`\ , where n is the
5865bit width of the result.
5866
5867Because LLVM integers use a two's complement representation, and the
5868result is the same width as the operands, this instruction returns the
5869correct result for both signed and unsigned integers. If a full product
5870(e.g. ``i32`` * ``i32`` -> ``i64``) is needed, the operands should be
5871sign-extended or zero-extended as appropriate to the width of the full
5872product.
5873
5874``nuw`` and ``nsw`` stand for "No Unsigned Wrap" and "No Signed Wrap",
5875respectively. If the ``nuw`` and/or ``nsw`` keywords are present, the
5876result value of the ``mul`` is a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if
5877unsigned and/or signed overflow, respectively, occurs.
5878
5879Example:
5880""""""""
5881
5882.. code-block:: llvm
5883
5884      <result> = mul i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 * %var
5885
5886.. _i_fmul:
5887
5888'``fmul``' Instruction
5889^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5890
5891Syntax:
5892"""""""
5893
5894::
5895
5896      <result> = fmul [fast-math flags]* <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
5897
5898Overview:
5899"""""""""
5900
5901The '``fmul``' instruction returns the product of its two operands.
5902
5903Arguments:
5904""""""""""
5905
5906The two arguments to the '``fmul``' instruction must be :ref:`floating
5907point <t_floating>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point values.
5908Both arguments must have identical types.
5909
5910Semantics:
5911""""""""""
5912
5913The value produced is the floating point product of the two operands.
5914This instruction can also take any number of :ref:`fast-math
5915flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints to enable otherwise
5916unsafe floating point optimizations:
5917
5918Example:
5919""""""""
5920
5921.. code-block:: llvm
5922
5923      <result> = fmul float 4.0, %var          ; yields float:result = 4.0 * %var
5924
5925'``udiv``' Instruction
5926^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5927
5928Syntax:
5929"""""""
5930
5931::
5932
5933      <result> = udiv <ty> <op1>, <op2>         ; yields ty:result
5934      <result> = udiv exact <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
5935
5936Overview:
5937"""""""""
5938
5939The '``udiv``' instruction returns the quotient of its two operands.
5940
5941Arguments:
5942""""""""""
5943
5944The two arguments to the '``udiv``' instruction must be
5945:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
5946arguments must have identical types.
5947
5948Semantics:
5949""""""""""
5950
5951The value produced is the unsigned integer quotient of the two operands.
5952
5953Note that unsigned integer division and signed integer division are
5954distinct operations; for signed integer division, use '``sdiv``'.
5955
5956Division by zero leads to undefined behavior.
5957
5958If the ``exact`` keyword is present, the result value of the ``udiv`` is
5959a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if %op1 is not a multiple of %op2 (as
5960such, "((a udiv exact b) mul b) == a").
5961
5962Example:
5963""""""""
5964
5965.. code-block:: llvm
5966
5967      <result> = udiv i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 / %var
5968
5969'``sdiv``' Instruction
5970^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5971
5972Syntax:
5973"""""""
5974
5975::
5976
5977      <result> = sdiv <ty> <op1>, <op2>         ; yields ty:result
5978      <result> = sdiv exact <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
5979
5980Overview:
5981"""""""""
5982
5983The '``sdiv``' instruction returns the quotient of its two operands.
5984
5985Arguments:
5986""""""""""
5987
5988The two arguments to the '``sdiv``' instruction must be
5989:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
5990arguments must have identical types.
5991
5992Semantics:
5993""""""""""
5994
5995The value produced is the signed integer quotient of the two operands
5996rounded towards zero.
5997
5998Note that signed integer division and unsigned integer division are
5999distinct operations; for unsigned integer division, use '``udiv``'.
6000
6001Division by zero leads to undefined behavior. Overflow also leads to
6002undefined behavior; this is a rare case, but can occur, for example, by
6003doing a 32-bit division of -2147483648 by -1.
6004
6005If the ``exact`` keyword is present, the result value of the ``sdiv`` is
6006a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if the result would be rounded.
6007
6008Example:
6009""""""""
6010
6011.. code-block:: llvm
6012
6013      <result> = sdiv i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 / %var
6014
6015.. _i_fdiv:
6016
6017'``fdiv``' Instruction
6018^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6019
6020Syntax:
6021"""""""
6022
6023::
6024
6025      <result> = fdiv [fast-math flags]* <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6026
6027Overview:
6028"""""""""
6029
6030The '``fdiv``' instruction returns the quotient of its two operands.
6031
6032Arguments:
6033""""""""""
6034
6035The two arguments to the '``fdiv``' instruction must be :ref:`floating
6036point <t_floating>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point values.
6037Both arguments must have identical types.
6038
6039Semantics:
6040""""""""""
6041
6042The value produced is the floating point quotient of the two operands.
6043This instruction can also take any number of :ref:`fast-math
6044flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints to enable otherwise
6045unsafe floating point optimizations:
6046
6047Example:
6048""""""""
6049
6050.. code-block:: llvm
6051
6052      <result> = fdiv float 4.0, %var          ; yields float:result = 4.0 / %var
6053
6054'``urem``' Instruction
6055^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6056
6057Syntax:
6058"""""""
6059
6060::
6061
6062      <result> = urem <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6063
6064Overview:
6065"""""""""
6066
6067The '``urem``' instruction returns the remainder from the unsigned
6068division of its two arguments.
6069
6070Arguments:
6071""""""""""
6072
6073The two arguments to the '``urem``' instruction must be
6074:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
6075arguments must have identical types.
6076
6077Semantics:
6078""""""""""
6079
6080This instruction returns the unsigned integer *remainder* of a division.
6081This instruction always performs an unsigned division to get the
6082remainder.
6083
6084Note that unsigned integer remainder and signed integer remainder are
6085distinct operations; for signed integer remainder, use '``srem``'.
6086
6087Taking the remainder of a division by zero leads to undefined behavior.
6088
6089Example:
6090""""""""
6091
6092.. code-block:: llvm
6093
6094      <result> = urem i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 % %var
6095
6096'``srem``' Instruction
6097^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6098
6099Syntax:
6100"""""""
6101
6102::
6103
6104      <result> = srem <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6105
6106Overview:
6107"""""""""
6108
6109The '``srem``' instruction returns the remainder from the signed
6110division of its two operands. This instruction can also take
6111:ref:`vector <t_vector>` versions of the values in which case the elements
6112must be integers.
6113
6114Arguments:
6115""""""""""
6116
6117The two arguments to the '``srem``' instruction must be
6118:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
6119arguments must have identical types.
6120
6121Semantics:
6122""""""""""
6123
6124This instruction returns the *remainder* of a division (where the result
6125is either zero or has the same sign as the dividend, ``op1``), not the
6126*modulo* operator (where the result is either zero or has the same sign
6127as the divisor, ``op2``) of a value. For more information about the
6128difference, see `The Math
6129Forum <http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/anne.4.28.99.html>`_. For a
6130table of how this is implemented in various languages, please see
6131`Wikipedia: modulo
6132operation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modulo_operation>`_.
6133
6134Note that signed integer remainder and unsigned integer remainder are
6135distinct operations; for unsigned integer remainder, use '``urem``'.
6136
6137Taking the remainder of a division by zero leads to undefined behavior.
6138Overflow also leads to undefined behavior; this is a rare case, but can
6139occur, for example, by taking the remainder of a 32-bit division of
6140-2147483648 by -1. (The remainder doesn't actually overflow, but this
6141rule lets srem be implemented using instructions that return both the
6142result of the division and the remainder.)
6143
6144Example:
6145""""""""
6146
6147.. code-block:: llvm
6148
6149      <result> = srem i32 4, %var          ; yields i32:result = 4 % %var
6150
6151.. _i_frem:
6152
6153'``frem``' Instruction
6154^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6155
6156Syntax:
6157"""""""
6158
6159::
6160
6161      <result> = frem [fast-math flags]* <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6162
6163Overview:
6164"""""""""
6165
6166The '``frem``' instruction returns the remainder from the division of
6167its two operands.
6168
6169Arguments:
6170""""""""""
6171
6172The two arguments to the '``frem``' instruction must be :ref:`floating
6173point <t_floating>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point values.
6174Both arguments must have identical types.
6175
6176Semantics:
6177""""""""""
6178
6179This instruction returns the *remainder* of a division. The remainder
6180has the same sign as the dividend. This instruction can also take any
6181number of :ref:`fast-math flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints
6182to enable otherwise unsafe floating point optimizations:
6183
6184Example:
6185""""""""
6186
6187.. code-block:: llvm
6188
6189      <result> = frem float 4.0, %var          ; yields float:result = 4.0 % %var
6190
6191.. _bitwiseops:
6192
6193Bitwise Binary Operations
6194-------------------------
6195
6196Bitwise binary operators are used to do various forms of bit-twiddling
6197in a program. They are generally very efficient instructions and can
6198commonly be strength reduced from other instructions. They require two
6199operands of the same type, execute an operation on them, and produce a
6200single value. The resulting value is the same type as its operands.
6201
6202'``shl``' Instruction
6203^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6204
6205Syntax:
6206"""""""
6207
6208::
6209
6210      <result> = shl <ty> <op1>, <op2>           ; yields ty:result
6211      <result> = shl nuw <ty> <op1>, <op2>       ; yields ty:result
6212      <result> = shl nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>       ; yields ty:result
6213      <result> = shl nuw nsw <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6214
6215Overview:
6216"""""""""
6217
6218The '``shl``' instruction returns the first operand shifted to the left
6219a specified number of bits.
6220
6221Arguments:
6222""""""""""
6223
6224Both arguments to the '``shl``' instruction must be the same
6225:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer type.
6226'``op2``' is treated as an unsigned value.
6227
6228Semantics:
6229""""""""""
6230
6231The value produced is ``op1`` \* 2\ :sup:`op2` mod 2\ :sup:`n`,
6232where ``n`` is the width of the result. If ``op2`` is (statically or
6233dynamically) equal to or larger than the number of bits in
6234``op1``, the result is undefined. If the arguments are vectors, each
6235vector element of ``op1`` is shifted by the corresponding shift amount
6236in ``op2``.
6237
6238If the ``nuw`` keyword is present, then the shift produces a :ref:`poison
6239value <poisonvalues>` if it shifts out any non-zero bits. If the
6240``nsw`` keyword is present, then the shift produces a :ref:`poison
6241value <poisonvalues>` if it shifts out any bits that disagree with the
6242resultant sign bit. As such, NUW/NSW have the same semantics as they
6243would if the shift were expressed as a mul instruction with the same
6244nsw/nuw bits in (mul %op1, (shl 1, %op2)).
6245
6246Example:
6247""""""""
6248
6249.. code-block:: llvm
6250
6251      <result> = shl i32 4, %var   ; yields i32: 4 << %var
6252      <result> = shl i32 4, 2      ; yields i32: 16
6253      <result> = shl i32 1, 10     ; yields i32: 1024
6254      <result> = shl i32 1, 32     ; undefined
6255      <result> = shl <2 x i32> < i32 1, i32 1>, < i32 1, i32 2>   ; yields: result=<2 x i32> < i32 2, i32 4>
6256
6257'``lshr``' Instruction
6258^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6259
6260Syntax:
6261"""""""
6262
6263::
6264
6265      <result> = lshr <ty> <op1>, <op2>         ; yields ty:result
6266      <result> = lshr exact <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6267
6268Overview:
6269"""""""""
6270
6271The '``lshr``' instruction (logical shift right) returns the first
6272operand shifted to the right a specified number of bits with zero fill.
6273
6274Arguments:
6275""""""""""
6276
6277Both arguments to the '``lshr``' instruction must be the same
6278:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer type.
6279'``op2``' is treated as an unsigned value.
6280
6281Semantics:
6282""""""""""
6283
6284This instruction always performs a logical shift right operation. The
6285most significant bits of the result will be filled with zero bits after
6286the shift. If ``op2`` is (statically or dynamically) equal to or larger
6287than the number of bits in ``op1``, the result is undefined. If the
6288arguments are vectors, each vector element of ``op1`` is shifted by the
6289corresponding shift amount in ``op2``.
6290
6291If the ``exact`` keyword is present, the result value of the ``lshr`` is
6292a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if any of the bits shifted out are
6293non-zero.
6294
6295Example:
6296""""""""
6297
6298.. code-block:: llvm
6299
6300      <result> = lshr i32 4, 1   ; yields i32:result = 2
6301      <result> = lshr i32 4, 2   ; yields i32:result = 1
6302      <result> = lshr i8  4, 3   ; yields i8:result = 0
6303      <result> = lshr i8 -2, 1   ; yields i8:result = 0x7F
6304      <result> = lshr i32 1, 32  ; undefined
6305      <result> = lshr <2 x i32> < i32 -2, i32 4>, < i32 1, i32 2>   ; yields: result=<2 x i32> < i32 0x7FFFFFFF, i32 1>
6306
6307'``ashr``' Instruction
6308^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6309
6310Syntax:
6311"""""""
6312
6313::
6314
6315      <result> = ashr <ty> <op1>, <op2>         ; yields ty:result
6316      <result> = ashr exact <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6317
6318Overview:
6319"""""""""
6320
6321The '``ashr``' instruction (arithmetic shift right) returns the first
6322operand shifted to the right a specified number of bits with sign
6323extension.
6324
6325Arguments:
6326""""""""""
6327
6328Both arguments to the '``ashr``' instruction must be the same
6329:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer type.
6330'``op2``' is treated as an unsigned value.
6331
6332Semantics:
6333""""""""""
6334
6335This instruction always performs an arithmetic shift right operation,
6336The most significant bits of the result will be filled with the sign bit
6337of ``op1``. If ``op2`` is (statically or dynamically) equal to or larger
6338than the number of bits in ``op1``, the result is undefined. If the
6339arguments are vectors, each vector element of ``op1`` is shifted by the
6340corresponding shift amount in ``op2``.
6341
6342If the ``exact`` keyword is present, the result value of the ``ashr`` is
6343a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if any of the bits shifted out are
6344non-zero.
6345
6346Example:
6347""""""""
6348
6349.. code-block:: llvm
6350
6351      <result> = ashr i32 4, 1   ; yields i32:result = 2
6352      <result> = ashr i32 4, 2   ; yields i32:result = 1
6353      <result> = ashr i8  4, 3   ; yields i8:result = 0
6354      <result> = ashr i8 -2, 1   ; yields i8:result = -1
6355      <result> = ashr i32 1, 32  ; undefined
6356      <result> = ashr <2 x i32> < i32 -2, i32 4>, < i32 1, i32 3>   ; yields: result=<2 x i32> < i32 -1, i32 0>
6357
6358'``and``' Instruction
6359^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6360
6361Syntax:
6362"""""""
6363
6364::
6365
6366      <result> = and <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6367
6368Overview:
6369"""""""""
6370
6371The '``and``' instruction returns the bitwise logical and of its two
6372operands.
6373
6374Arguments:
6375""""""""""
6376
6377The two arguments to the '``and``' instruction must be
6378:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
6379arguments must have identical types.
6380
6381Semantics:
6382""""""""""
6383
6384The truth table used for the '``and``' instruction is:
6385
6386+-----+-----+-----+
6387| In0 | In1 | Out |
6388+-----+-----+-----+
6389|   0 |   0 |   0 |
6390+-----+-----+-----+
6391|   0 |   1 |   0 |
6392+-----+-----+-----+
6393|   1 |   0 |   0 |
6394+-----+-----+-----+
6395|   1 |   1 |   1 |
6396+-----+-----+-----+
6397
6398Example:
6399""""""""
6400
6401.. code-block:: llvm
6402
6403      <result> = and i32 4, %var         ; yields i32:result = 4 & %var
6404      <result> = and i32 15, 40          ; yields i32:result = 8
6405      <result> = and i32 4, 8            ; yields i32:result = 0
6406
6407'``or``' Instruction
6408^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6409
6410Syntax:
6411"""""""
6412
6413::
6414
6415      <result> = or <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6416
6417Overview:
6418"""""""""
6419
6420The '``or``' instruction returns the bitwise logical inclusive or of its
6421two operands.
6422
6423Arguments:
6424""""""""""
6425
6426The two arguments to the '``or``' instruction must be
6427:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
6428arguments must have identical types.
6429
6430Semantics:
6431""""""""""
6432
6433The truth table used for the '``or``' instruction is:
6434
6435+-----+-----+-----+
6436| In0 | In1 | Out |
6437+-----+-----+-----+
6438|   0 |   0 |   0 |
6439+-----+-----+-----+
6440|   0 |   1 |   1 |
6441+-----+-----+-----+
6442|   1 |   0 |   1 |
6443+-----+-----+-----+
6444|   1 |   1 |   1 |
6445+-----+-----+-----+
6446
6447Example:
6448""""""""
6449
6450::
6451
6452      <result> = or i32 4, %var         ; yields i32:result = 4 | %var
6453      <result> = or i32 15, 40          ; yields i32:result = 47
6454      <result> = or i32 4, 8            ; yields i32:result = 12
6455
6456'``xor``' Instruction
6457^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6458
6459Syntax:
6460"""""""
6461
6462::
6463
6464      <result> = xor <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields ty:result
6465
6466Overview:
6467"""""""""
6468
6469The '``xor``' instruction returns the bitwise logical exclusive or of
6470its two operands. The ``xor`` is used to implement the "one's
6471complement" operation, which is the "~" operator in C.
6472
6473Arguments:
6474""""""""""
6475
6476The two arguments to the '``xor``' instruction must be
6477:ref:`integer <t_integer>` or :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of integer values. Both
6478arguments must have identical types.
6479
6480Semantics:
6481""""""""""
6482
6483The truth table used for the '``xor``' instruction is:
6484
6485+-----+-----+-----+
6486| In0 | In1 | Out |
6487+-----+-----+-----+
6488|   0 |   0 |   0 |
6489+-----+-----+-----+
6490|   0 |   1 |   1 |
6491+-----+-----+-----+
6492|   1 |   0 |   1 |
6493+-----+-----+-----+
6494|   1 |   1 |   0 |
6495+-----+-----+-----+
6496
6497Example:
6498""""""""
6499
6500.. code-block:: llvm
6501
6502      <result> = xor i32 4, %var         ; yields i32:result = 4 ^ %var
6503      <result> = xor i32 15, 40          ; yields i32:result = 39
6504      <result> = xor i32 4, 8            ; yields i32:result = 12
6505      <result> = xor i32 %V, -1          ; yields i32:result = ~%V
6506
6507Vector Operations
6508-----------------
6509
6510LLVM supports several instructions to represent vector operations in a
6511target-independent manner. These instructions cover the element-access
6512and vector-specific operations needed to process vectors effectively.
6513While LLVM does directly support these vector operations, many
6514sophisticated algorithms will want to use target-specific intrinsics to
6515take full advantage of a specific target.
6516
6517.. _i_extractelement:
6518
6519'``extractelement``' Instruction
6520^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6521
6522Syntax:
6523"""""""
6524
6525::
6526
6527      <result> = extractelement <n x <ty>> <val>, <ty2> <idx>  ; yields <ty>
6528
6529Overview:
6530"""""""""
6531
6532The '``extractelement``' instruction extracts a single scalar element
6533from a vector at a specified index.
6534
6535Arguments:
6536""""""""""
6537
6538The first operand of an '``extractelement``' instruction is a value of
6539:ref:`vector <t_vector>` type. The second operand is an index indicating
6540the position from which to extract the element. The index may be a
6541variable of any integer type.
6542
6543Semantics:
6544""""""""""
6545
6546The result is a scalar of the same type as the element type of ``val``.
6547Its value is the value at position ``idx`` of ``val``. If ``idx``
6548exceeds the length of ``val``, the results are undefined.
6549
6550Example:
6551""""""""
6552
6553.. code-block:: llvm
6554
6555      <result> = extractelement <4 x i32> %vec, i32 0    ; yields i32
6556
6557.. _i_insertelement:
6558
6559'``insertelement``' Instruction
6560^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6561
6562Syntax:
6563"""""""
6564
6565::
6566
6567      <result> = insertelement <n x <ty>> <val>, <ty> <elt>, <ty2> <idx>    ; yields <n x <ty>>
6568
6569Overview:
6570"""""""""
6571
6572The '``insertelement``' instruction inserts a scalar element into a
6573vector at a specified index.
6574
6575Arguments:
6576""""""""""
6577
6578The first operand of an '``insertelement``' instruction is a value of
6579:ref:`vector <t_vector>` type. The second operand is a scalar value whose
6580type must equal the element type of the first operand. The third operand
6581is an index indicating the position at which to insert the value. The
6582index may be a variable of any integer type.
6583
6584Semantics:
6585""""""""""
6586
6587The result is a vector of the same type as ``val``. Its element values
6588are those of ``val`` except at position ``idx``, where it gets the value
6589``elt``. If ``idx`` exceeds the length of ``val``, the results are
6590undefined.
6591
6592Example:
6593""""""""
6594
6595.. code-block:: llvm
6596
6597      <result> = insertelement <4 x i32> %vec, i32 1, i32 0    ; yields <4 x i32>
6598
6599.. _i_shufflevector:
6600
6601'``shufflevector``' Instruction
6602^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6603
6604Syntax:
6605"""""""
6606
6607::
6608
6609      <result> = shufflevector <n x <ty>> <v1>, <n x <ty>> <v2>, <m x i32> <mask>    ; yields <m x <ty>>
6610
6611Overview:
6612"""""""""
6613
6614The '``shufflevector``' instruction constructs a permutation of elements
6615from two input vectors, returning a vector with the same element type as
6616the input and length that is the same as the shuffle mask.
6617
6618Arguments:
6619""""""""""
6620
6621The first two operands of a '``shufflevector``' instruction are vectors
6622with the same type. The third argument is a shuffle mask whose element
6623type is always 'i32'. The result of the instruction is a vector whose
6624length is the same as the shuffle mask and whose element type is the
6625same as the element type of the first two operands.
6626
6627The shuffle mask operand is required to be a constant vector with either
6628constant integer or undef values.
6629
6630Semantics:
6631""""""""""
6632
6633The elements of the two input vectors are numbered from left to right
6634across both of the vectors. The shuffle mask operand specifies, for each
6635element of the result vector, which element of the two input vectors the
6636result element gets. The element selector may be undef (meaning "don't
6637care") and the second operand may be undef if performing a shuffle from
6638only one vector.
6639
6640Example:
6641""""""""
6642
6643.. code-block:: llvm
6644
6645      <result> = shufflevector <4 x i32> %v1, <4 x i32> %v2,
6646                              <4 x i32> <i32 0, i32 4, i32 1, i32 5>  ; yields <4 x i32>
6647      <result> = shufflevector <4 x i32> %v1, <4 x i32> undef,
6648                              <4 x i32> <i32 0, i32 1, i32 2, i32 3>  ; yields <4 x i32> - Identity shuffle.
6649      <result> = shufflevector <8 x i32> %v1, <8 x i32> undef,
6650                              <4 x i32> <i32 0, i32 1, i32 2, i32 3>  ; yields <4 x i32>
6651      <result> = shufflevector <4 x i32> %v1, <4 x i32> %v2,
6652                              <8 x i32> <i32 0, i32 1, i32 2, i32 3, i32 4, i32 5, i32 6, i32 7 >  ; yields <8 x i32>
6653
6654Aggregate Operations
6655--------------------
6656
6657LLVM supports several instructions for working with
6658:ref:`aggregate <t_aggregate>` values.
6659
6660.. _i_extractvalue:
6661
6662'``extractvalue``' Instruction
6663^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6664
6665Syntax:
6666"""""""
6667
6668::
6669
6670      <result> = extractvalue <aggregate type> <val>, <idx>{, <idx>}*
6671
6672Overview:
6673"""""""""
6674
6675The '``extractvalue``' instruction extracts the value of a member field
6676from an :ref:`aggregate <t_aggregate>` value.
6677
6678Arguments:
6679""""""""""
6680
6681The first operand of an '``extractvalue``' instruction is a value of
6682:ref:`struct <t_struct>` or :ref:`array <t_array>` type. The other operands are
6683constant indices to specify which value to extract in a similar manner
6684as indices in a '``getelementptr``' instruction.
6685
6686The major differences to ``getelementptr`` indexing are:
6687
6688-  Since the value being indexed is not a pointer, the first index is
6689   omitted and assumed to be zero.
6690-  At least one index must be specified.
6691-  Not only struct indices but also array indices must be in bounds.
6692
6693Semantics:
6694""""""""""
6695
6696The result is the value at the position in the aggregate specified by
6697the index operands.
6698
6699Example:
6700""""""""
6701
6702.. code-block:: llvm
6703
6704      <result> = extractvalue {i32, float} %agg, 0    ; yields i32
6705
6706.. _i_insertvalue:
6707
6708'``insertvalue``' Instruction
6709^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6710
6711Syntax:
6712"""""""
6713
6714::
6715
6716      <result> = insertvalue <aggregate type> <val>, <ty> <elt>, <idx>{, <idx>}*    ; yields <aggregate type>
6717
6718Overview:
6719"""""""""
6720
6721The '``insertvalue``' instruction inserts a value into a member field in
6722an :ref:`aggregate <t_aggregate>` value.
6723
6724Arguments:
6725""""""""""
6726
6727The first operand of an '``insertvalue``' instruction is a value of
6728:ref:`struct <t_struct>` or :ref:`array <t_array>` type. The second operand is
6729a first-class value to insert. The following operands are constant
6730indices indicating the position at which to insert the value in a
6731similar manner as indices in a '``extractvalue``' instruction. The value
6732to insert must have the same type as the value identified by the
6733indices.
6734
6735Semantics:
6736""""""""""
6737
6738The result is an aggregate of the same type as ``val``. Its value is
6739that of ``val`` except that the value at the position specified by the
6740indices is that of ``elt``.
6741
6742Example:
6743""""""""
6744
6745.. code-block:: llvm
6746
6747      %agg1 = insertvalue {i32, float} undef, i32 1, 0              ; yields {i32 1, float undef}
6748      %agg2 = insertvalue {i32, float} %agg1, float %val, 1         ; yields {i32 1, float %val}
6749      %agg3 = insertvalue {i32, {float}} undef, float %val, 1, 0    ; yields {i32 undef, {float %val}}
6750
6751.. _memoryops:
6752
6753Memory Access and Addressing Operations
6754---------------------------------------
6755
6756A key design point of an SSA-based representation is how it represents
6757memory. In LLVM, no memory locations are in SSA form, which makes things
6758very simple. This section describes how to read, write, and allocate
6759memory in LLVM.
6760
6761.. _i_alloca:
6762
6763'``alloca``' Instruction
6764^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6765
6766Syntax:
6767"""""""
6768
6769::
6770
6771      <result> = alloca [inalloca] <type> [, <ty> <NumElements>] [, align <alignment>]     ; yields type*:result
6772
6773Overview:
6774"""""""""
6775
6776The '``alloca``' instruction allocates memory on the stack frame of the
6777currently executing function, to be automatically released when this
6778function returns to its caller. The object is always allocated in the
6779generic address space (address space zero).
6780
6781Arguments:
6782""""""""""
6783
6784The '``alloca``' instruction allocates ``sizeof(<type>)*NumElements``
6785bytes of memory on the runtime stack, returning a pointer of the
6786appropriate type to the program. If "NumElements" is specified, it is
6787the number of elements allocated, otherwise "NumElements" is defaulted
6788to be one. If a constant alignment is specified, the value result of the
6789allocation is guaranteed to be aligned to at least that boundary. The
6790alignment may not be greater than ``1 << 29``. If not specified, or if
6791zero, the target can choose to align the allocation on any convenient
6792boundary compatible with the type.
6793
6794'``type``' may be any sized type.
6795
6796Semantics:
6797""""""""""
6798
6799Memory is allocated; a pointer is returned. The operation is undefined
6800if there is insufficient stack space for the allocation. '``alloca``'d
6801memory is automatically released when the function returns. The
6802'``alloca``' instruction is commonly used to represent automatic
6803variables that must have an address available. When the function returns
6804(either with the ``ret`` or ``resume`` instructions), the memory is
6805reclaimed. Allocating zero bytes is legal, but the result is undefined.
6806The order in which memory is allocated (ie., which way the stack grows)
6807is not specified.
6808
6809Example:
6810""""""""
6811
6812.. code-block:: llvm
6813
6814      %ptr = alloca i32                             ; yields i32*:ptr
6815      %ptr = alloca i32, i32 4                      ; yields i32*:ptr
6816      %ptr = alloca i32, i32 4, align 1024          ; yields i32*:ptr
6817      %ptr = alloca i32, align 1024                 ; yields i32*:ptr
6818
6819.. _i_load:
6820
6821'``load``' Instruction
6822^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6823
6824Syntax:
6825"""""""
6826
6827::
6828
6829      <result> = load [volatile] <ty>, <ty>* <pointer>[, align <alignment>][, !nontemporal !<index>][, !invariant.load !<index>][, !invariant.group !<index>][, !nonnull !<index>][, !dereferenceable !<deref_bytes_node>][, !dereferenceable_or_null !<deref_bytes_node>][, !align !<align_node>]
6830      <result> = load atomic [volatile] <ty>* <pointer> [singlethread] <ordering>, align <alignment> [, !invariant.group !<index>]
6831      !<index> = !{ i32 1 }
6832      !<deref_bytes_node> = !{i64 <dereferenceable_bytes>}
6833      !<align_node> = !{ i64 <value_alignment> }
6834
6835Overview:
6836"""""""""
6837
6838The '``load``' instruction is used to read from memory.
6839
6840Arguments:
6841""""""""""
6842
6843The argument to the ``load`` instruction specifies the memory address
6844from which to load. The type specified must be a :ref:`first
6845class <t_firstclass>` type. If the ``load`` is marked as ``volatile``,
6846then the optimizer is not allowed to modify the number or order of
6847execution of this ``load`` with other :ref:`volatile
6848operations <volatile>`.
6849
6850If the ``load`` is marked as ``atomic``, it takes an extra :ref:`ordering
6851<ordering>` and optional ``singlethread`` argument. The ``release`` and
6852``acq_rel`` orderings are not valid on ``load`` instructions. Atomic loads
6853produce :ref:`defined <memmodel>` results when they may see multiple atomic
6854stores. The type of the pointee must be an integer, pointer, or floating-point
6855type whose bit width is a power of two greater than or equal to eight and less
6856than or equal to a target-specific size limit.  ``align`` must be explicitly
6857specified on atomic loads, and the load has undefined behavior if the alignment
6858is not set to a value which is at least the size in bytes of the
6859pointee. ``!nontemporal`` does not have any defined semantics for atomic loads.
6860
6861The optional constant ``align`` argument specifies the alignment of the
6862operation (that is, the alignment of the memory address). A value of 0
6863or an omitted ``align`` argument means that the operation has the ABI
6864alignment for the target. It is the responsibility of the code emitter
6865to ensure that the alignment information is correct. Overestimating the
6866alignment results in undefined behavior. Underestimating the alignment
6867may produce less efficient code. An alignment of 1 is always safe. The
6868maximum possible alignment is ``1 << 29``.
6869
6870The optional ``!nontemporal`` metadata must reference a single
6871metadata name ``<index>`` corresponding to a metadata node with one
6872``i32`` entry of value 1. The existence of the ``!nontemporal``
6873metadata on the instruction tells the optimizer and code generator
6874that this load is not expected to be reused in the cache. The code
6875generator may select special instructions to save cache bandwidth, such
6876as the ``MOVNT`` instruction on x86.
6877
6878The optional ``!invariant.load`` metadata must reference a single
6879metadata name ``<index>`` corresponding to a metadata node with no
6880entries. The existence of the ``!invariant.load`` metadata on the
6881instruction tells the optimizer and code generator that the address
6882operand to this load points to memory which can be assumed unchanged.
6883Being invariant does not imply that a location is dereferenceable,
6884but it does imply that once the location is known dereferenceable
6885its value is henceforth unchanging.
6886
6887The optional ``!invariant.group`` metadata must reference a single metadata name
6888 ``<index>`` corresponding to a metadata node. See ``invariant.group`` metadata.
6889
6890The optional ``!nonnull`` metadata must reference a single
6891metadata name ``<index>`` corresponding to a metadata node with no
6892entries. The existence of the ``!nonnull`` metadata on the
6893instruction tells the optimizer that the value loaded is known to
6894never be null. This is analogous to the ``nonnull`` attribute
6895on parameters and return values. This metadata can only be applied
6896to loads of a pointer type.
6897
6898The optional ``!dereferenceable`` metadata must reference a single metadata
6899name ``<deref_bytes_node>`` corresponding to a metadata node with one ``i64``
6900entry. The existence of the ``!dereferenceable`` metadata on the instruction
6901tells the optimizer that the value loaded is known to be dereferenceable.
6902The number of bytes known to be dereferenceable is specified by the integer
6903value in the metadata node. This is analogous to the ''dereferenceable''
6904attribute on parameters and return values. This metadata can only be applied
6905to loads of a pointer type.
6906
6907The optional ``!dereferenceable_or_null`` metadata must reference a single
6908metadata name ``<deref_bytes_node>`` corresponding to a metadata node with one
6909``i64`` entry. The existence of the ``!dereferenceable_or_null`` metadata on the
6910instruction tells the optimizer that the value loaded is known to be either
6911dereferenceable or null.
6912The number of bytes known to be dereferenceable is specified by the integer
6913value in the metadata node. This is analogous to the ''dereferenceable_or_null''
6914attribute on parameters and return values. This metadata can only be applied
6915to loads of a pointer type.
6916
6917The optional ``!align`` metadata must reference a single metadata name
6918``<align_node>`` corresponding to a metadata node with one ``i64`` entry.
6919The existence of the ``!align`` metadata on the instruction tells the
6920optimizer that the value loaded is known to be aligned to a boundary specified
6921by the integer value in the metadata node. The alignment must be a power of 2.
6922This is analogous to the ''align'' attribute on parameters and return values.
6923This metadata can only be applied to loads of a pointer type.
6924
6925Semantics:
6926""""""""""
6927
6928The location of memory pointed to is loaded. If the value being loaded
6929is of scalar type then the number of bytes read does not exceed the
6930minimum number of bytes needed to hold all bits of the type. For
6931example, loading an ``i24`` reads at most three bytes. When loading a
6932value of a type like ``i20`` with a size that is not an integral number
6933of bytes, the result is undefined if the value was not originally
6934written using a store of the same type.
6935
6936Examples:
6937"""""""""
6938
6939.. code-block:: llvm
6940
6941      %ptr = alloca i32                               ; yields i32*:ptr
6942      store i32 3, i32* %ptr                          ; yields void
6943      %val = load i32, i32* %ptr                      ; yields i32:val = i32 3
6944
6945.. _i_store:
6946
6947'``store``' Instruction
6948^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6949
6950Syntax:
6951"""""""
6952
6953::
6954
6955      store [volatile] <ty> <value>, <ty>* <pointer>[, align <alignment>][, !nontemporal !<index>][, !invariant.group !<index>]        ; yields void
6956      store atomic [volatile] <ty> <value>, <ty>* <pointer> [singlethread] <ordering>, align <alignment> [, !invariant.group !<index>] ; yields void
6957
6958Overview:
6959"""""""""
6960
6961The '``store``' instruction is used to write to memory.
6962
6963Arguments:
6964""""""""""
6965
6966There are two arguments to the ``store`` instruction: a value to store
6967and an address at which to store it. The type of the ``<pointer>``
6968operand must be a pointer to the :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type of
6969the ``<value>`` operand. If the ``store`` is marked as ``volatile``,
6970then the optimizer is not allowed to modify the number or order of
6971execution of this ``store`` with other :ref:`volatile
6972operations <volatile>`.
6973
6974If the ``store`` is marked as ``atomic``, it takes an extra :ref:`ordering
6975<ordering>` and optional ``singlethread`` argument. The ``acquire`` and
6976``acq_rel`` orderings aren't valid on ``store`` instructions. Atomic loads
6977produce :ref:`defined <memmodel>` results when they may see multiple atomic
6978stores. The type of the pointee must be an integer, pointer, or floating-point
6979type whose bit width is a power of two greater than or equal to eight and less
6980than or equal to a target-specific size limit.  ``align`` must be explicitly
6981specified on atomic stores, and the store has undefined behavior if the
6982alignment is not set to a value which is at least the size in bytes of the
6983pointee. ``!nontemporal`` does not have any defined semantics for atomic stores.
6984
6985The optional constant ``align`` argument specifies the alignment of the
6986operation (that is, the alignment of the memory address). A value of 0
6987or an omitted ``align`` argument means that the operation has the ABI
6988alignment for the target. It is the responsibility of the code emitter
6989to ensure that the alignment information is correct. Overestimating the
6990alignment results in undefined behavior. Underestimating the
6991alignment may produce less efficient code. An alignment of 1 is always
6992safe. The maximum possible alignment is ``1 << 29``.
6993
6994The optional ``!nontemporal`` metadata must reference a single metadata
6995name ``<index>`` corresponding to a metadata node with one ``i32`` entry of
6996value 1. The existence of the ``!nontemporal`` metadata on the instruction
6997tells the optimizer and code generator that this load is not expected to
6998be reused in the cache. The code generator may select special
6999instructions to save cache bandwidth, such as the MOVNT instruction on
7000x86.
7001
7002The optional ``!invariant.group`` metadata must reference a
7003single metadata name ``<index>``. See ``invariant.group`` metadata.
7004
7005Semantics:
7006""""""""""
7007
7008The contents of memory are updated to contain ``<value>`` at the
7009location specified by the ``<pointer>`` operand. If ``<value>`` is
7010of scalar type then the number of bytes written does not exceed the
7011minimum number of bytes needed to hold all bits of the type. For
7012example, storing an ``i24`` writes at most three bytes. When writing a
7013value of a type like ``i20`` with a size that is not an integral number
7014of bytes, it is unspecified what happens to the extra bits that do not
7015belong to the type, but they will typically be overwritten.
7016
7017Example:
7018""""""""
7019
7020.. code-block:: llvm
7021
7022      %ptr = alloca i32                               ; yields i32*:ptr
7023      store i32 3, i32* %ptr                          ; yields void
7024      %val = load i32, i32* %ptr                      ; yields i32:val = i32 3
7025
7026.. _i_fence:
7027
7028'``fence``' Instruction
7029^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7030
7031Syntax:
7032"""""""
7033
7034::
7035
7036      fence [singlethread] <ordering>                   ; yields void
7037
7038Overview:
7039"""""""""
7040
7041The '``fence``' instruction is used to introduce happens-before edges
7042between operations.
7043
7044Arguments:
7045""""""""""
7046
7047'``fence``' instructions take an :ref:`ordering <ordering>` argument which
7048defines what *synchronizes-with* edges they add. They can only be given
7049``acquire``, ``release``, ``acq_rel``, and ``seq_cst`` orderings.
7050
7051Semantics:
7052""""""""""
7053
7054A fence A which has (at least) ``release`` ordering semantics
7055*synchronizes with* a fence B with (at least) ``acquire`` ordering
7056semantics if and only if there exist atomic operations X and Y, both
7057operating on some atomic object M, such that A is sequenced before X, X
7058modifies M (either directly or through some side effect of a sequence
7059headed by X), Y is sequenced before B, and Y observes M. This provides a
7060*happens-before* dependency between A and B. Rather than an explicit
7061``fence``, one (but not both) of the atomic operations X or Y might
7062provide a ``release`` or ``acquire`` (resp.) ordering constraint and
7063still *synchronize-with* the explicit ``fence`` and establish the
7064*happens-before* edge.
7065
7066A ``fence`` which has ``seq_cst`` ordering, in addition to having both
7067``acquire`` and ``release`` semantics specified above, participates in
7068the global program order of other ``seq_cst`` operations and/or fences.
7069
7070The optional ":ref:`singlethread <singlethread>`" argument specifies
7071that the fence only synchronizes with other fences in the same thread.
7072(This is useful for interacting with signal handlers.)
7073
7074Example:
7075""""""""
7076
7077.. code-block:: llvm
7078
7079      fence acquire                          ; yields void
7080      fence singlethread seq_cst             ; yields void
7081
7082.. _i_cmpxchg:
7083
7084'``cmpxchg``' Instruction
7085^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7086
7087Syntax:
7088"""""""
7089
7090::
7091
7092      cmpxchg [weak] [volatile] <ty>* <pointer>, <ty> <cmp>, <ty> <new> [singlethread] <success ordering> <failure ordering> ; yields  { ty, i1 }
7093
7094Overview:
7095"""""""""
7096
7097The '``cmpxchg``' instruction is used to atomically modify memory. It
7098loads a value in memory and compares it to a given value. If they are
7099equal, it tries to store a new value into the memory.
7100
7101Arguments:
7102""""""""""
7103
7104There are three arguments to the '``cmpxchg``' instruction: an address
7105to operate on, a value to compare to the value currently be at that
7106address, and a new value to place at that address if the compared values
7107are equal. The type of '<cmp>' must be an integer type whose bit width
7108is a power of two greater than or equal to eight and less than or equal
7109to a target-specific size limit. '<cmp>' and '<new>' must have the same
7110type, and the type of '<pointer>' must be a pointer to that type. If the
7111``cmpxchg`` is marked as ``volatile``, then the optimizer is not allowed
7112to modify the number or order of execution of this ``cmpxchg`` with
7113other :ref:`volatile operations <volatile>`.
7114
7115The success and failure :ref:`ordering <ordering>` arguments specify how this
7116``cmpxchg`` synchronizes with other atomic operations. Both ordering parameters
7117must be at least ``monotonic``, the ordering constraint on failure must be no
7118stronger than that on success, and the failure ordering cannot be either
7119``release`` or ``acq_rel``.
7120
7121The optional "``singlethread``" argument declares that the ``cmpxchg``
7122is only atomic with respect to code (usually signal handlers) running in
7123the same thread as the ``cmpxchg``. Otherwise the cmpxchg is atomic with
7124respect to all other code in the system.
7125
7126The pointer passed into cmpxchg must have alignment greater than or
7127equal to the size in memory of the operand.
7128
7129Semantics:
7130""""""""""
7131
7132The contents of memory at the location specified by the '``<pointer>``' operand
7133is read and compared to '``<cmp>``'; if the read value is the equal, the
7134'``<new>``' is written. The original value at the location is returned, together
7135with a flag indicating success (true) or failure (false).
7136
7137If the cmpxchg operation is marked as ``weak`` then a spurious failure is
7138permitted: the operation may not write ``<new>`` even if the comparison
7139matched.
7140
7141If the cmpxchg operation is strong (the default), the i1 value is 1 if and only
7142if the value loaded equals ``cmp``.
7143
7144A successful ``cmpxchg`` is a read-modify-write instruction for the purpose of
7145identifying release sequences. A failed ``cmpxchg`` is equivalent to an atomic
7146load with an ordering parameter determined the second ordering parameter.
7147
7148Example:
7149""""""""
7150
7151.. code-block:: llvm
7152
7153    entry:
7154      %orig = atomic load i32, i32* %ptr unordered                ; yields i32
7155      br label %loop
7156
7157    loop:
7158      %cmp = phi i32 [ %orig, %entry ], [%old, %loop]
7159      %squared = mul i32 %cmp, %cmp
7160      %val_success = cmpxchg i32* %ptr, i32 %cmp, i32 %squared acq_rel monotonic ; yields  { i32, i1 }
7161      %value_loaded = extractvalue { i32, i1 } %val_success, 0
7162      %success = extractvalue { i32, i1 } %val_success, 1
7163      br i1 %success, label %done, label %loop
7164
7165    done:
7166      ...
7167
7168.. _i_atomicrmw:
7169
7170'``atomicrmw``' Instruction
7171^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7172
7173Syntax:
7174"""""""
7175
7176::
7177
7178      atomicrmw [volatile] <operation> <ty>* <pointer>, <ty> <value> [singlethread] <ordering>                   ; yields ty
7179
7180Overview:
7181"""""""""
7182
7183The '``atomicrmw``' instruction is used to atomically modify memory.
7184
7185Arguments:
7186""""""""""
7187
7188There are three arguments to the '``atomicrmw``' instruction: an
7189operation to apply, an address whose value to modify, an argument to the
7190operation. The operation must be one of the following keywords:
7191
7192-  xchg
7193-  add
7194-  sub
7195-  and
7196-  nand
7197-  or
7198-  xor
7199-  max
7200-  min
7201-  umax
7202-  umin
7203
7204The type of '<value>' must be an integer type whose bit width is a power
7205of two greater than or equal to eight and less than or equal to a
7206target-specific size limit. The type of the '``<pointer>``' operand must
7207be a pointer to that type. If the ``atomicrmw`` is marked as
7208``volatile``, then the optimizer is not allowed to modify the number or
7209order of execution of this ``atomicrmw`` with other :ref:`volatile
7210operations <volatile>`.
7211
7212Semantics:
7213""""""""""
7214
7215The contents of memory at the location specified by the '``<pointer>``'
7216operand are atomically read, modified, and written back. The original
7217value at the location is returned. The modification is specified by the
7218operation argument:
7219
7220-  xchg: ``*ptr = val``
7221-  add: ``*ptr = *ptr + val``
7222-  sub: ``*ptr = *ptr - val``
7223-  and: ``*ptr = *ptr & val``
7224-  nand: ``*ptr = ~(*ptr & val)``
7225-  or: ``*ptr = *ptr | val``
7226-  xor: ``*ptr = *ptr ^ val``
7227-  max: ``*ptr = *ptr > val ? *ptr : val`` (using a signed comparison)
7228-  min: ``*ptr = *ptr < val ? *ptr : val`` (using a signed comparison)
7229-  umax: ``*ptr = *ptr > val ? *ptr : val`` (using an unsigned
7230   comparison)
7231-  umin: ``*ptr = *ptr < val ? *ptr : val`` (using an unsigned
7232   comparison)
7233
7234Example:
7235""""""""
7236
7237.. code-block:: llvm
7238
7239      %old = atomicrmw add i32* %ptr, i32 1 acquire                        ; yields i32
7240
7241.. _i_getelementptr:
7242
7243'``getelementptr``' Instruction
7244^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7245
7246Syntax:
7247"""""""
7248
7249::
7250
7251      <result> = getelementptr <ty>, <ty>* <ptrval>{, <ty> <idx>}*
7252      <result> = getelementptr inbounds <ty>, <ty>* <ptrval>{, <ty> <idx>}*
7253      <result> = getelementptr <ty>, <ptr vector> <ptrval>, <vector index type> <idx>
7254
7255Overview:
7256"""""""""
7257
7258The '``getelementptr``' instruction is used to get the address of a
7259subelement of an :ref:`aggregate <t_aggregate>` data structure. It performs
7260address calculation only and does not access memory. The instruction can also
7261be used to calculate a vector of such addresses.
7262
7263Arguments:
7264""""""""""
7265
7266The first argument is always a type used as the basis for the calculations.
7267The second argument is always a pointer or a vector of pointers, and is the
7268base address to start from. The remaining arguments are indices
7269that indicate which of the elements of the aggregate object are indexed.
7270The interpretation of each index is dependent on the type being indexed
7271into. The first index always indexes the pointer value given as the
7272first argument, the second index indexes a value of the type pointed to
7273(not necessarily the value directly pointed to, since the first index
7274can be non-zero), etc. The first type indexed into must be a pointer
7275value, subsequent types can be arrays, vectors, and structs. Note that
7276subsequent types being indexed into can never be pointers, since that
7277would require loading the pointer before continuing calculation.
7278
7279The type of each index argument depends on the type it is indexing into.
7280When indexing into a (optionally packed) structure, only ``i32`` integer
7281**constants** are allowed (when using a vector of indices they must all
7282be the **same** ``i32`` integer constant). When indexing into an array,
7283pointer or vector, integers of any width are allowed, and they are not
7284required to be constant. These integers are treated as signed values
7285where relevant.
7286
7287For example, let's consider a C code fragment and how it gets compiled
7288to LLVM:
7289
7290.. code-block:: c
7291
7292    struct RT {
7293      char A;
7294      int B[10][20];
7295      char C;
7296    };
7297    struct ST {
7298      int X;
7299      double Y;
7300      struct RT Z;
7301    };
7302
7303    int *foo(struct ST *s) {
7304      return &s[1].Z.B[5][13];
7305    }
7306
7307The LLVM code generated by Clang is:
7308
7309.. code-block:: llvm
7310
7311    %struct.RT = type { i8, [10 x [20 x i32]], i8 }
7312    %struct.ST = type { i32, double, %struct.RT }
7313
7314    define i32* @foo(%struct.ST* %s) nounwind uwtable readnone optsize ssp {
7315    entry:
7316      %arrayidx = getelementptr inbounds %struct.ST, %struct.ST* %s, i64 1, i32 2, i32 1, i64 5, i64 13
7317      ret i32* %arrayidx
7318    }
7319
7320Semantics:
7321""""""""""
7322
7323In the example above, the first index is indexing into the
7324'``%struct.ST*``' type, which is a pointer, yielding a '``%struct.ST``'
7325= '``{ i32, double, %struct.RT }``' type, a structure. The second index
7326indexes into the third element of the structure, yielding a
7327'``%struct.RT``' = '``{ i8 , [10 x [20 x i32]], i8 }``' type, another
7328structure. The third index indexes into the second element of the
7329structure, yielding a '``[10 x [20 x i32]]``' type, an array. The two
7330dimensions of the array are subscripted into, yielding an '``i32``'
7331type. The '``getelementptr``' instruction returns a pointer to this
7332element, thus computing a value of '``i32*``' type.
7333
7334Note that it is perfectly legal to index partially through a structure,
7335returning a pointer to an inner element. Because of this, the LLVM code
7336for the given testcase is equivalent to:
7337
7338.. code-block:: llvm
7339
7340    define i32* @foo(%struct.ST* %s) {
7341      %t1 = getelementptr %struct.ST, %struct.ST* %s, i32 1                        ; yields %struct.ST*:%t1
7342      %t2 = getelementptr %struct.ST, %struct.ST* %t1, i32 0, i32 2                ; yields %struct.RT*:%t2
7343      %t3 = getelementptr %struct.RT, %struct.RT* %t2, i32 0, i32 1                ; yields [10 x [20 x i32]]*:%t3
7344      %t4 = getelementptr [10 x [20 x i32]], [10 x [20 x i32]]* %t3, i32 0, i32 5  ; yields [20 x i32]*:%t4
7345      %t5 = getelementptr [20 x i32], [20 x i32]* %t4, i32 0, i32 13               ; yields i32*:%t5
7346      ret i32* %t5
7347    }
7348
7349If the ``inbounds`` keyword is present, the result value of the
7350``getelementptr`` is a :ref:`poison value <poisonvalues>` if the base
7351pointer is not an *in bounds* address of an allocated object, or if any
7352of the addresses that would be formed by successive addition of the
7353offsets implied by the indices to the base address with infinitely
7354precise signed arithmetic are not an *in bounds* address of that
7355allocated object. The *in bounds* addresses for an allocated object are
7356all the addresses that point into the object, plus the address one byte
7357past the end. In cases where the base is a vector of pointers the
7358``inbounds`` keyword applies to each of the computations element-wise.
7359
7360If the ``inbounds`` keyword is not present, the offsets are added to the
7361base address with silently-wrapping two's complement arithmetic. If the
7362offsets have a different width from the pointer, they are sign-extended
7363or truncated to the width of the pointer. The result value of the
7364``getelementptr`` may be outside the object pointed to by the base
7365pointer. The result value may not necessarily be used to access memory
7366though, even if it happens to point into allocated storage. See the
7367:ref:`Pointer Aliasing Rules <pointeraliasing>` section for more
7368information.
7369
7370The getelementptr instruction is often confusing. For some more insight
7371into how it works, see :doc:`the getelementptr FAQ <GetElementPtr>`.
7372
7373Example:
7374""""""""
7375
7376.. code-block:: llvm
7377
7378        ; yields [12 x i8]*:aptr
7379        %aptr = getelementptr {i32, [12 x i8]}, {i32, [12 x i8]}* %saptr, i64 0, i32 1
7380        ; yields i8*:vptr
7381        %vptr = getelementptr {i32, <2 x i8>}, {i32, <2 x i8>}* %svptr, i64 0, i32 1, i32 1
7382        ; yields i8*:eptr
7383        %eptr = getelementptr [12 x i8], [12 x i8]* %aptr, i64 0, i32 1
7384        ; yields i32*:iptr
7385        %iptr = getelementptr [10 x i32], [10 x i32]* @arr, i16 0, i16 0
7386
7387Vector of pointers:
7388"""""""""""""""""""
7389
7390The ``getelementptr`` returns a vector of pointers, instead of a single address,
7391when one or more of its arguments is a vector. In such cases, all vector
7392arguments should have the same number of elements, and every scalar argument
7393will be effectively broadcast into a vector during address calculation.
7394
7395.. code-block:: llvm
7396
7397     ; All arguments are vectors:
7398     ;   A[i] = ptrs[i] + offsets[i]*sizeof(i8)
7399     %A = getelementptr i8, <4 x i8*> %ptrs, <4 x i64> %offsets
7400
7401     ; Add the same scalar offset to each pointer of a vector:
7402     ;   A[i] = ptrs[i] + offset*sizeof(i8)
7403     %A = getelementptr i8, <4 x i8*> %ptrs, i64 %offset
7404
7405     ; Add distinct offsets to the same pointer:
7406     ;   A[i] = ptr + offsets[i]*sizeof(i8)
7407     %A = getelementptr i8, i8* %ptr, <4 x i64> %offsets
7408
7409     ; In all cases described above the type of the result is <4 x i8*>
7410
7411The two following instructions are equivalent:
7412
7413.. code-block:: llvm
7414
7415     getelementptr  %struct.ST, <4 x %struct.ST*> %s, <4 x i64> %ind1,
7416       <4 x i32> <i32 2, i32 2, i32 2, i32 2>,
7417       <4 x i32> <i32 1, i32 1, i32 1, i32 1>,
7418       <4 x i32> %ind4,
7419       <4 x i64> <i64 13, i64 13, i64 13, i64 13>
7420
7421     getelementptr  %struct.ST, <4 x %struct.ST*> %s, <4 x i64> %ind1,
7422       i32 2, i32 1, <4 x i32> %ind4, i64 13
7423
7424Let's look at the C code, where the vector version of ``getelementptr``
7425makes sense:
7426
7427.. code-block:: c
7428
7429    // Let's assume that we vectorize the following loop:
7430    double *A, B; int *C;
7431    for (int i = 0; i < size; ++i) {
7432      A[i] = B[C[i]];
7433    }
7434
7435.. code-block:: llvm
7436
7437    ; get pointers for 8 elements from array B
7438    %ptrs = getelementptr double, double* %B, <8 x i32> %C
7439    ; load 8 elements from array B into A
7440    %A = call <8 x double> @llvm.masked.gather.v8f64(<8 x double*> %ptrs,
7441         i32 8, <8 x i1> %mask, <8 x double> %passthru)
7442
7443Conversion Operations
7444---------------------
7445
7446The instructions in this category are the conversion instructions
7447(casting) which all take a single operand and a type. They perform
7448various bit conversions on the operand.
7449
7450'``trunc .. to``' Instruction
7451^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7452
7453Syntax:
7454"""""""
7455
7456::
7457
7458      <result> = trunc <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7459
7460Overview:
7461"""""""""
7462
7463The '``trunc``' instruction truncates its operand to the type ``ty2``.
7464
7465Arguments:
7466""""""""""
7467
7468The '``trunc``' instruction takes a value to trunc, and a type to trunc
7469it to. Both types must be of :ref:`integer <t_integer>` types, or vectors
7470of the same number of integers. The bit size of the ``value`` must be
7471larger than the bit size of the destination type, ``ty2``. Equal sized
7472types are not allowed.
7473
7474Semantics:
7475""""""""""
7476
7477The '``trunc``' instruction truncates the high order bits in ``value``
7478and converts the remaining bits to ``ty2``. Since the source size must
7479be larger than the destination size, ``trunc`` cannot be a *no-op cast*.
7480It will always truncate bits.
7481
7482Example:
7483""""""""
7484
7485.. code-block:: llvm
7486
7487      %X = trunc i32 257 to i8                        ; yields i8:1
7488      %Y = trunc i32 123 to i1                        ; yields i1:true
7489      %Z = trunc i32 122 to i1                        ; yields i1:false
7490      %W = trunc <2 x i16> <i16 8, i16 7> to <2 x i8> ; yields <i8 8, i8 7>
7491
7492'``zext .. to``' Instruction
7493^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7494
7495Syntax:
7496"""""""
7497
7498::
7499
7500      <result> = zext <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7501
7502Overview:
7503"""""""""
7504
7505The '``zext``' instruction zero extends its operand to type ``ty2``.
7506
7507Arguments:
7508""""""""""
7509
7510The '``zext``' instruction takes a value to cast, and a type to cast it
7511to. Both types must be of :ref:`integer <t_integer>` types, or vectors of
7512the same number of integers. The bit size of the ``value`` must be
7513smaller than the bit size of the destination type, ``ty2``.
7514
7515Semantics:
7516""""""""""
7517
7518The ``zext`` fills the high order bits of the ``value`` with zero bits
7519until it reaches the size of the destination type, ``ty2``.
7520
7521When zero extending from i1, the result will always be either 0 or 1.
7522
7523Example:
7524""""""""
7525
7526.. code-block:: llvm
7527
7528      %X = zext i32 257 to i64              ; yields i64:257
7529      %Y = zext i1 true to i32              ; yields i32:1
7530      %Z = zext <2 x i16> <i16 8, i16 7> to <2 x i32> ; yields <i32 8, i32 7>
7531
7532'``sext .. to``' Instruction
7533^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7534
7535Syntax:
7536"""""""
7537
7538::
7539
7540      <result> = sext <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7541
7542Overview:
7543"""""""""
7544
7545The '``sext``' sign extends ``value`` to the type ``ty2``.
7546
7547Arguments:
7548""""""""""
7549
7550The '``sext``' instruction takes a value to cast, and a type to cast it
7551to. Both types must be of :ref:`integer <t_integer>` types, or vectors of
7552the same number of integers. The bit size of the ``value`` must be
7553smaller than the bit size of the destination type, ``ty2``.
7554
7555Semantics:
7556""""""""""
7557
7558The '``sext``' instruction performs a sign extension by copying the sign
7559bit (highest order bit) of the ``value`` until it reaches the bit size
7560of the type ``ty2``.
7561
7562When sign extending from i1, the extension always results in -1 or 0.
7563
7564Example:
7565""""""""
7566
7567.. code-block:: llvm
7568
7569      %X = sext i8  -1 to i16              ; yields i16   :65535
7570      %Y = sext i1 true to i32             ; yields i32:-1
7571      %Z = sext <2 x i16> <i16 8, i16 7> to <2 x i32> ; yields <i32 8, i32 7>
7572
7573'``fptrunc .. to``' Instruction
7574^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7575
7576Syntax:
7577"""""""
7578
7579::
7580
7581      <result> = fptrunc <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7582
7583Overview:
7584"""""""""
7585
7586The '``fptrunc``' instruction truncates ``value`` to type ``ty2``.
7587
7588Arguments:
7589""""""""""
7590
7591The '``fptrunc``' instruction takes a :ref:`floating point <t_floating>`
7592value to cast and a :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type to cast it to.
7593The size of ``value`` must be larger than the size of ``ty2``. This
7594implies that ``fptrunc`` cannot be used to make a *no-op cast*.
7595
7596Semantics:
7597""""""""""
7598
7599The '``fptrunc``' instruction casts a ``value`` from a larger
7600:ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type to a smaller :ref:`floating
7601point <t_floating>` type. If the value cannot fit (i.e. overflows) within the
7602destination type, ``ty2``, then the results are undefined. If the cast produces
7603an inexact result, how rounding is performed (e.g. truncation, also known as
7604round to zero) is undefined.
7605
7606Example:
7607""""""""
7608
7609.. code-block:: llvm
7610
7611      %X = fptrunc double 123.0 to float         ; yields float:123.0
7612      %Y = fptrunc double 1.0E+300 to float      ; yields undefined
7613
7614'``fpext .. to``' Instruction
7615^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7616
7617Syntax:
7618"""""""
7619
7620::
7621
7622      <result> = fpext <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7623
7624Overview:
7625"""""""""
7626
7627The '``fpext``' extends a floating point ``value`` to a larger floating
7628point value.
7629
7630Arguments:
7631""""""""""
7632
7633The '``fpext``' instruction takes a :ref:`floating point <t_floating>`
7634``value`` to cast, and a :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type to cast it
7635to. The source type must be smaller than the destination type.
7636
7637Semantics:
7638""""""""""
7639
7640The '``fpext``' instruction extends the ``value`` from a smaller
7641:ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type to a larger :ref:`floating
7642point <t_floating>` type. The ``fpext`` cannot be used to make a
7643*no-op cast* because it always changes bits. Use ``bitcast`` to make a
7644*no-op cast* for a floating point cast.
7645
7646Example:
7647""""""""
7648
7649.. code-block:: llvm
7650
7651      %X = fpext float 3.125 to double         ; yields double:3.125000e+00
7652      %Y = fpext double %X to fp128            ; yields fp128:0xL00000000000000004000900000000000
7653
7654'``fptoui .. to``' Instruction
7655^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7656
7657Syntax:
7658"""""""
7659
7660::
7661
7662      <result> = fptoui <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7663
7664Overview:
7665"""""""""
7666
7667The '``fptoui``' converts a floating point ``value`` to its unsigned
7668integer equivalent of type ``ty2``.
7669
7670Arguments:
7671""""""""""
7672
7673The '``fptoui``' instruction takes a value to cast, which must be a
7674scalar or vector :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` value, and a type to
7675cast it to ``ty2``, which must be an :ref:`integer <t_integer>` type. If
7676``ty`` is a vector floating point type, ``ty2`` must be a vector integer
7677type with the same number of elements as ``ty``
7678
7679Semantics:
7680""""""""""
7681
7682The '``fptoui``' instruction converts its :ref:`floating
7683point <t_floating>` operand into the nearest (rounding towards zero)
7684unsigned integer value. If the value cannot fit in ``ty2``, the results
7685are undefined.
7686
7687Example:
7688""""""""
7689
7690.. code-block:: llvm
7691
7692      %X = fptoui double 123.0 to i32      ; yields i32:123
7693      %Y = fptoui float 1.0E+300 to i1     ; yields undefined:1
7694      %Z = fptoui float 1.04E+17 to i8     ; yields undefined:1
7695
7696'``fptosi .. to``' Instruction
7697^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7698
7699Syntax:
7700"""""""
7701
7702::
7703
7704      <result> = fptosi <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7705
7706Overview:
7707"""""""""
7708
7709The '``fptosi``' instruction converts :ref:`floating point <t_floating>`
7710``value`` to type ``ty2``.
7711
7712Arguments:
7713""""""""""
7714
7715The '``fptosi``' instruction takes a value to cast, which must be a
7716scalar or vector :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` value, and a type to
7717cast it to ``ty2``, which must be an :ref:`integer <t_integer>` type. If
7718``ty`` is a vector floating point type, ``ty2`` must be a vector integer
7719type with the same number of elements as ``ty``
7720
7721Semantics:
7722""""""""""
7723
7724The '``fptosi``' instruction converts its :ref:`floating
7725point <t_floating>` operand into the nearest (rounding towards zero)
7726signed integer value. If the value cannot fit in ``ty2``, the results
7727are undefined.
7728
7729Example:
7730""""""""
7731
7732.. code-block:: llvm
7733
7734      %X = fptosi double -123.0 to i32      ; yields i32:-123
7735      %Y = fptosi float 1.0E-247 to i1      ; yields undefined:1
7736      %Z = fptosi float 1.04E+17 to i8      ; yields undefined:1
7737
7738'``uitofp .. to``' Instruction
7739^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7740
7741Syntax:
7742"""""""
7743
7744::
7745
7746      <result> = uitofp <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7747
7748Overview:
7749"""""""""
7750
7751The '``uitofp``' instruction regards ``value`` as an unsigned integer
7752and converts that value to the ``ty2`` type.
7753
7754Arguments:
7755""""""""""
7756
7757The '``uitofp``' instruction takes a value to cast, which must be a
7758scalar or vector :ref:`integer <t_integer>` value, and a type to cast it to
7759``ty2``, which must be an :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type. If
7760``ty`` is a vector integer type, ``ty2`` must be a vector floating point
7761type with the same number of elements as ``ty``
7762
7763Semantics:
7764""""""""""
7765
7766The '``uitofp``' instruction interprets its operand as an unsigned
7767integer quantity and converts it to the corresponding floating point
7768value. If the value cannot fit in the floating point value, the results
7769are undefined.
7770
7771Example:
7772""""""""
7773
7774.. code-block:: llvm
7775
7776      %X = uitofp i32 257 to float         ; yields float:257.0
7777      %Y = uitofp i8 -1 to double          ; yields double:255.0
7778
7779'``sitofp .. to``' Instruction
7780^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7781
7782Syntax:
7783"""""""
7784
7785::
7786
7787      <result> = sitofp <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7788
7789Overview:
7790"""""""""
7791
7792The '``sitofp``' instruction regards ``value`` as a signed integer and
7793converts that value to the ``ty2`` type.
7794
7795Arguments:
7796""""""""""
7797
7798The '``sitofp``' instruction takes a value to cast, which must be a
7799scalar or vector :ref:`integer <t_integer>` value, and a type to cast it to
7800``ty2``, which must be an :ref:`floating point <t_floating>` type. If
7801``ty`` is a vector integer type, ``ty2`` must be a vector floating point
7802type with the same number of elements as ``ty``
7803
7804Semantics:
7805""""""""""
7806
7807The '``sitofp``' instruction interprets its operand as a signed integer
7808quantity and converts it to the corresponding floating point value. If
7809the value cannot fit in the floating point value, the results are
7810undefined.
7811
7812Example:
7813""""""""
7814
7815.. code-block:: llvm
7816
7817      %X = sitofp i32 257 to float         ; yields float:257.0
7818      %Y = sitofp i8 -1 to double          ; yields double:-1.0
7819
7820.. _i_ptrtoint:
7821
7822'``ptrtoint .. to``' Instruction
7823^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7824
7825Syntax:
7826"""""""
7827
7828::
7829
7830      <result> = ptrtoint <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7831
7832Overview:
7833"""""""""
7834
7835The '``ptrtoint``' instruction converts the pointer or a vector of
7836pointers ``value`` to the integer (or vector of integers) type ``ty2``.
7837
7838Arguments:
7839""""""""""
7840
7841The '``ptrtoint``' instruction takes a ``value`` to cast, which must be
7842a value of type :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` or a vector of pointers, and a
7843type to cast it to ``ty2``, which must be an :ref:`integer <t_integer>` or
7844a vector of integers type.
7845
7846Semantics:
7847""""""""""
7848
7849The '``ptrtoint``' instruction converts ``value`` to integer type
7850``ty2`` by interpreting the pointer value as an integer and either
7851truncating or zero extending that value to the size of the integer type.
7852If ``value`` is smaller than ``ty2`` then a zero extension is done. If
7853``value`` is larger than ``ty2`` then a truncation is done. If they are
7854the same size, then nothing is done (*no-op cast*) other than a type
7855change.
7856
7857Example:
7858""""""""
7859
7860.. code-block:: llvm
7861
7862      %X = ptrtoint i32* %P to i8                         ; yields truncation on 32-bit architecture
7863      %Y = ptrtoint i32* %P to i64                        ; yields zero extension on 32-bit architecture
7864      %Z = ptrtoint <4 x i32*> %P to <4 x i64>; yields vector zero extension for a vector of addresses on 32-bit architecture
7865
7866.. _i_inttoptr:
7867
7868'``inttoptr .. to``' Instruction
7869^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7870
7871Syntax:
7872"""""""
7873
7874::
7875
7876      <result> = inttoptr <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7877
7878Overview:
7879"""""""""
7880
7881The '``inttoptr``' instruction converts an integer ``value`` to a
7882pointer type, ``ty2``.
7883
7884Arguments:
7885""""""""""
7886
7887The '``inttoptr``' instruction takes an :ref:`integer <t_integer>` value to
7888cast, and a type to cast it to, which must be a :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>`
7889type.
7890
7891Semantics:
7892""""""""""
7893
7894The '``inttoptr``' instruction converts ``value`` to type ``ty2`` by
7895applying either a zero extension or a truncation depending on the size
7896of the integer ``value``. If ``value`` is larger than the size of a
7897pointer then a truncation is done. If ``value`` is smaller than the size
7898of a pointer then a zero extension is done. If they are the same size,
7899nothing is done (*no-op cast*).
7900
7901Example:
7902""""""""
7903
7904.. code-block:: llvm
7905
7906      %X = inttoptr i32 255 to i32*          ; yields zero extension on 64-bit architecture
7907      %Y = inttoptr i32 255 to i32*          ; yields no-op on 32-bit architecture
7908      %Z = inttoptr i64 0 to i32*            ; yields truncation on 32-bit architecture
7909      %Z = inttoptr <4 x i32> %G to <4 x i8*>; yields truncation of vector G to four pointers
7910
7911.. _i_bitcast:
7912
7913'``bitcast .. to``' Instruction
7914^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7915
7916Syntax:
7917"""""""
7918
7919::
7920
7921      <result> = bitcast <ty> <value> to <ty2>             ; yields ty2
7922
7923Overview:
7924"""""""""
7925
7926The '``bitcast``' instruction converts ``value`` to type ``ty2`` without
7927changing any bits.
7928
7929Arguments:
7930""""""""""
7931
7932The '``bitcast``' instruction takes a value to cast, which must be a
7933non-aggregate first class value, and a type to cast it to, which must
7934also be a non-aggregate :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type. The
7935bit sizes of ``value`` and the destination type, ``ty2``, must be
7936identical. If the source type is a pointer, the destination type must
7937also be a pointer of the same size. This instruction supports bitwise
7938conversion of vectors to integers and to vectors of other types (as
7939long as they have the same size).
7940
7941Semantics:
7942""""""""""
7943
7944The '``bitcast``' instruction converts ``value`` to type ``ty2``. It
7945is always a *no-op cast* because no bits change with this
7946conversion. The conversion is done as if the ``value`` had been stored
7947to memory and read back as type ``ty2``. Pointer (or vector of
7948pointers) types may only be converted to other pointer (or vector of
7949pointers) types with the same address space through this instruction.
7950To convert pointers to other types, use the :ref:`inttoptr <i_inttoptr>`
7951or :ref:`ptrtoint <i_ptrtoint>` instructions first.
7952
7953Example:
7954""""""""
7955
7956.. code-block:: llvm
7957
7958      %X = bitcast i8 255 to i8              ; yields i8 :-1
7959      %Y = bitcast i32* %x to sint*          ; yields sint*:%x
7960      %Z = bitcast <2 x int> %V to i64;        ; yields i64: %V
7961      %Z = bitcast <2 x i32*> %V to <2 x i64*> ; yields <2 x i64*>
7962
7963.. _i_addrspacecast:
7964
7965'``addrspacecast .. to``' Instruction
7966^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7967
7968Syntax:
7969"""""""
7970
7971::
7972
7973      <result> = addrspacecast <pty> <ptrval> to <pty2>       ; yields pty2
7974
7975Overview:
7976"""""""""
7977
7978The '``addrspacecast``' instruction converts ``ptrval`` from ``pty`` in
7979address space ``n`` to type ``pty2`` in address space ``m``.
7980
7981Arguments:
7982""""""""""
7983
7984The '``addrspacecast``' instruction takes a pointer or vector of pointer value
7985to cast and a pointer type to cast it to, which must have a different
7986address space.
7987
7988Semantics:
7989""""""""""
7990
7991The '``addrspacecast``' instruction converts the pointer value
7992``ptrval`` to type ``pty2``. It can be a *no-op cast* or a complex
7993value modification, depending on the target and the address space
7994pair. Pointer conversions within the same address space must be
7995performed with the ``bitcast`` instruction. Note that if the address space
7996conversion is legal then both result and operand refer to the same memory
7997location.
7998
7999Example:
8000""""""""
8001
8002.. code-block:: llvm
8003
8004      %X = addrspacecast i32* %x to i32 addrspace(1)*    ; yields i32 addrspace(1)*:%x
8005      %Y = addrspacecast i32 addrspace(1)* %y to i64 addrspace(2)*    ; yields i64 addrspace(2)*:%y
8006      %Z = addrspacecast <4 x i32*> %z to <4 x float addrspace(3)*>   ; yields <4 x float addrspace(3)*>:%z
8007
8008.. _otherops:
8009
8010Other Operations
8011----------------
8012
8013The instructions in this category are the "miscellaneous" instructions,
8014which defy better classification.
8015
8016.. _i_icmp:
8017
8018'``icmp``' Instruction
8019^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8020
8021Syntax:
8022"""""""
8023
8024::
8025
8026      <result> = icmp <cond> <ty> <op1>, <op2>   ; yields i1 or <N x i1>:result
8027
8028Overview:
8029"""""""""
8030
8031The '``icmp``' instruction returns a boolean value or a vector of
8032boolean values based on comparison of its two integer, integer vector,
8033pointer, or pointer vector operands.
8034
8035Arguments:
8036""""""""""
8037
8038The '``icmp``' instruction takes three operands. The first operand is
8039the condition code indicating the kind of comparison to perform. It is
8040not a value, just a keyword. The possible condition code are:
8041
8042#. ``eq``: equal
8043#. ``ne``: not equal
8044#. ``ugt``: unsigned greater than
8045#. ``uge``: unsigned greater or equal
8046#. ``ult``: unsigned less than
8047#. ``ule``: unsigned less or equal
8048#. ``sgt``: signed greater than
8049#. ``sge``: signed greater or equal
8050#. ``slt``: signed less than
8051#. ``sle``: signed less or equal
8052
8053The remaining two arguments must be :ref:`integer <t_integer>` or
8054:ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` or integer :ref:`vector <t_vector>` typed. They
8055must also be identical types.
8056
8057Semantics:
8058""""""""""
8059
8060The '``icmp``' compares ``op1`` and ``op2`` according to the condition
8061code given as ``cond``. The comparison performed always yields either an
8062:ref:`i1 <t_integer>` or vector of ``i1`` result, as follows:
8063
8064#. ``eq``: yields ``true`` if the operands are equal, ``false``
8065   otherwise. No sign interpretation is necessary or performed.
8066#. ``ne``: yields ``true`` if the operands are unequal, ``false``
8067   otherwise. No sign interpretation is necessary or performed.
8068#. ``ugt``: interprets the operands as unsigned values and yields
8069   ``true`` if ``op1`` is greater than ``op2``.
8070#. ``uge``: interprets the operands as unsigned values and yields
8071   ``true`` if ``op1`` is greater than or equal to ``op2``.
8072#. ``ult``: interprets the operands as unsigned values and yields
8073   ``true`` if ``op1`` is less than ``op2``.
8074#. ``ule``: interprets the operands as unsigned values and yields
8075   ``true`` if ``op1`` is less than or equal to ``op2``.
8076#. ``sgt``: interprets the operands as signed values and yields ``true``
8077   if ``op1`` is greater than ``op2``.
8078#. ``sge``: interprets the operands as signed values and yields ``true``
8079   if ``op1`` is greater than or equal to ``op2``.
8080#. ``slt``: interprets the operands as signed values and yields ``true``
8081   if ``op1`` is less than ``op2``.
8082#. ``sle``: interprets the operands as signed values and yields ``true``
8083   if ``op1`` is less than or equal to ``op2``.
8084
8085If the operands are :ref:`pointer <t_pointer>` typed, the pointer values
8086are compared as if they were integers.
8087
8088If the operands are integer vectors, then they are compared element by
8089element. The result is an ``i1`` vector with the same number of elements
8090as the values being compared. Otherwise, the result is an ``i1``.
8091
8092Example:
8093""""""""
8094
8095.. code-block:: llvm
8096
8097      <result> = icmp eq i32 4, 5          ; yields: result=false
8098      <result> = icmp ne float* %X, %X     ; yields: result=false
8099      <result> = icmp ult i16  4, 5        ; yields: result=true
8100      <result> = icmp sgt i16  4, 5        ; yields: result=false
8101      <result> = icmp ule i16 -4, 5        ; yields: result=false
8102      <result> = icmp sge i16  4, 5        ; yields: result=false
8103
8104Note that the code generator does not yet support vector types with the
8105``icmp`` instruction.
8106
8107.. _i_fcmp:
8108
8109'``fcmp``' Instruction
8110^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8111
8112Syntax:
8113"""""""
8114
8115::
8116
8117      <result> = fcmp [fast-math flags]* <cond> <ty> <op1>, <op2>     ; yields i1 or <N x i1>:result
8118
8119Overview:
8120"""""""""
8121
8122The '``fcmp``' instruction returns a boolean value or vector of boolean
8123values based on comparison of its operands.
8124
8125If the operands are floating point scalars, then the result type is a
8126boolean (:ref:`i1 <t_integer>`).
8127
8128If the operands are floating point vectors, then the result type is a
8129vector of boolean with the same number of elements as the operands being
8130compared.
8131
8132Arguments:
8133""""""""""
8134
8135The '``fcmp``' instruction takes three operands. The first operand is
8136the condition code indicating the kind of comparison to perform. It is
8137not a value, just a keyword. The possible condition code are:
8138
8139#. ``false``: no comparison, always returns false
8140#. ``oeq``: ordered and equal
8141#. ``ogt``: ordered and greater than
8142#. ``oge``: ordered and greater than or equal
8143#. ``olt``: ordered and less than
8144#. ``ole``: ordered and less than or equal
8145#. ``one``: ordered and not equal
8146#. ``ord``: ordered (no nans)
8147#. ``ueq``: unordered or equal
8148#. ``ugt``: unordered or greater than
8149#. ``uge``: unordered or greater than or equal
8150#. ``ult``: unordered or less than
8151#. ``ule``: unordered or less than or equal
8152#. ``une``: unordered or not equal
8153#. ``uno``: unordered (either nans)
8154#. ``true``: no comparison, always returns true
8155
8156*Ordered* means that neither operand is a QNAN while *unordered* means
8157that either operand may be a QNAN.
8158
8159Each of ``val1`` and ``val2`` arguments must be either a :ref:`floating
8160point <t_floating>` type or a :ref:`vector <t_vector>` of floating point
8161type. They must have identical types.
8162
8163Semantics:
8164""""""""""
8165
8166The '``fcmp``' instruction compares ``op1`` and ``op2`` according to the
8167condition code given as ``cond``. If the operands are vectors, then the
8168vectors are compared element by element. Each comparison performed
8169always yields an :ref:`i1 <t_integer>` result, as follows:
8170
8171#. ``false``: always yields ``false``, regardless of operands.
8172#. ``oeq``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8173   is equal to ``op2``.
8174#. ``ogt``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8175   is greater than ``op2``.
8176#. ``oge``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8177   is greater than or equal to ``op2``.
8178#. ``olt``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8179   is less than ``op2``.
8180#. ``ole``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8181   is less than or equal to ``op2``.
8182#. ``one``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN and ``op1``
8183   is not equal to ``op2``.
8184#. ``ord``: yields ``true`` if both operands are not a QNAN.
8185#. ``ueq``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8186   equal to ``op2``.
8187#. ``ugt``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8188   greater than ``op2``.
8189#. ``uge``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8190   greater than or equal to ``op2``.
8191#. ``ult``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8192   less than ``op2``.
8193#. ``ule``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8194   less than or equal to ``op2``.
8195#. ``une``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN or ``op1`` is
8196   not equal to ``op2``.
8197#. ``uno``: yields ``true`` if either operand is a QNAN.
8198#. ``true``: always yields ``true``, regardless of operands.
8199
8200The ``fcmp`` instruction can also optionally take any number of
8201:ref:`fast-math flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints to enable
8202otherwise unsafe floating point optimizations.
8203
8204Any set of fast-math flags are legal on an ``fcmp`` instruction, but the
8205only flags that have any effect on its semantics are those that allow
8206assumptions to be made about the values of input arguments; namely
8207``nnan``, ``ninf``, and ``nsz``. See :ref:`fastmath` for more information.
8208
8209Example:
8210""""""""
8211
8212.. code-block:: llvm
8213
8214      <result> = fcmp oeq float 4.0, 5.0    ; yields: result=false
8215      <result> = fcmp one float 4.0, 5.0    ; yields: result=true
8216      <result> = fcmp olt float 4.0, 5.0    ; yields: result=true
8217      <result> = fcmp ueq double 1.0, 2.0   ; yields: result=false
8218
8219Note that the code generator does not yet support vector types with the
8220``fcmp`` instruction.
8221
8222.. _i_phi:
8223
8224'``phi``' Instruction
8225^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8226
8227Syntax:
8228"""""""
8229
8230::
8231
8232      <result> = phi <ty> [ <val0>, <label0>], ...
8233
8234Overview:
8235"""""""""
8236
8237The '``phi``' instruction is used to implement the φ node in the SSA
8238graph representing the function.
8239
8240Arguments:
8241""""""""""
8242
8243The type of the incoming values is specified with the first type field.
8244After this, the '``phi``' instruction takes a list of pairs as
8245arguments, with one pair for each predecessor basic block of the current
8246block. Only values of :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type may be used as
8247the value arguments to the PHI node. Only labels may be used as the
8248label arguments.
8249
8250There must be no non-phi instructions between the start of a basic block
8251and the PHI instructions: i.e. PHI instructions must be first in a basic
8252block.
8253
8254For the purposes of the SSA form, the use of each incoming value is
8255deemed to occur on the edge from the corresponding predecessor block to
8256the current block (but after any definition of an '``invoke``'
8257instruction's return value on the same edge).
8258
8259Semantics:
8260""""""""""
8261
8262At runtime, the '``phi``' instruction logically takes on the value
8263specified by the pair corresponding to the predecessor basic block that
8264executed just prior to the current block.
8265
8266Example:
8267""""""""
8268
8269.. code-block:: llvm
8270
8271    Loop:       ; Infinite loop that counts from 0 on up...
8272      %indvar = phi i32 [ 0, %LoopHeader ], [ %nextindvar, %Loop ]
8273      %nextindvar = add i32 %indvar, 1
8274      br label %Loop
8275
8276.. _i_select:
8277
8278'``select``' Instruction
8279^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8280
8281Syntax:
8282"""""""
8283
8284::
8285
8286      <result> = select selty <cond>, <ty> <val1>, <ty> <val2>             ; yields ty
8287
8288      selty is either i1 or {<N x i1>}
8289
8290Overview:
8291"""""""""
8292
8293The '``select``' instruction is used to choose one value based on a
8294condition, without IR-level branching.
8295
8296Arguments:
8297""""""""""
8298
8299The '``select``' instruction requires an 'i1' value or a vector of 'i1'
8300values indicating the condition, and two values of the same :ref:`first
8301class <t_firstclass>` type.
8302
8303Semantics:
8304""""""""""
8305
8306If the condition is an i1 and it evaluates to 1, the instruction returns
8307the first value argument; otherwise, it returns the second value
8308argument.
8309
8310If the condition is a vector of i1, then the value arguments must be
8311vectors of the same size, and the selection is done element by element.
8312
8313If the condition is an i1 and the value arguments are vectors of the
8314same size, then an entire vector is selected.
8315
8316Example:
8317""""""""
8318
8319.. code-block:: llvm
8320
8321      %X = select i1 true, i8 17, i8 42          ; yields i8:17
8322
8323.. _i_call:
8324
8325'``call``' Instruction
8326^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8327
8328Syntax:
8329"""""""
8330
8331::
8332
8333      <result> = [tail | musttail | notail ] call [fast-math flags] [cconv] [ret attrs] <ty> [<fnty>*] <fnptrval>(<function args>) [fn attrs]
8334                   [ operand bundles ]
8335
8336Overview:
8337"""""""""
8338
8339The '``call``' instruction represents a simple function call.
8340
8341Arguments:
8342""""""""""
8343
8344This instruction requires several arguments:
8345
8346#. The optional ``tail`` and ``musttail`` markers indicate that the optimizers
8347   should perform tail call optimization. The ``tail`` marker is a hint that
8348   `can be ignored <CodeGenerator.html#sibcallopt>`_. The ``musttail`` marker
8349   means that the call must be tail call optimized in order for the program to
8350   be correct. The ``musttail`` marker provides these guarantees:
8351
8352   #. The call will not cause unbounded stack growth if it is part of a
8353      recursive cycle in the call graph.
8354   #. Arguments with the :ref:`inalloca <attr_inalloca>` attribute are
8355      forwarded in place.
8356
8357   Both markers imply that the callee does not access allocas or varargs from
8358   the caller. Calls marked ``musttail`` must obey the following additional
8359   rules:
8360
8361   - The call must immediately precede a :ref:`ret <i_ret>` instruction,
8362     or a pointer bitcast followed by a ret instruction.
8363   - The ret instruction must return the (possibly bitcasted) value
8364     produced by the call or void.
8365   - The caller and callee prototypes must match. Pointer types of
8366     parameters or return types may differ in pointee type, but not
8367     in address space.
8368   - The calling conventions of the caller and callee must match.
8369   - All ABI-impacting function attributes, such as sret, byval, inreg,
8370     returned, and inalloca, must match.
8371   - The callee must be varargs iff the caller is varargs. Bitcasting a
8372     non-varargs function to the appropriate varargs type is legal so
8373     long as the non-varargs prefixes obey the other rules.
8374
8375   Tail call optimization for calls marked ``tail`` is guaranteed to occur if
8376   the following conditions are met:
8377
8378   -  Caller and callee both have the calling convention ``fastcc``.
8379   -  The call is in tail position (ret immediately follows call and ret
8380      uses value of call or is void).
8381   -  Option ``-tailcallopt`` is enabled, or
8382      ``llvm::GuaranteedTailCallOpt`` is ``true``.
8383   -  `Platform-specific constraints are
8384      met. <CodeGenerator.html#tailcallopt>`_
8385
8386#. The optional ``notail`` marker indicates that the optimizers should not add
8387   ``tail`` or ``musttail`` markers to the call. It is used to prevent tail
8388   call optimization from being performed on the call.
8389
8390#. The optional ``fast-math flags`` marker indicates that the call has one or more
8391   :ref:`fast-math flags <fastmath>`, which are optimization hints to enable
8392   otherwise unsafe floating-point optimizations. Fast-math flags are only valid
8393   for calls that return a floating-point scalar or vector type.
8394
8395#. The optional "cconv" marker indicates which :ref:`calling
8396   convention <callingconv>` the call should use. If none is
8397   specified, the call defaults to using C calling conventions. The
8398   calling convention of the call must match the calling convention of
8399   the target function, or else the behavior is undefined.
8400#. The optional :ref:`Parameter Attributes <paramattrs>` list for return
8401   values. Only '``zeroext``', '``signext``', and '``inreg``' attributes
8402   are valid here.
8403#. '``ty``': the type of the call instruction itself which is also the
8404   type of the return value. Functions that return no value are marked
8405   ``void``.
8406#. '``fnty``': shall be the signature of the pointer to function value
8407   being invoked. The argument types must match the types implied by
8408   this signature. This type can be omitted if the function is not
8409   varargs and if the function type does not return a pointer to a
8410   function.
8411#. '``fnptrval``': An LLVM value containing a pointer to a function to
8412   be invoked. In most cases, this is a direct function invocation, but
8413   indirect ``call``'s are just as possible, calling an arbitrary pointer
8414   to function value.
8415#. '``function args``': argument list whose types match the function
8416   signature argument types and parameter attributes. All arguments must
8417   be of :ref:`first class <t_firstclass>` type. If the function signature
8418   indicates the function accepts a variable number of arguments, the
8419   extra arguments can be specified.
8420#. The optional :ref:`function attributes <fnattrs>` list. Only
8421   '``noreturn``', '``nounwind``', '``readonly``' and '``readnone``'
8422   attributes are valid here.
8423#. The optional :ref:`operand bundles <opbundles>` list.
8424
8425Semantics:
8426""""""""""
8427
8428The '``call``' instruction is used to cause control flow to transfer to
8429a specified function, with its incoming arguments bound to the specified
8430values. Upon a '``ret``' instruction in the called function, control
8431flow continues with the instruction after the function call, and the
8432return value of the function is bound to the result argument.
8433
8434Example:
8435""""""""
8436
8437.. code-block:: llvm
8438
8439      %retval = call i32 @test(i32 %argc)
8440      call i32 (i8*, ...)* @printf(i8* %msg, i32 12, i8 42)        ; yields i32
8441      %X = tail call i32 @foo()                                    ; yields i32
8442      %Y = tail call fastcc i32 @foo()  ; yields i32
8443      call void %foo(i8 97 signext)
8444
8445      %struct.A = type { i32, i8 }
8446      %r = call %struct.A @foo()                        ; yields { i32, i8 }
8447      %gr = extractvalue %struct.A %r, 0                ; yields i32
8448      %gr1 = extractvalue %struct.A %r, 1               ; yields i8
8449      %Z = call void @foo() noreturn                    ; indicates that %foo never returns normally
8450      %ZZ = call zeroext i32 @bar()                     ; Return value is %zero extended
8451
8452llvm treats calls to some functions with names and arguments that match
8453the standard C99 library as being the C99 library functions, and may
8454perform optimizations or generate code for them under that assumption.
8455This is something we'd like to change in the future to provide better
8456support for freestanding environments and non-C-based languages.
8457
8458.. _i_va_arg:
8459
8460'``va_arg``' Instruction
8461^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8462
8463Syntax:
8464"""""""
8465
8466::
8467
8468      <resultval> = va_arg <va_list*> <arglist>, <argty>
8469
8470Overview:
8471"""""""""
8472
8473The '``va_arg``' instruction is used to access arguments passed through
8474the "variable argument" area of a function call. It is used to implement
8475the ``va_arg`` macro in C.
8476
8477Arguments:
8478""""""""""
8479
8480This instruction takes a ``va_list*`` value and the type of the
8481argument. It returns a value of the specified argument type and
8482increments the ``va_list`` to point to the next argument. The actual
8483type of ``va_list`` is target specific.
8484
8485Semantics:
8486""""""""""
8487
8488The '``va_arg``' instruction loads an argument of the specified type
8489from the specified ``va_list`` and causes the ``va_list`` to point to
8490the next argument. For more information, see the variable argument
8491handling :ref:`Intrinsic Functions <int_varargs>`.
8492
8493It is legal for this instruction to be called in a function which does
8494not take a variable number of arguments, for example, the ``vfprintf``
8495function.
8496
8497``va_arg`` is an LLVM instruction instead of an :ref:`intrinsic
8498function <intrinsics>` because it takes a type as an argument.
8499
8500Example:
8501""""""""
8502
8503See the :ref:`variable argument processing <int_varargs>` section.
8504
8505Note that the code generator does not yet fully support va\_arg on many
8506targets. Also, it does not currently support va\_arg with aggregate
8507types on any target.
8508
8509.. _i_landingpad:
8510
8511'``landingpad``' Instruction
8512^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8513
8514Syntax:
8515"""""""
8516
8517::
8518
8519      <resultval> = landingpad <resultty> <clause>+
8520      <resultval> = landingpad <resultty> cleanup <clause>*
8521
8522      <clause> := catch <type> <value>
8523      <clause> := filter <array constant type> <array constant>
8524
8525Overview:
8526"""""""""
8527
8528The '``landingpad``' instruction is used by `LLVM's exception handling
8529system <ExceptionHandling.html#overview>`_ to specify that a basic block
8530is a landing pad --- one where the exception lands, and corresponds to the
8531code found in the ``catch`` portion of a ``try``/``catch`` sequence. It
8532defines values supplied by the :ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` upon
8533re-entry to the function. The ``resultval`` has the type ``resultty``.
8534
8535Arguments:
8536""""""""""
8537
8538The optional
8539``cleanup`` flag indicates that the landing pad block is a cleanup.
8540
8541A ``clause`` begins with the clause type --- ``catch`` or ``filter`` --- and
8542contains the global variable representing the "type" that may be caught
8543or filtered respectively. Unlike the ``catch`` clause, the ``filter``
8544clause takes an array constant as its argument. Use
8545"``[0 x i8**] undef``" for a filter which cannot throw. The
8546'``landingpad``' instruction must contain *at least* one ``clause`` or
8547the ``cleanup`` flag.
8548
8549Semantics:
8550""""""""""
8551
8552The '``landingpad``' instruction defines the values which are set by the
8553:ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` upon re-entry to the function, and
8554therefore the "result type" of the ``landingpad`` instruction. As with
8555calling conventions, how the personality function results are
8556represented in LLVM IR is target specific.
8557
8558The clauses are applied in order from top to bottom. If two
8559``landingpad`` instructions are merged together through inlining, the
8560clauses from the calling function are appended to the list of clauses.
8561When the call stack is being unwound due to an exception being thrown,
8562the exception is compared against each ``clause`` in turn. If it doesn't
8563match any of the clauses, and the ``cleanup`` flag is not set, then
8564unwinding continues further up the call stack.
8565
8566The ``landingpad`` instruction has several restrictions:
8567
8568-  A landing pad block is a basic block which is the unwind destination
8569   of an '``invoke``' instruction.
8570-  A landing pad block must have a '``landingpad``' instruction as its
8571   first non-PHI instruction.
8572-  There can be only one '``landingpad``' instruction within the landing
8573   pad block.
8574-  A basic block that is not a landing pad block may not include a
8575   '``landingpad``' instruction.
8576
8577Example:
8578""""""""
8579
8580.. code-block:: llvm
8581
8582      ;; A landing pad which can catch an integer.
8583      %res = landingpad { i8*, i32 }
8584               catch i8** @_ZTIi
8585      ;; A landing pad that is a cleanup.
8586      %res = landingpad { i8*, i32 }
8587               cleanup
8588      ;; A landing pad which can catch an integer and can only throw a double.
8589      %res = landingpad { i8*, i32 }
8590               catch i8** @_ZTIi
8591               filter [1 x i8**] [@_ZTId]
8592
8593.. _i_cleanuppad:
8594
8595'``cleanuppad``' Instruction
8596^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8597
8598Syntax:
8599"""""""
8600
8601::
8602
8603      <resultval> = cleanuppad within <parent> [<args>*]
8604
8605Overview:
8606"""""""""
8607
8608The '``cleanuppad``' instruction is used by `LLVM's exception handling
8609system <ExceptionHandling.html#overview>`_ to specify that a basic block
8610is a cleanup block --- one where a personality routine attempts to
8611transfer control to run cleanup actions.
8612The ``args`` correspond to whatever additional
8613information the :ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` requires to
8614execute the cleanup.
8615The ``resultval`` has the type :ref:`token <t_token>` and is used to
8616match the ``cleanuppad`` to corresponding :ref:`cleanuprets <i_cleanupret>`.
8617The ``parent`` argument is the token of the funclet that contains the
8618``cleanuppad`` instruction. If the ``cleanuppad`` is not inside a funclet,
8619this operand may be the token ``none``.
8620
8621Arguments:
8622""""""""""
8623
8624The instruction takes a list of arbitrary values which are interpreted
8625by the :ref:`personality function <personalityfn>`.
8626
8627Semantics:
8628""""""""""
8629
8630When the call stack is being unwound due to an exception being thrown,
8631the :ref:`personality function <personalityfn>` transfers control to the
8632``cleanuppad`` with the aid of the personality-specific arguments.
8633As with calling conventions, how the personality function results are
8634represented in LLVM IR is target specific.
8635
8636The ``cleanuppad`` instruction has several restrictions:
8637
8638-  A cleanup block is a basic block which is the unwind destination of
8639   an exceptional instruction.
8640-  A cleanup block must have a '``cleanuppad``' instruction as its
8641   first non-PHI instruction.
8642-  There can be only one '``cleanuppad``' instruction within the
8643   cleanup block.
8644-  A basic block that is not a cleanup block may not include a
8645   '``cleanuppad``' instruction.
8646
8647Executing a ``cleanuppad`` instruction constitutes "entering" that pad.
8648The pad may then be "exited" in one of three ways:
8649
86501)  explicitly via a ``cleanupret`` that consumes it.  Executing such a ``cleanupret``
8651    is undefined behavior if any descendant pads have been entered but not yet
8652    exited.
86532)  implicitly via a call (which unwinds all the way to the current function's caller),
8654    or via a ``catchswitch`` or a ``cleanupret`` that unwinds to caller.
86553)  implicitly via an unwind edge whose destination EH pad isn't a descendant of
8656    the ``cleanuppad``.  When the ``cleanuppad`` is exited in this manner, it is
8657    undefined behavior if the destination EH pad has a parent which is not an
8658    ancestor of the ``cleanuppad`` being exited.
8659
8660It is undefined behavior for the ``cleanuppad`` to exit via an unwind edge which
8661does not transitively unwind to the same destination as a constituent
8662``cleanupret``.
8663
8664Example:
8665""""""""
8666
8667.. code-block:: llvm
8668
8669      %tok = cleanuppad within %cs []
8670
8671.. _intrinsics:
8672
8673Intrinsic Functions
8674===================
8675
8676LLVM supports the notion of an "intrinsic function". These functions
8677have well known names and semantics and are required to follow certain
8678restrictions. Overall, these intrinsics represent an extension mechanism
8679for the LLVM language that does not require changing all of the
8680transformations in LLVM when adding to the language (or the bitcode
8681reader/writer, the parser, etc...).
8682
8683Intrinsic function names must all start with an "``llvm.``" prefix. This
8684prefix is reserved in LLVM for intrinsic names; thus, function names may
8685not begin with this prefix. Intrinsic functions must always be external
8686functions: you cannot define the body of intrinsic functions. Intrinsic
8687functions may only be used in call or invoke instructions: it is illegal
8688to take the address of an intrinsic function. Additionally, because
8689intrinsic functions are part of the LLVM language, it is required if any
8690are added that they be documented here.
8691
8692Some intrinsic functions can be overloaded, i.e., the intrinsic
8693represents a family of functions that perform the same operation but on
8694different data types. Because LLVM can represent over 8 million
8695different integer types, overloading is used commonly to allow an
8696intrinsic function to operate on any integer type. One or more of the
8697argument types or the result type can be overloaded to accept any
8698integer type. Argument types may also be defined as exactly matching a
8699previous argument's type or the result type. This allows an intrinsic
8700function which accepts multiple arguments, but needs all of them to be
8701of the same type, to only be overloaded with respect to a single
8702argument or the result.
8703
8704Overloaded intrinsics will have the names of its overloaded argument
8705types encoded into its function name, each preceded by a period. Only
8706those types which are overloaded result in a name suffix. Arguments
8707whose type is matched against another type do not. For example, the
8708``llvm.ctpop`` function can take an integer of any width and returns an
8709integer of exactly the same integer width. This leads to a family of
8710functions such as ``i8 @llvm.ctpop.i8(i8 %val)`` and
8711``i29 @llvm.ctpop.i29(i29 %val)``. Only one type, the return type, is
8712overloaded, and only one type suffix is required. Because the argument's
8713type is matched against the return type, it does not require its own
8714name suffix.
8715
8716To learn how to add an intrinsic function, please see the `Extending
8717LLVM Guide <ExtendingLLVM.html>`_.
8718
8719.. _int_varargs:
8720
8721Variable Argument Handling Intrinsics
8722-------------------------------------
8723
8724Variable argument support is defined in LLVM with the
8725:ref:`va_arg <i_va_arg>` instruction and these three intrinsic
8726functions. These functions are related to the similarly named macros
8727defined in the ``<stdarg.h>`` header file.
8728
8729All of these functions operate on arguments that use a target-specific
8730value type "``va_list``". The LLVM assembly language reference manual
8731does not define what this type is, so all transformations should be
8732prepared to handle these functions regardless of the type used.
8733
8734This example shows how the :ref:`va_arg <i_va_arg>` instruction and the
8735variable argument handling intrinsic functions are used.
8736
8737.. code-block:: llvm
8738
8739    ; This struct is different for every platform. For most platforms,
8740    ; it is merely an i8*.
8741    %struct.va_list = type { i8* }
8742
8743    ; For Unix x86_64 platforms, va_list is the following struct:
8744    ; %struct.va_list = type { i32, i32, i8*, i8* }
8745
8746    define i32 @test(i32 %X, ...) {
8747      ; Initialize variable argument processing
8748      %ap = alloca %struct.va_list
8749      %ap2 = bitcast %struct.va_list* %ap to i8*
8750      call void @llvm.va_start(i8* %ap2)
8751
8752      ; Read a single integer argument
8753      %tmp = va_arg i8* %ap2, i32
8754
8755      ; Demonstrate usage of llvm.va_copy and llvm.va_end
8756      %aq = alloca i8*
8757      %aq2 = bitcast i8** %aq to i8*
8758      call void @llvm.va_copy(i8* %aq2, i8* %ap2)
8759      call void @llvm.va_end(i8* %aq2)
8760
8761      ; Stop processing of arguments.
8762      call void @llvm.va_end(i8* %ap2)
8763      ret i32 %tmp
8764    }
8765
8766    declare void @llvm.va_start(i8*)
8767    declare void @llvm.va_copy(i8*, i8*)
8768    declare void @llvm.va_end(i8*)
8769
8770.. _int_va_start:
8771
8772'``llvm.va_start``' Intrinsic
8773^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8774
8775Syntax:
8776"""""""
8777
8778::
8779
8780      declare void @llvm.va_start(i8* <arglist>)
8781
8782Overview:
8783"""""""""
8784
8785The '``llvm.va_start``' intrinsic initializes ``*<arglist>`` for
8786subsequent use by ``va_arg``.
8787
8788Arguments:
8789""""""""""
8790
8791The argument is a pointer to a ``va_list`` element to initialize.
8792
8793Semantics:
8794""""""""""
8795
8796The '``llvm.va_start``' intrinsic works just like the ``va_start`` macro
8797available in C. In a target-dependent way, it initializes the
8798``va_list`` element to which the argument points, so that the next call
8799to ``va_arg`` will produce the first variable argument passed to the
8800function. Unlike the C ``va_start`` macro, this intrinsic does not need
8801to know the last argument of the function as the compiler can figure
8802that out.
8803
8804'``llvm.va_end``' Intrinsic
8805^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8806
8807Syntax:
8808"""""""
8809
8810::
8811
8812      declare void @llvm.va_end(i8* <arglist>)
8813
8814Overview:
8815"""""""""
8816
8817The '``llvm.va_end``' intrinsic destroys ``*<arglist>``, which has been
8818initialized previously with ``llvm.va_start`` or ``llvm.va_copy``.
8819
8820Arguments:
8821""""""""""
8822
8823The argument is a pointer to a ``va_list`` to destroy.
8824
8825Semantics:
8826""""""""""
8827
8828The '``llvm.va_end``' intrinsic works just like the ``va_end`` macro
8829available in C. In a target-dependent way, it destroys the ``va_list``
8830element to which the argument points. Calls to
8831:ref:`llvm.va_start <int_va_start>` and
8832:ref:`llvm.va_copy <int_va_copy>` must be matched exactly with calls to
8833``llvm.va_end``.
8834
8835.. _int_va_copy:
8836
8837'``llvm.va_copy``' Intrinsic
8838^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8839
8840Syntax:
8841"""""""
8842
8843::
8844
8845      declare void @llvm.va_copy(i8* <destarglist>, i8* <srcarglist>)
8846
8847Overview:
8848"""""""""
8849
8850The '``llvm.va_copy``' intrinsic copies the current argument position
8851from the source argument list to the destination argument list.
8852
8853Arguments:
8854""""""""""
8855
8856The first argument is a pointer to a ``va_list`` element to initialize.
8857The second argument is a pointer to a ``va_list`` element to copy from.
8858
8859Semantics:
8860""""""""""
8861
8862The '``llvm.va_copy``' intrinsic works just like the ``va_copy`` macro
8863available in C. In a target-dependent way, it copies the source
8864``va_list`` element into the destination ``va_list`` element. This
8865intrinsic is necessary because the `` llvm.va_start`` intrinsic may be
8866arbitrarily complex and require, for example, memory allocation.
8867
8868Accurate Garbage Collection Intrinsics
8869--------------------------------------
8870
8871LLVM's support for `Accurate Garbage Collection <GarbageCollection.html>`_
8872(GC) requires the frontend to generate code containing appropriate intrinsic
8873calls and select an appropriate GC strategy which knows how to lower these
8874intrinsics in a manner which is appropriate for the target collector.
8875
8876These intrinsics allow identification of :ref:`GC roots on the
8877stack <int_gcroot>`, as well as garbage collector implementations that
8878require :ref:`read <int_gcread>` and :ref:`write <int_gcwrite>` barriers.
8879Frontends for type-safe garbage collected languages should generate
8880these intrinsics to make use of the LLVM garbage collectors. For more
8881details, see `Garbage Collection with LLVM <GarbageCollection.html>`_.
8882
8883Experimental Statepoint Intrinsics
8884^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8885
8886LLVM provides an second experimental set of intrinsics for describing garbage
8887collection safepoints in compiled code. These intrinsics are an alternative
8888to the ``llvm.gcroot`` intrinsics, but are compatible with the ones for
8889:ref:`read <int_gcread>` and :ref:`write <int_gcwrite>` barriers. The
8890differences in approach are covered in the `Garbage Collection with LLVM
8891<GarbageCollection.html>`_ documentation. The intrinsics themselves are
8892described in :doc:`Statepoints`.
8893
8894.. _int_gcroot:
8895
8896'``llvm.gcroot``' Intrinsic
8897^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8898
8899Syntax:
8900"""""""
8901
8902::
8903
8904      declare void @llvm.gcroot(i8** %ptrloc, i8* %metadata)
8905
8906Overview:
8907"""""""""
8908
8909The '``llvm.gcroot``' intrinsic declares the existence of a GC root to
8910the code generator, and allows some metadata to be associated with it.
8911
8912Arguments:
8913""""""""""
8914
8915The first argument specifies the address of a stack object that contains
8916the root pointer. The second pointer (which must be either a constant or
8917a global value address) contains the meta-data to be associated with the
8918root.
8919
8920Semantics:
8921""""""""""
8922
8923At runtime, a call to this intrinsic stores a null pointer into the
8924"ptrloc" location. At compile-time, the code generator generates
8925information to allow the runtime to find the pointer at GC safe points.
8926The '``llvm.gcroot``' intrinsic may only be used in a function which
8927:ref:`specifies a GC algorithm <gc>`.
8928
8929.. _int_gcread:
8930
8931'``llvm.gcread``' Intrinsic
8932^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8933
8934Syntax:
8935"""""""
8936
8937::
8938
8939      declare i8* @llvm.gcread(i8* %ObjPtr, i8** %Ptr)
8940
8941Overview:
8942"""""""""
8943
8944The '``llvm.gcread``' intrinsic identifies reads of references from heap
8945locations, allowing garbage collector implementations that require read
8946barriers.
8947
8948Arguments:
8949""""""""""
8950
8951The second argument is the address to read from, which should be an
8952address allocated from the garbage collector. The first object is a
8953pointer to the start of the referenced object, if needed by the language
8954runtime (otherwise null).
8955
8956Semantics:
8957""""""""""
8958
8959The '``llvm.gcread``' intrinsic has the same semantics as a load
8960instruction, but may be replaced with substantially more complex code by
8961the garbage collector runtime, as needed. The '``llvm.gcread``'
8962intrinsic may only be used in a function which :ref:`specifies a GC
8963algorithm <gc>`.
8964
8965.. _int_gcwrite:
8966
8967'``llvm.gcwrite``' Intrinsic
8968^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8969
8970Syntax:
8971"""""""
8972
8973::
8974
8975      declare void @llvm.gcwrite(i8* %P1, i8* %Obj, i8** %P2)
8976
8977Overview:
8978"""""""""
8979
8980The '``llvm.gcwrite``' intrinsic identifies writes of references to heap
8981locations, allowing garbage collector implementations that require write
8982barriers (such as generational or reference counting collectors).
8983
8984Arguments:
8985""""""""""
8986
8987The first argument is the reference to store, the second is the start of
8988the object to store it to, and the third is the address of the field of
8989Obj to store to. If the runtime does not require a pointer to the
8990object, Obj may be null.
8991
8992Semantics:
8993""""""""""
8994
8995The '``llvm.gcwrite``' intrinsic has the same semantics as a store
8996instruction, but may be replaced with substantially more complex code by
8997the garbage collector runtime, as needed. The '``llvm.gcwrite``'
8998intrinsic may only be used in a function which :ref:`specifies a GC
8999algorithm <gc>`.
9000
9001Code Generator Intrinsics
9002-------------------------
9003
9004These intrinsics are provided by LLVM to expose special features that
9005may only be implemented with code generator support.
9006
9007'``llvm.returnaddress``' Intrinsic
9008^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9009
9010Syntax:
9011"""""""
9012
9013::
9014
9015      declare i8  *@llvm.returnaddress(i32 <level>)
9016
9017Overview:
9018"""""""""
9019
9020The '``llvm.returnaddress``' intrinsic attempts to compute a
9021target-specific value indicating the return address of the current
9022function or one of its callers.
9023
9024Arguments:
9025""""""""""
9026
9027The argument to this intrinsic indicates which function to return the
9028address for. Zero indicates the calling function, one indicates its
9029caller, etc. The argument is **required** to be a constant integer
9030value.
9031
9032Semantics:
9033""""""""""
9034
9035The '``llvm.returnaddress``' intrinsic either returns a pointer
9036indicating the return address of the specified call frame, or zero if it
9037cannot be identified. The value returned by this intrinsic is likely to
9038be incorrect or 0 for arguments other than zero, so it should only be
9039used for debugging purposes.
9040
9041Note that calling this intrinsic does not prevent function inlining or
9042other aggressive transformations, so the value returned may not be that
9043of the obvious source-language caller.
9044
9045'``llvm.frameaddress``' Intrinsic
9046^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9047
9048Syntax:
9049"""""""
9050
9051::
9052
9053      declare i8* @llvm.frameaddress(i32 <level>)
9054
9055Overview:
9056"""""""""
9057
9058The '``llvm.frameaddress``' intrinsic attempts to return the
9059target-specific frame pointer value for the specified stack frame.
9060
9061Arguments:
9062""""""""""
9063
9064The argument to this intrinsic indicates which function to return the
9065frame pointer for. Zero indicates the calling function, one indicates
9066its caller, etc. The argument is **required** to be a constant integer
9067value.
9068
9069Semantics:
9070""""""""""
9071
9072The '``llvm.frameaddress``' intrinsic either returns a pointer
9073indicating the frame address of the specified call frame, or zero if it
9074cannot be identified. The value returned by this intrinsic is likely to
9075be incorrect or 0 for arguments other than zero, so it should only be
9076used for debugging purposes.
9077
9078Note that calling this intrinsic does not prevent function inlining or
9079other aggressive transformations, so the value returned may not be that
9080of the obvious source-language caller.
9081
9082'``llvm.localescape``' and '``llvm.localrecover``' Intrinsics
9083^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9084
9085Syntax:
9086"""""""
9087
9088::
9089
9090      declare void @llvm.localescape(...)
9091      declare i8* @llvm.localrecover(i8* %func, i8* %fp, i32 %idx)
9092
9093Overview:
9094"""""""""
9095
9096The '``llvm.localescape``' intrinsic escapes offsets of a collection of static
9097allocas, and the '``llvm.localrecover``' intrinsic applies those offsets to a
9098live frame pointer to recover the address of the allocation. The offset is
9099computed during frame layout of the caller of ``llvm.localescape``.
9100
9101Arguments:
9102""""""""""
9103
9104All arguments to '``llvm.localescape``' must be pointers to static allocas or
9105casts of static allocas. Each function can only call '``llvm.localescape``'
9106once, and it can only do so from the entry block.
9107
9108The ``func`` argument to '``llvm.localrecover``' must be a constant
9109bitcasted pointer to a function defined in the current module. The code
9110generator cannot determine the frame allocation offset of functions defined in
9111other modules.
9112
9113The ``fp`` argument to '``llvm.localrecover``' must be a frame pointer of a
9114call frame that is currently live. The return value of '``llvm.localaddress``'
9115is one way to produce such a value, but various runtimes also expose a suitable
9116pointer in platform-specific ways.
9117
9118The ``idx`` argument to '``llvm.localrecover``' indicates which alloca passed to
9119'``llvm.localescape``' to recover. It is zero-indexed.
9120
9121Semantics:
9122""""""""""
9123
9124These intrinsics allow a group of functions to share access to a set of local
9125stack allocations of a one parent function. The parent function may call the
9126'``llvm.localescape``' intrinsic once from the function entry block, and the
9127child functions can use '``llvm.localrecover``' to access the escaped allocas.
9128The '``llvm.localescape``' intrinsic blocks inlining, as inlining changes where
9129the escaped allocas are allocated, which would break attempts to use
9130'``llvm.localrecover``'.
9131
9132.. _int_read_register:
9133.. _int_write_register:
9134
9135'``llvm.read_register``' and '``llvm.write_register``' Intrinsics
9136^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9137
9138Syntax:
9139"""""""
9140
9141::
9142
9143      declare i32 @llvm.read_register.i32(metadata)
9144      declare i64 @llvm.read_register.i64(metadata)
9145      declare void @llvm.write_register.i32(metadata, i32 @value)
9146      declare void @llvm.write_register.i64(metadata, i64 @value)
9147      !0 = !{!"sp\00"}
9148
9149Overview:
9150"""""""""
9151
9152The '``llvm.read_register``' and '``llvm.write_register``' intrinsics
9153provides access to the named register. The register must be valid on
9154the architecture being compiled to. The type needs to be compatible
9155with the register being read.
9156
9157Semantics:
9158""""""""""
9159
9160The '``llvm.read_register``' intrinsic returns the current value of the
9161register, where possible. The '``llvm.write_register``' intrinsic sets
9162the current value of the register, where possible.
9163
9164This is useful to implement named register global variables that need
9165to always be mapped to a specific register, as is common practice on
9166bare-metal programs including OS kernels.
9167
9168The compiler doesn't check for register availability or use of the used
9169register in surrounding code, including inline assembly. Because of that,
9170allocatable registers are not supported.
9171
9172Warning: So far it only works with the stack pointer on selected
9173architectures (ARM, AArch64, PowerPC and x86_64). Significant amount of
9174work is needed to support other registers and even more so, allocatable
9175registers.
9176
9177.. _int_stacksave:
9178
9179'``llvm.stacksave``' Intrinsic
9180^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9181
9182Syntax:
9183"""""""
9184
9185::
9186
9187      declare i8* @llvm.stacksave()
9188
9189Overview:
9190"""""""""
9191
9192The '``llvm.stacksave``' intrinsic is used to remember the current state
9193of the function stack, for use with
9194:ref:`llvm.stackrestore <int_stackrestore>`. This is useful for
9195implementing language features like scoped automatic variable sized
9196arrays in C99.
9197
9198Semantics:
9199""""""""""
9200
9201This intrinsic returns a opaque pointer value that can be passed to
9202:ref:`llvm.stackrestore <int_stackrestore>`. When an
9203``llvm.stackrestore`` intrinsic is executed with a value saved from
9204``llvm.stacksave``, it effectively restores the state of the stack to
9205the state it was in when the ``llvm.stacksave`` intrinsic executed. In
9206practice, this pops any :ref:`alloca <i_alloca>` blocks from the stack that
9207were allocated after the ``llvm.stacksave`` was executed.
9208
9209.. _int_stackrestore:
9210
9211'``llvm.stackrestore``' Intrinsic
9212^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9213
9214Syntax:
9215"""""""
9216
9217::
9218
9219      declare void @llvm.stackrestore(i8* %ptr)
9220
9221Overview:
9222"""""""""
9223
9224The '``llvm.stackrestore``' intrinsic is used to restore the state of
9225the function stack to the state it was in when the corresponding
9226:ref:`llvm.stacksave <int_stacksave>` intrinsic executed. This is
9227useful for implementing language features like scoped automatic variable
9228sized arrays in C99.
9229
9230Semantics:
9231""""""""""
9232
9233See the description for :ref:`llvm.stacksave <int_stacksave>`.
9234
9235.. _int_get_dynamic_area_offset:
9236
9237'``llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset``' Intrinsic
9238^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9239
9240Syntax:
9241"""""""
9242
9243::
9244
9245      declare i32 @llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset.i32()
9246      declare i64 @llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset.i64()
9247
9248      Overview:
9249      """""""""
9250
9251      The '``llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset.*``' intrinsic family is used to
9252      get the offset from native stack pointer to the address of the most
9253      recent dynamic alloca on the caller's stack. These intrinsics are
9254      intendend for use in combination with
9255      :ref:`llvm.stacksave <int_stacksave>` to get a
9256      pointer to the most recent dynamic alloca. This is useful, for example,
9257      for AddressSanitizer's stack unpoisoning routines.
9258
9259Semantics:
9260""""""""""
9261
9262      These intrinsics return a non-negative integer value that can be used to
9263      get the address of the most recent dynamic alloca, allocated by :ref:`alloca <i_alloca>`
9264      on the caller's stack. In particular, for targets where stack grows downwards,
9265      adding this offset to the native stack pointer would get the address of the most
9266      recent dynamic alloca. For targets where stack grows upwards, the situation is a bit more
9267      complicated, because substracting this value from stack pointer would get the address
9268      one past the end of the most recent dynamic alloca.
9269
9270      Although for most targets `llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset <int_get_dynamic_area_offset>`
9271      returns just a zero, for others, such as PowerPC and PowerPC64, it returns a
9272      compile-time-known constant value.
9273
9274      The return value type of :ref:`llvm.get.dynamic.area.offset <int_get_dynamic_area_offset>`
9275      must match the target's generic address space's (address space 0) pointer type.
9276
9277'``llvm.prefetch``' Intrinsic
9278^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9279
9280Syntax:
9281"""""""
9282
9283::
9284
9285      declare void @llvm.prefetch(i8* <address>, i32 <rw>, i32 <locality>, i32 <cache type>)
9286
9287Overview:
9288"""""""""
9289
9290The '``llvm.prefetch``' intrinsic is a hint to the code generator to
9291insert a prefetch instruction if supported; otherwise, it is a noop.
9292Prefetches have no effect on the behavior of the program but can change
9293its performance characteristics.
9294
9295Arguments:
9296""""""""""
9297
9298``address`` is the address to be prefetched, ``rw`` is the specifier
9299determining if the fetch should be for a read (0) or write (1), and
9300``locality`` is a temporal locality specifier ranging from (0) - no
9301locality, to (3) - extremely local keep in cache. The ``cache type``
9302specifies whether the prefetch is performed on the data (1) or
9303instruction (0) cache. The ``rw``, ``locality`` and ``cache type``
9304arguments must be constant integers.
9305
9306Semantics:
9307""""""""""
9308
9309This intrinsic does not modify the behavior of the program. In
9310particular, prefetches cannot trap and do not produce a value. On
9311targets that support this intrinsic, the prefetch can provide hints to
9312the processor cache for better performance.
9313
9314'``llvm.pcmarker``' Intrinsic
9315^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9316
9317Syntax:
9318"""""""
9319
9320::
9321
9322      declare void @llvm.pcmarker(i32 <id>)
9323
9324Overview:
9325"""""""""
9326
9327The '``llvm.pcmarker``' intrinsic is a method to export a Program
9328Counter (PC) in a region of code to simulators and other tools. The
9329method is target specific, but it is expected that the marker will use
9330exported symbols to transmit the PC of the marker. The marker makes no
9331guarantees that it will remain with any specific instruction after
9332optimizations. It is possible that the presence of a marker will inhibit
9333optimizations. The intended use is to be inserted after optimizations to
9334allow correlations of simulation runs.
9335
9336Arguments:
9337""""""""""
9338
9339``id`` is a numerical id identifying the marker.
9340
9341Semantics:
9342""""""""""
9343
9344This intrinsic does not modify the behavior of the program. Backends
9345that do not support this intrinsic may ignore it.
9346
9347'``llvm.readcyclecounter``' Intrinsic
9348^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9349
9350Syntax:
9351"""""""
9352
9353::
9354
9355      declare i64 @llvm.readcyclecounter()
9356
9357Overview:
9358"""""""""
9359
9360The '``llvm.readcyclecounter``' intrinsic provides access to the cycle
9361counter register (or similar low latency, high accuracy clocks) on those
9362targets that support it. On X86, it should map to RDTSC. On Alpha, it
9363should map to RPCC. As the backing counters overflow quickly (on the
9364order of 9 seconds on alpha), this should only be used for small
9365timings.
9366
9367Semantics:
9368""""""""""
9369
9370When directly supported, reading the cycle counter should not modify any
9371memory. Implementations are allowed to either return a application
9372specific value or a system wide value. On backends without support, this
9373is lowered to a constant 0.
9374
9375Note that runtime support may be conditional on the privilege-level code is
9376running at and the host platform.
9377
9378'``llvm.clear_cache``' Intrinsic
9379^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9380
9381Syntax:
9382"""""""
9383
9384::
9385
9386      declare void @llvm.clear_cache(i8*, i8*)
9387
9388Overview:
9389"""""""""
9390
9391The '``llvm.clear_cache``' intrinsic ensures visibility of modifications
9392in the specified range to the execution unit of the processor. On
9393targets with non-unified instruction and data cache, the implementation
9394flushes the instruction cache.
9395
9396Semantics:
9397""""""""""
9398
9399On platforms with coherent instruction and data caches (e.g. x86), this
9400intrinsic is a nop. On platforms with non-coherent instruction and data
9401cache (e.g. ARM, MIPS), the intrinsic is lowered either to appropriate
9402instructions or a system call, if cache flushing requires special
9403privileges.
9404
9405The default behavior is to emit a call to ``__clear_cache`` from the run
9406time library.
9407
9408This instrinsic does *not* empty the instruction pipeline. Modifications
9409of the current function are outside the scope of the intrinsic.
9410
9411'``llvm.instrprof_increment``' Intrinsic
9412^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9413
9414Syntax:
9415"""""""
9416
9417::
9418
9419      declare void @llvm.instrprof_increment(i8* <name>, i64 <hash>,
9420                                             i32 <num-counters>, i32 <index>)
9421
9422Overview:
9423"""""""""
9424
9425The '``llvm.instrprof_increment``' intrinsic can be emitted by a
9426frontend for use with instrumentation based profiling. These will be
9427lowered by the ``-instrprof`` pass to generate execution counts of a
9428program at runtime.
9429
9430Arguments:
9431""""""""""
9432
9433The first argument is a pointer to a global variable containing the
9434name of the entity being instrumented. This should generally be the
9435(mangled) function name for a set of counters.
9436
9437The second argument is a hash value that can be used by the consumer
9438of the profile data to detect changes to the instrumented source, and
9439the third is the number of counters associated with ``name``. It is an
9440error if ``hash`` or ``num-counters`` differ between two instances of
9441``instrprof_increment`` that refer to the same name.
9442
9443The last argument refers to which of the counters for ``name`` should
9444be incremented. It should be a value between 0 and ``num-counters``.
9445
9446Semantics:
9447""""""""""
9448
9449This intrinsic represents an increment of a profiling counter. It will
9450cause the ``-instrprof`` pass to generate the appropriate data
9451structures and the code to increment the appropriate value, in a
9452format that can be written out by a compiler runtime and consumed via
9453the ``llvm-profdata`` tool.
9454
9455'``llvm.instrprof_value_profile``' Intrinsic
9456^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9457
9458Syntax:
9459"""""""
9460
9461::
9462
9463      declare void @llvm.instrprof_value_profile(i8* <name>, i64 <hash>,
9464                                                 i64 <value>, i32 <value_kind>,
9465                                                 i32 <index>)
9466
9467Overview:
9468"""""""""
9469
9470The '``llvm.instrprof_value_profile``' intrinsic can be emitted by a
9471frontend for use with instrumentation based profiling. This will be
9472lowered by the ``-instrprof`` pass to find out the target values,
9473instrumented expressions take in a program at runtime.
9474
9475Arguments:
9476""""""""""
9477
9478The first argument is a pointer to a global variable containing the
9479name of the entity being instrumented. ``name`` should generally be the
9480(mangled) function name for a set of counters.
9481
9482The second argument is a hash value that can be used by the consumer
9483of the profile data to detect changes to the instrumented source. It
9484is an error if ``hash`` differs between two instances of
9485``llvm.instrprof_*`` that refer to the same name.
9486
9487The third argument is the value of the expression being profiled. The profiled
9488expression's value should be representable as an unsigned 64-bit value. The
9489fourth argument represents the kind of value profiling that is being done. The
9490supported value profiling kinds are enumerated through the
9491``InstrProfValueKind`` type declared in the
9492``<include/llvm/ProfileData/InstrProf.h>`` header file. The last argument is the
9493index of the instrumented expression within ``name``. It should be >= 0.
9494
9495Semantics:
9496""""""""""
9497
9498This intrinsic represents the point where a call to a runtime routine
9499should be inserted for value profiling of target expressions. ``-instrprof``
9500pass will generate the appropriate data structures and replace the
9501``llvm.instrprof_value_profile`` intrinsic with the call to the profile
9502runtime library with proper arguments.
9503
9504Standard C Library Intrinsics
9505-----------------------------
9506
9507LLVM provides intrinsics for a few important standard C library
9508functions. These intrinsics allow source-language front-ends to pass
9509information about the alignment of the pointer arguments to the code
9510generator, providing opportunity for more efficient code generation.
9511
9512.. _int_memcpy:
9513
9514'``llvm.memcpy``' Intrinsic
9515^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9516
9517Syntax:
9518"""""""
9519
9520This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.memcpy`` on any
9521integer bit width and for different address spaces. Not all targets
9522support all bit widths however.
9523
9524::
9525
9526      declare void @llvm.memcpy.p0i8.p0i8.i32(i8* <dest>, i8* <src>,
9527                                              i32 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9528      declare void @llvm.memcpy.p0i8.p0i8.i64(i8* <dest>, i8* <src>,
9529                                              i64 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9530
9531Overview:
9532"""""""""
9533
9534The '``llvm.memcpy.*``' intrinsics copy a block of memory from the
9535source location to the destination location.
9536
9537Note that, unlike the standard libc function, the ``llvm.memcpy.*``
9538intrinsics do not return a value, takes extra alignment/isvolatile
9539arguments and the pointers can be in specified address spaces.
9540
9541Arguments:
9542""""""""""
9543
9544The first argument is a pointer to the destination, the second is a
9545pointer to the source. The third argument is an integer argument
9546specifying the number of bytes to copy, the fourth argument is the
9547alignment of the source and destination locations, and the fifth is a
9548boolean indicating a volatile access.
9549
9550If the call to this intrinsic has an alignment value that is not 0 or 1,
9551then the caller guarantees that both the source and destination pointers
9552are aligned to that boundary.
9553
9554If the ``isvolatile`` parameter is ``true``, the ``llvm.memcpy`` call is
9555a :ref:`volatile operation <volatile>`. The detailed access behavior is not
9556very cleanly specified and it is unwise to depend on it.
9557
9558Semantics:
9559""""""""""
9560
9561The '``llvm.memcpy.*``' intrinsics copy a block of memory from the
9562source location to the destination location, which are not allowed to
9563overlap. It copies "len" bytes of memory over. If the argument is known
9564to be aligned to some boundary, this can be specified as the fourth
9565argument, otherwise it should be set to 0 or 1 (both meaning no alignment).
9566
9567'``llvm.memmove``' Intrinsic
9568^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9569
9570Syntax:
9571"""""""
9572
9573This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use llvm.memmove on any integer
9574bit width and for different address space. Not all targets support all
9575bit widths however.
9576
9577::
9578
9579      declare void @llvm.memmove.p0i8.p0i8.i32(i8* <dest>, i8* <src>,
9580                                               i32 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9581      declare void @llvm.memmove.p0i8.p0i8.i64(i8* <dest>, i8* <src>,
9582                                               i64 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9583
9584Overview:
9585"""""""""
9586
9587The '``llvm.memmove.*``' intrinsics move a block of memory from the
9588source location to the destination location. It is similar to the
9589'``llvm.memcpy``' intrinsic but allows the two memory locations to
9590overlap.
9591
9592Note that, unlike the standard libc function, the ``llvm.memmove.*``
9593intrinsics do not return a value, takes extra alignment/isvolatile
9594arguments and the pointers can be in specified address spaces.
9595
9596Arguments:
9597""""""""""
9598
9599The first argument is a pointer to the destination, the second is a
9600pointer to the source. The third argument is an integer argument
9601specifying the number of bytes to copy, the fourth argument is the
9602alignment of the source and destination locations, and the fifth is a
9603boolean indicating a volatile access.
9604
9605If the call to this intrinsic has an alignment value that is not 0 or 1,
9606then the caller guarantees that the source and destination pointers are
9607aligned to that boundary.
9608
9609If the ``isvolatile`` parameter is ``true``, the ``llvm.memmove`` call
9610is a :ref:`volatile operation <volatile>`. The detailed access behavior is
9611not very cleanly specified and it is unwise to depend on it.
9612
9613Semantics:
9614""""""""""
9615
9616The '``llvm.memmove.*``' intrinsics copy a block of memory from the
9617source location to the destination location, which may overlap. It
9618copies "len" bytes of memory over. If the argument is known to be
9619aligned to some boundary, this can be specified as the fourth argument,
9620otherwise it should be set to 0 or 1 (both meaning no alignment).
9621
9622'``llvm.memset.*``' Intrinsics
9623^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9624
9625Syntax:
9626"""""""
9627
9628This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use llvm.memset on any integer
9629bit width and for different address spaces. However, not all targets
9630support all bit widths.
9631
9632::
9633
9634      declare void @llvm.memset.p0i8.i32(i8* <dest>, i8 <val>,
9635                                         i32 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9636      declare void @llvm.memset.p0i8.i64(i8* <dest>, i8 <val>,
9637                                         i64 <len>, i32 <align>, i1 <isvolatile>)
9638
9639Overview:
9640"""""""""
9641
9642The '``llvm.memset.*``' intrinsics fill a block of memory with a
9643particular byte value.
9644
9645Note that, unlike the standard libc function, the ``llvm.memset``
9646intrinsic does not return a value and takes extra alignment/volatile
9647arguments. Also, the destination can be in an arbitrary address space.
9648
9649Arguments:
9650""""""""""
9651
9652The first argument is a pointer to the destination to fill, the second
9653is the byte value with which to fill it, the third argument is an
9654integer argument specifying the number of bytes to fill, and the fourth
9655argument is the known alignment of the destination location.
9656
9657If the call to this intrinsic has an alignment value that is not 0 or 1,
9658then the caller guarantees that the destination pointer is aligned to
9659that boundary.
9660
9661If the ``isvolatile`` parameter is ``true``, the ``llvm.memset`` call is
9662a :ref:`volatile operation <volatile>`. The detailed access behavior is not
9663very cleanly specified and it is unwise to depend on it.
9664
9665Semantics:
9666""""""""""
9667
9668The '``llvm.memset.*``' intrinsics fill "len" bytes of memory starting
9669at the destination location. If the argument is known to be aligned to
9670some boundary, this can be specified as the fourth argument, otherwise
9671it should be set to 0 or 1 (both meaning no alignment).
9672
9673'``llvm.sqrt.*``' Intrinsic
9674^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9675
9676Syntax:
9677"""""""
9678
9679This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.sqrt`` on any
9680floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9681all types however.
9682
9683::
9684
9685      declare float     @llvm.sqrt.f32(float %Val)
9686      declare double    @llvm.sqrt.f64(double %Val)
9687      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.sqrt.f80(x86_fp80 %Val)
9688      declare fp128     @llvm.sqrt.f128(fp128 %Val)
9689      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.sqrt.ppcf128(ppc_fp128 %Val)
9690
9691Overview:
9692"""""""""
9693
9694The '``llvm.sqrt``' intrinsics return the sqrt of the specified operand,
9695returning the same value as the libm '``sqrt``' functions would. Unlike
9696``sqrt`` in libm, however, ``llvm.sqrt`` has undefined behavior for
9697negative numbers other than -0.0 (which allows for better optimization,
9698because there is no need to worry about errno being set).
9699``llvm.sqrt(-0.0)`` is defined to return -0.0 like IEEE sqrt.
9700
9701Arguments:
9702""""""""""
9703
9704The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9705type.
9706
9707Semantics:
9708""""""""""
9709
9710This function returns the sqrt of the specified operand if it is a
9711nonnegative floating point number.
9712
9713'``llvm.powi.*``' Intrinsic
9714^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9715
9716Syntax:
9717"""""""
9718
9719This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.powi`` on any
9720floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9721all types however.
9722
9723::
9724
9725      declare float     @llvm.powi.f32(float  %Val, i32 %power)
9726      declare double    @llvm.powi.f64(double %Val, i32 %power)
9727      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.powi.f80(x86_fp80  %Val, i32 %power)
9728      declare fp128     @llvm.powi.f128(fp128 %Val, i32 %power)
9729      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.powi.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val, i32 %power)
9730
9731Overview:
9732"""""""""
9733
9734The '``llvm.powi.*``' intrinsics return the first operand raised to the
9735specified (positive or negative) power. The order of evaluation of
9736multiplications is not defined. When a vector of floating point type is
9737used, the second argument remains a scalar integer value.
9738
9739Arguments:
9740""""""""""
9741
9742The second argument is an integer power, and the first is a value to
9743raise to that power.
9744
9745Semantics:
9746""""""""""
9747
9748This function returns the first value raised to the second power with an
9749unspecified sequence of rounding operations.
9750
9751'``llvm.sin.*``' Intrinsic
9752^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9753
9754Syntax:
9755"""""""
9756
9757This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.sin`` on any
9758floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9759all types however.
9760
9761::
9762
9763      declare float     @llvm.sin.f32(float  %Val)
9764      declare double    @llvm.sin.f64(double %Val)
9765      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.sin.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9766      declare fp128     @llvm.sin.f128(fp128 %Val)
9767      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.sin.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9768
9769Overview:
9770"""""""""
9771
9772The '``llvm.sin.*``' intrinsics return the sine of the operand.
9773
9774Arguments:
9775""""""""""
9776
9777The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9778type.
9779
9780Semantics:
9781""""""""""
9782
9783This function returns the sine of the specified operand, returning the
9784same values as the libm ``sin`` functions would, and handles error
9785conditions in the same way.
9786
9787'``llvm.cos.*``' Intrinsic
9788^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9789
9790Syntax:
9791"""""""
9792
9793This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.cos`` on any
9794floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9795all types however.
9796
9797::
9798
9799      declare float     @llvm.cos.f32(float  %Val)
9800      declare double    @llvm.cos.f64(double %Val)
9801      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.cos.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9802      declare fp128     @llvm.cos.f128(fp128 %Val)
9803      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.cos.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9804
9805Overview:
9806"""""""""
9807
9808The '``llvm.cos.*``' intrinsics return the cosine of the operand.
9809
9810Arguments:
9811""""""""""
9812
9813The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9814type.
9815
9816Semantics:
9817""""""""""
9818
9819This function returns the cosine of the specified operand, returning the
9820same values as the libm ``cos`` functions would, and handles error
9821conditions in the same way.
9822
9823'``llvm.pow.*``' Intrinsic
9824^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9825
9826Syntax:
9827"""""""
9828
9829This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.pow`` on any
9830floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9831all types however.
9832
9833::
9834
9835      declare float     @llvm.pow.f32(float  %Val, float %Power)
9836      declare double    @llvm.pow.f64(double %Val, double %Power)
9837      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.pow.f80(x86_fp80  %Val, x86_fp80 %Power)
9838      declare fp128     @llvm.pow.f128(fp128 %Val, fp128 %Power)
9839      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.pow.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val, ppc_fp128 Power)
9840
9841Overview:
9842"""""""""
9843
9844The '``llvm.pow.*``' intrinsics return the first operand raised to the
9845specified (positive or negative) power.
9846
9847Arguments:
9848""""""""""
9849
9850The second argument is a floating point power, and the first is a value
9851to raise to that power.
9852
9853Semantics:
9854""""""""""
9855
9856This function returns the first value raised to the second power,
9857returning the same values as the libm ``pow`` functions would, and
9858handles error conditions in the same way.
9859
9860'``llvm.exp.*``' Intrinsic
9861^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9862
9863Syntax:
9864"""""""
9865
9866This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.exp`` on any
9867floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9868all types however.
9869
9870::
9871
9872      declare float     @llvm.exp.f32(float  %Val)
9873      declare double    @llvm.exp.f64(double %Val)
9874      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.exp.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9875      declare fp128     @llvm.exp.f128(fp128 %Val)
9876      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.exp.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9877
9878Overview:
9879"""""""""
9880
9881The '``llvm.exp.*``' intrinsics perform the exp function.
9882
9883Arguments:
9884""""""""""
9885
9886The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9887type.
9888
9889Semantics:
9890""""""""""
9891
9892This function returns the same values as the libm ``exp`` functions
9893would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
9894
9895'``llvm.exp2.*``' Intrinsic
9896^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9897
9898Syntax:
9899"""""""
9900
9901This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.exp2`` on any
9902floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9903all types however.
9904
9905::
9906
9907      declare float     @llvm.exp2.f32(float  %Val)
9908      declare double    @llvm.exp2.f64(double %Val)
9909      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.exp2.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9910      declare fp128     @llvm.exp2.f128(fp128 %Val)
9911      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.exp2.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9912
9913Overview:
9914"""""""""
9915
9916The '``llvm.exp2.*``' intrinsics perform the exp2 function.
9917
9918Arguments:
9919""""""""""
9920
9921The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9922type.
9923
9924Semantics:
9925""""""""""
9926
9927This function returns the same values as the libm ``exp2`` functions
9928would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
9929
9930'``llvm.log.*``' Intrinsic
9931^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9932
9933Syntax:
9934"""""""
9935
9936This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.log`` on any
9937floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9938all types however.
9939
9940::
9941
9942      declare float     @llvm.log.f32(float  %Val)
9943      declare double    @llvm.log.f64(double %Val)
9944      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.log.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9945      declare fp128     @llvm.log.f128(fp128 %Val)
9946      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.log.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9947
9948Overview:
9949"""""""""
9950
9951The '``llvm.log.*``' intrinsics perform the log function.
9952
9953Arguments:
9954""""""""""
9955
9956The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9957type.
9958
9959Semantics:
9960""""""""""
9961
9962This function returns the same values as the libm ``log`` functions
9963would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
9964
9965'``llvm.log10.*``' Intrinsic
9966^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9967
9968Syntax:
9969"""""""
9970
9971This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.log10`` on any
9972floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
9973all types however.
9974
9975::
9976
9977      declare float     @llvm.log10.f32(float  %Val)
9978      declare double    @llvm.log10.f64(double %Val)
9979      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.log10.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
9980      declare fp128     @llvm.log10.f128(fp128 %Val)
9981      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.log10.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
9982
9983Overview:
9984"""""""""
9985
9986The '``llvm.log10.*``' intrinsics perform the log10 function.
9987
9988Arguments:
9989""""""""""
9990
9991The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
9992type.
9993
9994Semantics:
9995""""""""""
9996
9997This function returns the same values as the libm ``log10`` functions
9998would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
9999
10000'``llvm.log2.*``' Intrinsic
10001^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10002
10003Syntax:
10004"""""""
10005
10006This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.log2`` on any
10007floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10008all types however.
10009
10010::
10011
10012      declare float     @llvm.log2.f32(float  %Val)
10013      declare double    @llvm.log2.f64(double %Val)
10014      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.log2.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10015      declare fp128     @llvm.log2.f128(fp128 %Val)
10016      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.log2.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10017
10018Overview:
10019"""""""""
10020
10021The '``llvm.log2.*``' intrinsics perform the log2 function.
10022
10023Arguments:
10024""""""""""
10025
10026The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10027type.
10028
10029Semantics:
10030""""""""""
10031
10032This function returns the same values as the libm ``log2`` functions
10033would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10034
10035'``llvm.fma.*``' Intrinsic
10036^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10037
10038Syntax:
10039"""""""
10040
10041This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.fma`` on any
10042floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10043all types however.
10044
10045::
10046
10047      declare float     @llvm.fma.f32(float  %a, float  %b, float  %c)
10048      declare double    @llvm.fma.f64(double %a, double %b, double %c)
10049      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.fma.f80(x86_fp80 %a, x86_fp80 %b, x86_fp80 %c)
10050      declare fp128     @llvm.fma.f128(fp128 %a, fp128 %b, fp128 %c)
10051      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.fma.ppcf128(ppc_fp128 %a, ppc_fp128 %b, ppc_fp128 %c)
10052
10053Overview:
10054"""""""""
10055
10056The '``llvm.fma.*``' intrinsics perform the fused multiply-add
10057operation.
10058
10059Arguments:
10060""""""""""
10061
10062The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10063type.
10064
10065Semantics:
10066""""""""""
10067
10068This function returns the same values as the libm ``fma`` functions
10069would, and does not set errno.
10070
10071'``llvm.fabs.*``' Intrinsic
10072^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10073
10074Syntax:
10075"""""""
10076
10077This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.fabs`` on any
10078floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10079all types however.
10080
10081::
10082
10083      declare float     @llvm.fabs.f32(float  %Val)
10084      declare double    @llvm.fabs.f64(double %Val)
10085      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.fabs.f80(x86_fp80 %Val)
10086      declare fp128     @llvm.fabs.f128(fp128 %Val)
10087      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.fabs.ppcf128(ppc_fp128 %Val)
10088
10089Overview:
10090"""""""""
10091
10092The '``llvm.fabs.*``' intrinsics return the absolute value of the
10093operand.
10094
10095Arguments:
10096""""""""""
10097
10098The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10099type.
10100
10101Semantics:
10102""""""""""
10103
10104This function returns the same values as the libm ``fabs`` functions
10105would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10106
10107'``llvm.minnum.*``' Intrinsic
10108^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10109
10110Syntax:
10111"""""""
10112
10113This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.minnum`` on any
10114floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10115all types however.
10116
10117::
10118
10119      declare float     @llvm.minnum.f32(float %Val0, float %Val1)
10120      declare double    @llvm.minnum.f64(double %Val0, double %Val1)
10121      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.minnum.f80(x86_fp80 %Val0, x86_fp80 %Val1)
10122      declare fp128     @llvm.minnum.f128(fp128 %Val0, fp128 %Val1)
10123      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.minnum.ppcf128(ppc_fp128 %Val0, ppc_fp128 %Val1)
10124
10125Overview:
10126"""""""""
10127
10128The '``llvm.minnum.*``' intrinsics return the minimum of the two
10129arguments.
10130
10131
10132Arguments:
10133""""""""""
10134
10135The arguments and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10136type.
10137
10138Semantics:
10139""""""""""
10140
10141Follows the IEEE-754 semantics for minNum, which also match for libm's
10142fmin.
10143
10144If either operand is a NaN, returns the other non-NaN operand. Returns
10145NaN only if both operands are NaN. If the operands compare equal,
10146returns a value that compares equal to both operands. This means that
10147fmin(+/-0.0, +/-0.0) could return either -0.0 or 0.0.
10148
10149'``llvm.maxnum.*``' Intrinsic
10150^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10151
10152Syntax:
10153"""""""
10154
10155This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.maxnum`` on any
10156floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10157all types however.
10158
10159::
10160
10161      declare float     @llvm.maxnum.f32(float  %Val0, float  %Val1l)
10162      declare double    @llvm.maxnum.f64(double %Val0, double %Val1)
10163      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.maxnum.f80(x86_fp80  %Val0, x86_fp80  %Val1)
10164      declare fp128     @llvm.maxnum.f128(fp128 %Val0, fp128 %Val1)
10165      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.maxnum.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val0, ppc_fp128  %Val1)
10166
10167Overview:
10168"""""""""
10169
10170The '``llvm.maxnum.*``' intrinsics return the maximum of the two
10171arguments.
10172
10173
10174Arguments:
10175""""""""""
10176
10177The arguments and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10178type.
10179
10180Semantics:
10181""""""""""
10182Follows the IEEE-754 semantics for maxNum, which also match for libm's
10183fmax.
10184
10185If either operand is a NaN, returns the other non-NaN operand. Returns
10186NaN only if both operands are NaN. If the operands compare equal,
10187returns a value that compares equal to both operands. This means that
10188fmax(+/-0.0, +/-0.0) could return either -0.0 or 0.0.
10189
10190'``llvm.copysign.*``' Intrinsic
10191^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10192
10193Syntax:
10194"""""""
10195
10196This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.copysign`` on any
10197floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10198all types however.
10199
10200::
10201
10202      declare float     @llvm.copysign.f32(float  %Mag, float  %Sgn)
10203      declare double    @llvm.copysign.f64(double %Mag, double %Sgn)
10204      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.copysign.f80(x86_fp80  %Mag, x86_fp80  %Sgn)
10205      declare fp128     @llvm.copysign.f128(fp128 %Mag, fp128 %Sgn)
10206      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.copysign.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Mag, ppc_fp128  %Sgn)
10207
10208Overview:
10209"""""""""
10210
10211The '``llvm.copysign.*``' intrinsics return a value with the magnitude of the
10212first operand and the sign of the second operand.
10213
10214Arguments:
10215""""""""""
10216
10217The arguments and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10218type.
10219
10220Semantics:
10221""""""""""
10222
10223This function returns the same values as the libm ``copysign``
10224functions would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10225
10226'``llvm.floor.*``' Intrinsic
10227^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10228
10229Syntax:
10230"""""""
10231
10232This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.floor`` on any
10233floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10234all types however.
10235
10236::
10237
10238      declare float     @llvm.floor.f32(float  %Val)
10239      declare double    @llvm.floor.f64(double %Val)
10240      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.floor.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10241      declare fp128     @llvm.floor.f128(fp128 %Val)
10242      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.floor.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10243
10244Overview:
10245"""""""""
10246
10247The '``llvm.floor.*``' intrinsics return the floor of the operand.
10248
10249Arguments:
10250""""""""""
10251
10252The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10253type.
10254
10255Semantics:
10256""""""""""
10257
10258This function returns the same values as the libm ``floor`` functions
10259would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10260
10261'``llvm.ceil.*``' Intrinsic
10262^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10263
10264Syntax:
10265"""""""
10266
10267This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.ceil`` on any
10268floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10269all types however.
10270
10271::
10272
10273      declare float     @llvm.ceil.f32(float  %Val)
10274      declare double    @llvm.ceil.f64(double %Val)
10275      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.ceil.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10276      declare fp128     @llvm.ceil.f128(fp128 %Val)
10277      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.ceil.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10278
10279Overview:
10280"""""""""
10281
10282The '``llvm.ceil.*``' intrinsics return the ceiling of the operand.
10283
10284Arguments:
10285""""""""""
10286
10287The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10288type.
10289
10290Semantics:
10291""""""""""
10292
10293This function returns the same values as the libm ``ceil`` functions
10294would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10295
10296'``llvm.trunc.*``' Intrinsic
10297^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10298
10299Syntax:
10300"""""""
10301
10302This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.trunc`` on any
10303floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10304all types however.
10305
10306::
10307
10308      declare float     @llvm.trunc.f32(float  %Val)
10309      declare double    @llvm.trunc.f64(double %Val)
10310      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.trunc.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10311      declare fp128     @llvm.trunc.f128(fp128 %Val)
10312      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.trunc.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10313
10314Overview:
10315"""""""""
10316
10317The '``llvm.trunc.*``' intrinsics returns the operand rounded to the
10318nearest integer not larger in magnitude than the operand.
10319
10320Arguments:
10321""""""""""
10322
10323The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10324type.
10325
10326Semantics:
10327""""""""""
10328
10329This function returns the same values as the libm ``trunc`` functions
10330would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10331
10332'``llvm.rint.*``' Intrinsic
10333^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10334
10335Syntax:
10336"""""""
10337
10338This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.rint`` on any
10339floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10340all types however.
10341
10342::
10343
10344      declare float     @llvm.rint.f32(float  %Val)
10345      declare double    @llvm.rint.f64(double %Val)
10346      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.rint.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10347      declare fp128     @llvm.rint.f128(fp128 %Val)
10348      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.rint.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10349
10350Overview:
10351"""""""""
10352
10353The '``llvm.rint.*``' intrinsics returns the operand rounded to the
10354nearest integer. It may raise an inexact floating-point exception if the
10355operand isn't an integer.
10356
10357Arguments:
10358""""""""""
10359
10360The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10361type.
10362
10363Semantics:
10364""""""""""
10365
10366This function returns the same values as the libm ``rint`` functions
10367would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10368
10369'``llvm.nearbyint.*``' Intrinsic
10370^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10371
10372Syntax:
10373"""""""
10374
10375This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.nearbyint`` on any
10376floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10377all types however.
10378
10379::
10380
10381      declare float     @llvm.nearbyint.f32(float  %Val)
10382      declare double    @llvm.nearbyint.f64(double %Val)
10383      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.nearbyint.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10384      declare fp128     @llvm.nearbyint.f128(fp128 %Val)
10385      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.nearbyint.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10386
10387Overview:
10388"""""""""
10389
10390The '``llvm.nearbyint.*``' intrinsics returns the operand rounded to the
10391nearest integer.
10392
10393Arguments:
10394""""""""""
10395
10396The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10397type.
10398
10399Semantics:
10400""""""""""
10401
10402This function returns the same values as the libm ``nearbyint``
10403functions would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10404
10405'``llvm.round.*``' Intrinsic
10406^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10407
10408Syntax:
10409"""""""
10410
10411This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.round`` on any
10412floating point or vector of floating point type. Not all targets support
10413all types however.
10414
10415::
10416
10417      declare float     @llvm.round.f32(float  %Val)
10418      declare double    @llvm.round.f64(double %Val)
10419      declare x86_fp80  @llvm.round.f80(x86_fp80  %Val)
10420      declare fp128     @llvm.round.f128(fp128 %Val)
10421      declare ppc_fp128 @llvm.round.ppcf128(ppc_fp128  %Val)
10422
10423Overview:
10424"""""""""
10425
10426The '``llvm.round.*``' intrinsics returns the operand rounded to the
10427nearest integer.
10428
10429Arguments:
10430""""""""""
10431
10432The argument and return value are floating point numbers of the same
10433type.
10434
10435Semantics:
10436""""""""""
10437
10438This function returns the same values as the libm ``round``
10439functions would, and handles error conditions in the same way.
10440
10441Bit Manipulation Intrinsics
10442---------------------------
10443
10444LLVM provides intrinsics for a few important bit manipulation
10445operations. These allow efficient code generation for some algorithms.
10446
10447'``llvm.bitreverse.*``' Intrinsics
10448^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10449
10450Syntax:
10451"""""""
10452
10453This is an overloaded intrinsic function. You can use bitreverse on any
10454integer type.
10455
10456::
10457
10458      declare i16 @llvm.bitreverse.i16(i16 <id>)
10459      declare i32 @llvm.bitreverse.i32(i32 <id>)
10460      declare i64 @llvm.bitreverse.i64(i64 <id>)
10461
10462Overview:
10463"""""""""
10464
10465The '``llvm.bitreverse``' family of intrinsics is used to reverse the
10466bitpattern of an integer value; for example ``0b1234567`` becomes
10467``0b7654321``.
10468
10469Semantics:
10470""""""""""
10471
10472The ``llvm.bitreverse.iN`` intrinsic returns an i16 value that has bit
10473``M`` in the input moved to bit ``N-M`` in the output.
10474
10475'``llvm.bswap.*``' Intrinsics
10476^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10477
10478Syntax:
10479"""""""
10480
10481This is an overloaded intrinsic function. You can use bswap on any
10482integer type that is an even number of bytes (i.e. BitWidth % 16 == 0).
10483
10484::
10485
10486      declare i16 @llvm.bswap.i16(i16 <id>)
10487      declare i32 @llvm.bswap.i32(i32 <id>)
10488      declare i64 @llvm.bswap.i64(i64 <id>)
10489
10490Overview:
10491"""""""""
10492
10493The '``llvm.bswap``' family of intrinsics is used to byte swap integer
10494values with an even number of bytes (positive multiple of 16 bits).
10495These are useful for performing operations on data that is not in the
10496target's native byte order.
10497
10498Semantics:
10499""""""""""
10500
10501The ``llvm.bswap.i16`` intrinsic returns an i16 value that has the high
10502and low byte of the input i16 swapped. Similarly, the ``llvm.bswap.i32``
10503intrinsic returns an i32 value that has the four bytes of the input i32
10504swapped, so that if the input bytes are numbered 0, 1, 2, 3 then the
10505returned i32 will have its bytes in 3, 2, 1, 0 order. The
10506``llvm.bswap.i48``, ``llvm.bswap.i64`` and other intrinsics extend this
10507concept to additional even-byte lengths (6 bytes, 8 bytes and more,
10508respectively).
10509
10510'``llvm.ctpop.*``' Intrinsic
10511^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10512
10513Syntax:
10514"""""""
10515
10516This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use llvm.ctpop on any integer
10517bit width, or on any vector with integer elements. Not all targets
10518support all bit widths or vector types, however.
10519
10520::
10521
10522      declare i8 @llvm.ctpop.i8(i8  <src>)
10523      declare i16 @llvm.ctpop.i16(i16 <src>)
10524      declare i32 @llvm.ctpop.i32(i32 <src>)
10525      declare i64 @llvm.ctpop.i64(i64 <src>)
10526      declare i256 @llvm.ctpop.i256(i256 <src>)
10527      declare <2 x i32> @llvm.ctpop.v2i32(<2 x i32> <src>)
10528
10529Overview:
10530"""""""""
10531
10532The '``llvm.ctpop``' family of intrinsics counts the number of bits set
10533in a value.
10534
10535Arguments:
10536""""""""""
10537
10538The only argument is the value to be counted. The argument may be of any
10539integer type, or a vector with integer elements. The return type must
10540match the argument type.
10541
10542Semantics:
10543""""""""""
10544
10545The '``llvm.ctpop``' intrinsic counts the 1's in a variable, or within
10546each element of a vector.
10547
10548'``llvm.ctlz.*``' Intrinsic
10549^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10550
10551Syntax:
10552"""""""
10553
10554This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.ctlz`` on any
10555integer bit width, or any vector whose elements are integers. Not all
10556targets support all bit widths or vector types, however.
10557
10558::
10559
10560      declare i8   @llvm.ctlz.i8  (i8   <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10561      declare i16  @llvm.ctlz.i16 (i16  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10562      declare i32  @llvm.ctlz.i32 (i32  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10563      declare i64  @llvm.ctlz.i64 (i64  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10564      declare i256 @llvm.ctlz.i256(i256 <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10565      declase <2 x i32> @llvm.ctlz.v2i32(<2 x i32> <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10566
10567Overview:
10568"""""""""
10569
10570The '``llvm.ctlz``' family of intrinsic functions counts the number of
10571leading zeros in a variable.
10572
10573Arguments:
10574""""""""""
10575
10576The first argument is the value to be counted. This argument may be of
10577any integer type, or a vector with integer element type. The return
10578type must match the first argument type.
10579
10580The second argument must be a constant and is a flag to indicate whether
10581the intrinsic should ensure that a zero as the first argument produces a
10582defined result. Historically some architectures did not provide a
10583defined result for zero values as efficiently, and many algorithms are
10584now predicated on avoiding zero-value inputs.
10585
10586Semantics:
10587""""""""""
10588
10589The '``llvm.ctlz``' intrinsic counts the leading (most significant)
10590zeros in a variable, or within each element of the vector. If
10591``src == 0`` then the result is the size in bits of the type of ``src``
10592if ``is_zero_undef == 0`` and ``undef`` otherwise. For example,
10593``llvm.ctlz(i32 2) = 30``.
10594
10595'``llvm.cttz.*``' Intrinsic
10596^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10597
10598Syntax:
10599"""""""
10600
10601This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.cttz`` on any
10602integer bit width, or any vector of integer elements. Not all targets
10603support all bit widths or vector types, however.
10604
10605::
10606
10607      declare i8   @llvm.cttz.i8  (i8   <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10608      declare i16  @llvm.cttz.i16 (i16  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10609      declare i32  @llvm.cttz.i32 (i32  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10610      declare i64  @llvm.cttz.i64 (i64  <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10611      declare i256 @llvm.cttz.i256(i256 <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10612      declase <2 x i32> @llvm.cttz.v2i32(<2 x i32> <src>, i1 <is_zero_undef>)
10613
10614Overview:
10615"""""""""
10616
10617The '``llvm.cttz``' family of intrinsic functions counts the number of
10618trailing zeros.
10619
10620Arguments:
10621""""""""""
10622
10623The first argument is the value to be counted. This argument may be of
10624any integer type, or a vector with integer element type. The return
10625type must match the first argument type.
10626
10627The second argument must be a constant and is a flag to indicate whether
10628the intrinsic should ensure that a zero as the first argument produces a
10629defined result. Historically some architectures did not provide a
10630defined result for zero values as efficiently, and many algorithms are
10631now predicated on avoiding zero-value inputs.
10632
10633Semantics:
10634""""""""""
10635
10636The '``llvm.cttz``' intrinsic counts the trailing (least significant)
10637zeros in a variable, or within each element of a vector. If ``src == 0``
10638then the result is the size in bits of the type of ``src`` if
10639``is_zero_undef == 0`` and ``undef`` otherwise. For example,
10640``llvm.cttz(2) = 1``.
10641
10642.. _int_overflow:
10643
10644Arithmetic with Overflow Intrinsics
10645-----------------------------------
10646
10647LLVM provides intrinsics for some arithmetic with overflow operations.
10648
10649'``llvm.sadd.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10650^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10651
10652Syntax:
10653"""""""
10654
10655This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.sadd.with.overflow``
10656on any integer bit width.
10657
10658::
10659
10660      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.sadd.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10661      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.sadd.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10662      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.sadd.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10663
10664Overview:
10665"""""""""
10666
10667The '``llvm.sadd.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10668a signed addition of the two arguments, and indicate whether an overflow
10669occurred during the signed summation.
10670
10671Arguments:
10672""""""""""
10673
10674The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10675may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10676bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10677``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo signed
10678addition.
10679
10680Semantics:
10681""""""""""
10682
10683The '``llvm.sadd.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10684a signed addition of the two variables. They return a structure --- the
10685first element of which is the signed summation, and the second element
10686of which is a bit specifying if the signed summation resulted in an
10687overflow.
10688
10689Examples:
10690"""""""""
10691
10692.. code-block:: llvm
10693
10694      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.sadd.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10695      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10696      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10697      br i1 %obit, label %overflow, label %normal
10698
10699'``llvm.uadd.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10700^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10701
10702Syntax:
10703"""""""
10704
10705This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.uadd.with.overflow``
10706on any integer bit width.
10707
10708::
10709
10710      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.uadd.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10711      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.uadd.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10712      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.uadd.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10713
10714Overview:
10715"""""""""
10716
10717The '``llvm.uadd.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10718an unsigned addition of the two arguments, and indicate whether a carry
10719occurred during the unsigned summation.
10720
10721Arguments:
10722""""""""""
10723
10724The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10725may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10726bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10727``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo unsigned
10728addition.
10729
10730Semantics:
10731""""""""""
10732
10733The '``llvm.uadd.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10734an unsigned addition of the two arguments. They return a structure --- the
10735first element of which is the sum, and the second element of which is a
10736bit specifying if the unsigned summation resulted in a carry.
10737
10738Examples:
10739"""""""""
10740
10741.. code-block:: llvm
10742
10743      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.uadd.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10744      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10745      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10746      br i1 %obit, label %carry, label %normal
10747
10748'``llvm.ssub.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10749^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10750
10751Syntax:
10752"""""""
10753
10754This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.ssub.with.overflow``
10755on any integer bit width.
10756
10757::
10758
10759      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.ssub.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10760      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.ssub.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10761      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.ssub.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10762
10763Overview:
10764"""""""""
10765
10766The '``llvm.ssub.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10767a signed subtraction of the two arguments, and indicate whether an
10768overflow occurred during the signed subtraction.
10769
10770Arguments:
10771""""""""""
10772
10773The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10774may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10775bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10776``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo signed
10777subtraction.
10778
10779Semantics:
10780""""""""""
10781
10782The '``llvm.ssub.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10783a signed subtraction of the two arguments. They return a structure --- the
10784first element of which is the subtraction, and the second element of
10785which is a bit specifying if the signed subtraction resulted in an
10786overflow.
10787
10788Examples:
10789"""""""""
10790
10791.. code-block:: llvm
10792
10793      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.ssub.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10794      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10795      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10796      br i1 %obit, label %overflow, label %normal
10797
10798'``llvm.usub.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10799^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10800
10801Syntax:
10802"""""""
10803
10804This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.usub.with.overflow``
10805on any integer bit width.
10806
10807::
10808
10809      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.usub.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10810      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.usub.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10811      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.usub.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10812
10813Overview:
10814"""""""""
10815
10816The '``llvm.usub.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10817an unsigned subtraction of the two arguments, and indicate whether an
10818overflow occurred during the unsigned subtraction.
10819
10820Arguments:
10821""""""""""
10822
10823The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10824may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10825bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10826``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo unsigned
10827subtraction.
10828
10829Semantics:
10830""""""""""
10831
10832The '``llvm.usub.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10833an unsigned subtraction of the two arguments. They return a structure ---
10834the first element of which is the subtraction, and the second element of
10835which is a bit specifying if the unsigned subtraction resulted in an
10836overflow.
10837
10838Examples:
10839"""""""""
10840
10841.. code-block:: llvm
10842
10843      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.usub.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10844      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10845      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10846      br i1 %obit, label %overflow, label %normal
10847
10848'``llvm.smul.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10849^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10850
10851Syntax:
10852"""""""
10853
10854This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.smul.with.overflow``
10855on any integer bit width.
10856
10857::
10858
10859      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.smul.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10860      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.smul.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10861      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.smul.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10862
10863Overview:
10864"""""""""
10865
10866The '``llvm.smul.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10867a signed multiplication of the two arguments, and indicate whether an
10868overflow occurred during the signed multiplication.
10869
10870Arguments:
10871""""""""""
10872
10873The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10874may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10875bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10876``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo signed
10877multiplication.
10878
10879Semantics:
10880""""""""""
10881
10882The '``llvm.smul.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10883a signed multiplication of the two arguments. They return a structure ---
10884the first element of which is the multiplication, and the second element
10885of which is a bit specifying if the signed multiplication resulted in an
10886overflow.
10887
10888Examples:
10889"""""""""
10890
10891.. code-block:: llvm
10892
10893      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.smul.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10894      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10895      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10896      br i1 %obit, label %overflow, label %normal
10897
10898'``llvm.umul.with.overflow.*``' Intrinsics
10899^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10900
10901Syntax:
10902"""""""
10903
10904This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.umul.with.overflow``
10905on any integer bit width.
10906
10907::
10908
10909      declare {i16, i1} @llvm.umul.with.overflow.i16(i16 %a, i16 %b)
10910      declare {i32, i1} @llvm.umul.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10911      declare {i64, i1} @llvm.umul.with.overflow.i64(i64 %a, i64 %b)
10912
10913Overview:
10914"""""""""
10915
10916The '``llvm.umul.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10917a unsigned multiplication of the two arguments, and indicate whether an
10918overflow occurred during the unsigned multiplication.
10919
10920Arguments:
10921""""""""""
10922
10923The arguments (%a and %b) and the first element of the result structure
10924may be of integer types of any bit width, but they must have the same
10925bit width. The second element of the result structure must be of type
10926``i1``. ``%a`` and ``%b`` are the two values that will undergo unsigned
10927multiplication.
10928
10929Semantics:
10930""""""""""
10931
10932The '``llvm.umul.with.overflow``' family of intrinsic functions perform
10933an unsigned multiplication of the two arguments. They return a structure ---
10934the first element of which is the multiplication, and the second
10935element of which is a bit specifying if the unsigned multiplication
10936resulted in an overflow.
10937
10938Examples:
10939"""""""""
10940
10941.. code-block:: llvm
10942
10943      %res = call {i32, i1} @llvm.umul.with.overflow.i32(i32 %a, i32 %b)
10944      %sum = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 0
10945      %obit = extractvalue {i32, i1} %res, 1
10946      br i1 %obit, label %overflow, label %normal
10947
10948Specialised Arithmetic Intrinsics
10949---------------------------------
10950
10951'``llvm.canonicalize.*``' Intrinsic
10952^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10953
10954Syntax:
10955"""""""
10956
10957::
10958
10959      declare float @llvm.canonicalize.f32(float %a)
10960      declare double @llvm.canonicalize.f64(double %b)
10961
10962Overview:
10963"""""""""
10964
10965The '``llvm.canonicalize.*``' intrinsic returns the platform specific canonical
10966encoding of a floating point number. This canonicalization is useful for
10967implementing certain numeric primitives such as frexp. The canonical encoding is
10968defined by IEEE-754-2008 to be:
10969
10970::
10971
10972      2.1.8 canonical encoding: The preferred encoding of a floating-point
10973      representation in a format. Applied to declets, significands of finite
10974      numbers, infinities, and NaNs, especially in decimal formats.
10975
10976This operation can also be considered equivalent to the IEEE-754-2008
10977conversion of a floating-point value to the same format. NaNs are handled
10978according to section 6.2.
10979
10980Examples of non-canonical encodings:
10981
10982- x87 pseudo denormals, pseudo NaNs, pseudo Infinity, Unnormals. These are
10983  converted to a canonical representation per hardware-specific protocol.
10984- Many normal decimal floating point numbers have non-canonical alternative
10985  encodings.
10986- Some machines, like GPUs or ARMv7 NEON, do not support subnormal values.
10987  These are treated as non-canonical encodings of zero and with be flushed to
10988  a zero of the same sign by this operation.
10989
10990Note that per IEEE-754-2008 6.2, systems that support signaling NaNs with
10991default exception handling must signal an invalid exception, and produce a
10992quiet NaN result.
10993
10994This function should always be implementable as multiplication by 1.0, provided
10995that the compiler does not constant fold the operation. Likewise, division by
109961.0 and ``llvm.minnum(x, x)`` are possible implementations. Addition with
10997-0.0 is also sufficient provided that the rounding mode is not -Infinity.
10998
10999``@llvm.canonicalize`` must preserve the equality relation. That is:
11000
11001- ``(@llvm.canonicalize(x) == x)`` is equivalent to ``(x == x)``
11002- ``(@llvm.canonicalize(x) == @llvm.canonicalize(y))`` is equivalent to
11003  to ``(x == y)``
11004
11005Additionally, the sign of zero must be conserved:
11006``@llvm.canonicalize(-0.0) = -0.0`` and ``@llvm.canonicalize(+0.0) = +0.0``
11007
11008The payload bits of a NaN must be conserved, with two exceptions.
11009First, environments which use only a single canonical representation of NaN
11010must perform said canonicalization. Second, SNaNs must be quieted per the
11011usual methods.
11012
11013The canonicalization operation may be optimized away if:
11014
11015- The input is known to be canonical. For example, it was produced by a
11016  floating-point operation that is required by the standard to be canonical.
11017- The result is consumed only by (or fused with) other floating-point
11018  operations. That is, the bits of the floating point value are not examined.
11019
11020'``llvm.fmuladd.*``' Intrinsic
11021^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11022
11023Syntax:
11024"""""""
11025
11026::
11027
11028      declare float @llvm.fmuladd.f32(float %a, float %b, float %c)
11029      declare double @llvm.fmuladd.f64(double %a, double %b, double %c)
11030
11031Overview:
11032"""""""""
11033
11034The '``llvm.fmuladd.*``' intrinsic functions represent multiply-add
11035expressions that can be fused if the code generator determines that (a) the
11036target instruction set has support for a fused operation, and (b) that the
11037fused operation is more efficient than the equivalent, separate pair of mul
11038and add instructions.
11039
11040Arguments:
11041""""""""""
11042
11043The '``llvm.fmuladd.*``' intrinsics each take three arguments: two
11044multiplicands, a and b, and an addend c.
11045
11046Semantics:
11047""""""""""
11048
11049The expression:
11050
11051::
11052
11053      %0 = call float @llvm.fmuladd.f32(%a, %b, %c)
11054
11055is equivalent to the expression a \* b + c, except that rounding will
11056not be performed between the multiplication and addition steps if the
11057code generator fuses the operations. Fusion is not guaranteed, even if
11058the target platform supports it. If a fused multiply-add is required the
11059corresponding llvm.fma.\* intrinsic function should be used
11060instead. This never sets errno, just as '``llvm.fma.*``'.
11061
11062Examples:
11063"""""""""
11064
11065.. code-block:: llvm
11066
11067      %r2 = call float @llvm.fmuladd.f32(float %a, float %b, float %c) ; yields float:r2 = (a * b) + c
11068
11069Half Precision Floating Point Intrinsics
11070----------------------------------------
11071
11072For most target platforms, half precision floating point is a
11073storage-only format. This means that it is a dense encoding (in memory)
11074but does not support computation in the format.
11075
11076This means that code must first load the half-precision floating point
11077value as an i16, then convert it to float with
11078:ref:`llvm.convert.from.fp16 <int_convert_from_fp16>`. Computation can
11079then be performed on the float value (including extending to double
11080etc). To store the value back to memory, it is first converted to float
11081if needed, then converted to i16 with
11082:ref:`llvm.convert.to.fp16 <int_convert_to_fp16>`, then storing as an
11083i16 value.
11084
11085.. _int_convert_to_fp16:
11086
11087'``llvm.convert.to.fp16``' Intrinsic
11088^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11089
11090Syntax:
11091"""""""
11092
11093::
11094
11095      declare i16 @llvm.convert.to.fp16.f32(float %a)
11096      declare i16 @llvm.convert.to.fp16.f64(double %a)
11097
11098Overview:
11099"""""""""
11100
11101The '``llvm.convert.to.fp16``' intrinsic function performs a conversion from a
11102conventional floating point type to half precision floating point format.
11103
11104Arguments:
11105""""""""""
11106
11107The intrinsic function contains single argument - the value to be
11108converted.
11109
11110Semantics:
11111""""""""""
11112
11113The '``llvm.convert.to.fp16``' intrinsic function performs a conversion from a
11114conventional floating point format to half precision floating point format. The
11115return value is an ``i16`` which contains the converted number.
11116
11117Examples:
11118"""""""""
11119
11120.. code-block:: llvm
11121
11122      %res = call i16 @llvm.convert.to.fp16.f32(float %a)
11123      store i16 %res, i16* @x, align 2
11124
11125.. _int_convert_from_fp16:
11126
11127'``llvm.convert.from.fp16``' Intrinsic
11128^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11129
11130Syntax:
11131"""""""
11132
11133::
11134
11135      declare float @llvm.convert.from.fp16.f32(i16 %a)
11136      declare double @llvm.convert.from.fp16.f64(i16 %a)
11137
11138Overview:
11139"""""""""
11140
11141The '``llvm.convert.from.fp16``' intrinsic function performs a
11142conversion from half precision floating point format to single precision
11143floating point format.
11144
11145Arguments:
11146""""""""""
11147
11148The intrinsic function contains single argument - the value to be
11149converted.
11150
11151Semantics:
11152""""""""""
11153
11154The '``llvm.convert.from.fp16``' intrinsic function performs a
11155conversion from half single precision floating point format to single
11156precision floating point format. The input half-float value is
11157represented by an ``i16`` value.
11158
11159Examples:
11160"""""""""
11161
11162.. code-block:: llvm
11163
11164      %a = load i16, i16* @x, align 2
11165      %res = call float @llvm.convert.from.fp16(i16 %a)
11166
11167.. _dbg_intrinsics:
11168
11169Debugger Intrinsics
11170-------------------
11171
11172The LLVM debugger intrinsics (which all start with ``llvm.dbg.``
11173prefix), are described in the `LLVM Source Level
11174Debugging <SourceLevelDebugging.html#format_common_intrinsics>`_
11175document.
11176
11177Exception Handling Intrinsics
11178-----------------------------
11179
11180The LLVM exception handling intrinsics (which all start with
11181``llvm.eh.`` prefix), are described in the `LLVM Exception
11182Handling <ExceptionHandling.html#format_common_intrinsics>`_ document.
11183
11184.. _int_trampoline:
11185
11186Trampoline Intrinsics
11187---------------------
11188
11189These intrinsics make it possible to excise one parameter, marked with
11190the :ref:`nest <nest>` attribute, from a function. The result is a
11191callable function pointer lacking the nest parameter - the caller does
11192not need to provide a value for it. Instead, the value to use is stored
11193in advance in a "trampoline", a block of memory usually allocated on the
11194stack, which also contains code to splice the nest value into the
11195argument list. This is used to implement the GCC nested function address
11196extension.
11197
11198For example, if the function is ``i32 f(i8* nest %c, i32 %x, i32 %y)``
11199then the resulting function pointer has signature ``i32 (i32, i32)*``.
11200It can be created as follows:
11201
11202.. code-block:: llvm
11203
11204      %tramp = alloca [10 x i8], align 4 ; size and alignment only correct for X86
11205      %tramp1 = getelementptr [10 x i8], [10 x i8]* %tramp, i32 0, i32 0
11206      call i8* @llvm.init.trampoline(i8* %tramp1, i8* bitcast (i32 (i8*, i32, i32)* @f to i8*), i8* %nval)
11207      %p = call i8* @llvm.adjust.trampoline(i8* %tramp1)
11208      %fp = bitcast i8* %p to i32 (i32, i32)*
11209
11210The call ``%val = call i32 %fp(i32 %x, i32 %y)`` is then equivalent to
11211``%val = call i32 %f(i8* %nval, i32 %x, i32 %y)``.
11212
11213.. _int_it:
11214
11215'``llvm.init.trampoline``' Intrinsic
11216^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11217
11218Syntax:
11219"""""""
11220
11221::
11222
11223      declare void @llvm.init.trampoline(i8* <tramp>, i8* <func>, i8* <nval>)
11224
11225Overview:
11226"""""""""
11227
11228This fills the memory pointed to by ``tramp`` with executable code,
11229turning it into a trampoline.
11230
11231Arguments:
11232""""""""""
11233
11234The ``llvm.init.trampoline`` intrinsic takes three arguments, all
11235pointers. The ``tramp`` argument must point to a sufficiently large and
11236sufficiently aligned block of memory; this memory is written to by the
11237intrinsic. Note that the size and the alignment are target-specific -
11238LLVM currently provides no portable way of determining them, so a
11239front-end that generates this intrinsic needs to have some
11240target-specific knowledge. The ``func`` argument must hold a function
11241bitcast to an ``i8*``.
11242
11243Semantics:
11244""""""""""
11245
11246The block of memory pointed to by ``tramp`` is filled with target
11247dependent code, turning it into a function. Then ``tramp`` needs to be
11248passed to :ref:`llvm.adjust.trampoline <int_at>` to get a pointer which can
11249be :ref:`bitcast (to a new function) and called <int_trampoline>`. The new
11250function's signature is the same as that of ``func`` with any arguments
11251marked with the ``nest`` attribute removed. At most one such ``nest``
11252argument is allowed, and it must be of pointer type. Calling the new
11253function is equivalent to calling ``func`` with the same argument list,
11254but with ``nval`` used for the missing ``nest`` argument. If, after
11255calling ``llvm.init.trampoline``, the memory pointed to by ``tramp`` is
11256modified, then the effect of any later call to the returned function
11257pointer is undefined.
11258
11259.. _int_at:
11260
11261'``llvm.adjust.trampoline``' Intrinsic
11262^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11263
11264Syntax:
11265"""""""
11266
11267::
11268
11269      declare i8* @llvm.adjust.trampoline(i8* <tramp>)
11270
11271Overview:
11272"""""""""
11273
11274This performs any required machine-specific adjustment to the address of
11275a trampoline (passed as ``tramp``).
11276
11277Arguments:
11278""""""""""
11279
11280``tramp`` must point to a block of memory which already has trampoline
11281code filled in by a previous call to
11282:ref:`llvm.init.trampoline <int_it>`.
11283
11284Semantics:
11285""""""""""
11286
11287On some architectures the address of the code to be executed needs to be
11288different than the address where the trampoline is actually stored. This
11289intrinsic returns the executable address corresponding to ``tramp``
11290after performing the required machine specific adjustments. The pointer
11291returned can then be :ref:`bitcast and executed <int_trampoline>`.
11292
11293.. _int_mload_mstore:
11294
11295Masked Vector Load and Store Intrinsics
11296---------------------------------------
11297
11298LLVM provides intrinsics for predicated vector load and store operations. The predicate is specified by a mask operand, which holds one bit per vector element, switching the associated vector lane on or off. The memory addresses corresponding to the "off" lanes are not accessed. When all bits of the mask are on, the intrinsic is identical to a regular vector load or store. When all bits are off, no memory is accessed.
11299
11300.. _int_mload:
11301
11302'``llvm.masked.load.*``' Intrinsics
11303^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11304
11305Syntax:
11306"""""""
11307This is an overloaded intrinsic. The loaded data is a vector of any integer, floating point or pointer data type.
11308
11309::
11310
11311      declare <16 x float>  @llvm.masked.load.v16f32 (<16 x float>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <16 x i1> <mask>, <16 x float> <passthru>)
11312      declare <2 x double>  @llvm.masked.load.v2f64  (<2 x double>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <2 x i1>  <mask>, <2 x double> <passthru>)
11313      ;; The data is a vector of pointers to double
11314      declare <8 x double*> @llvm.masked.load.v8p0f64    (<8 x double*>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <8 x i1> <mask>, <8 x double*> <passthru>)
11315      ;; The data is a vector of function pointers
11316      declare <8 x i32 ()*> @llvm.masked.load.v8p0f_i32f (<8 x i32 ()*>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <8 x i1> <mask>, <8 x i32 ()*> <passthru>)
11317
11318Overview:
11319"""""""""
11320
11321Reads a vector from memory according to the provided mask. The mask holds a bit for each vector lane, and is used to prevent memory accesses to the masked-off lanes. The masked-off lanes in the result vector are taken from the corresponding lanes of the '``passthru``' operand.
11322
11323
11324Arguments:
11325""""""""""
11326
11327The first operand is the base pointer for the load. The second operand is the alignment of the source location. It must be a constant integer value. The third operand, mask, is a vector of boolean values with the same number of elements as the return type. The fourth is a pass-through value that is used to fill the masked-off lanes of the result. The return type, underlying type of the base pointer and the type of the '``passthru``' operand are the same vector types.
11328
11329
11330Semantics:
11331""""""""""
11332
11333The '``llvm.masked.load``' intrinsic is designed for conditional reading of selected vector elements in a single IR operation. It is useful for targets that support vector masked loads and allows vectorizing predicated basic blocks on these targets. Other targets may support this intrinsic differently, for example by lowering it into a sequence of branches that guard scalar load operations.
11334The result of this operation is equivalent to a regular vector load instruction followed by a 'select' between the loaded and the passthru values, predicated on the same mask. However, using this intrinsic prevents exceptions on memory access to masked-off lanes.
11335
11336
11337::
11338
11339       %res = call <16 x float> @llvm.masked.load.v16f32 (<16 x float>* %ptr, i32 4, <16 x i1>%mask, <16 x float> %passthru)
11340
11341       ;; The result of the two following instructions is identical aside from potential memory access exception
11342       %loadlal = load <16 x float>, <16 x float>* %ptr, align 4
11343       %res = select <16 x i1> %mask, <16 x float> %loadlal, <16 x float> %passthru
11344
11345.. _int_mstore:
11346
11347'``llvm.masked.store.*``' Intrinsics
11348^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11349
11350Syntax:
11351"""""""
11352This is an overloaded intrinsic. The data stored in memory is a vector of any integer, floating point or pointer data type.
11353
11354::
11355
11356       declare void @llvm.masked.store.v8i32  (<8  x i32>   <value>, <8  x i32>*   <ptr>, i32 <alignment>,  <8  x i1> <mask>)
11357       declare void @llvm.masked.store.v16f32 (<16 x float> <value>, <16 x float>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>,  <16 x i1> <mask>)
11358       ;; The data is a vector of pointers to double
11359       declare void @llvm.masked.store.v8p0f64    (<8 x double*> <value>, <8 x double*>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <8 x i1> <mask>)
11360       ;; The data is a vector of function pointers
11361       declare void @llvm.masked.store.v4p0f_i32f (<4 x i32 ()*> <value>, <4 x i32 ()*>* <ptr>, i32 <alignment>, <4 x i1> <mask>)
11362
11363Overview:
11364"""""""""
11365
11366Writes a vector to memory according to the provided mask. The mask holds a bit for each vector lane, and is used to prevent memory accesses to the masked-off lanes.
11367
11368Arguments:
11369""""""""""
11370
11371The first operand is the vector value to be written to memory. The second operand is the base pointer for the store, it has the same underlying type as the value operand. The third operand is the alignment of the destination location. The fourth operand, mask, is a vector of boolean values. The types of the mask and the value operand must have the same number of vector elements.
11372
11373
11374Semantics:
11375""""""""""
11376
11377The '``llvm.masked.store``' intrinsics is designed for conditional writing of selected vector elements in a single IR operation. It is useful for targets that support vector masked store and allows vectorizing predicated basic blocks on these targets. Other targets may support this intrinsic differently, for example by lowering it into a sequence of branches that guard scalar store operations.
11378The result of this operation is equivalent to a load-modify-store sequence. However, using this intrinsic prevents exceptions and data races on memory access to masked-off lanes.
11379
11380::
11381
11382       call void @llvm.masked.store.v16f32(<16 x float> %value, <16 x float>* %ptr, i32 4,  <16 x i1> %mask)
11383
11384       ;; The result of the following instructions is identical aside from potential data races and memory access exceptions
11385       %oldval = load <16 x float>, <16 x float>* %ptr, align 4
11386       %res = select <16 x i1> %mask, <16 x float> %value, <16 x float> %oldval
11387       store <16 x float> %res, <16 x float>* %ptr, align 4
11388
11389
11390Masked Vector Gather and Scatter Intrinsics
11391-------------------------------------------
11392
11393LLVM provides intrinsics for vector gather and scatter operations. They are similar to :ref:`Masked Vector Load and Store <int_mload_mstore>`, except they are designed for arbitrary memory accesses, rather than sequential memory accesses. Gather and scatter also employ a mask operand, which holds one bit per vector element, switching the associated vector lane on or off. The memory addresses corresponding to the "off" lanes are not accessed. When all bits are off, no memory is accessed.
11394
11395.. _int_mgather:
11396
11397'``llvm.masked.gather.*``' Intrinsics
11398^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11399
11400Syntax:
11401"""""""
11402This is an overloaded intrinsic. The loaded data are multiple scalar values of any integer, floating point or pointer data type gathered together into one vector.
11403
11404::
11405
11406      declare <16 x float> @llvm.masked.gather.v16f32   (<16 x float*> <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <16 x i1> <mask>, <16 x float> <passthru>)
11407      declare <2 x double> @llvm.masked.gather.v2f64    (<2 x double*> <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <2 x i1>  <mask>, <2 x double> <passthru>)
11408      declare <8 x float*> @llvm.masked.gather.v8p0f32  (<8 x float**> <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <8 x i1>  <mask>, <8 x float*> <passthru>)
11409
11410Overview:
11411"""""""""
11412
11413Reads scalar values from arbitrary memory locations and gathers them into one vector. The memory locations are provided in the vector of pointers '``ptrs``'. The memory is accessed according to the provided mask. The mask holds a bit for each vector lane, and is used to prevent memory accesses to the masked-off lanes. The masked-off lanes in the result vector are taken from the corresponding lanes of the '``passthru``' operand.
11414
11415
11416Arguments:
11417""""""""""
11418
11419The first operand is a vector of pointers which holds all memory addresses to read. The second operand is an alignment of the source addresses. It must be a constant integer value. The third operand, mask, is a vector of boolean values with the same number of elements as the return type. The fourth is a pass-through value that is used to fill the masked-off lanes of the result. The return type, underlying type of the vector of pointers and the type of the '``passthru``' operand are the same vector types.
11420
11421
11422Semantics:
11423""""""""""
11424
11425The '``llvm.masked.gather``' intrinsic is designed for conditional reading of multiple scalar values from arbitrary memory locations in a single IR operation. It is useful for targets that support vector masked gathers and allows vectorizing basic blocks with data and control divergence. Other targets may support this intrinsic differently, for example by lowering it into a sequence of scalar load operations.
11426The semantics of this operation are equivalent to a sequence of conditional scalar loads with subsequent gathering all loaded values into a single vector. The mask restricts memory access to certain lanes and facilitates vectorization of predicated basic blocks.
11427
11428
11429::
11430
11431       %res = call <4 x double> @llvm.masked.gather.v4f64 (<4 x double*> %ptrs, i32 8, <4 x i1>%mask, <4 x double> <true, true, true, true>)
11432
11433       ;; The gather with all-true mask is equivalent to the following instruction sequence
11434       %ptr0 = extractelement <4 x double*> %ptrs, i32 0
11435       %ptr1 = extractelement <4 x double*> %ptrs, i32 1
11436       %ptr2 = extractelement <4 x double*> %ptrs, i32 2
11437       %ptr3 = extractelement <4 x double*> %ptrs, i32 3
11438
11439       %val0 = load double, double* %ptr0, align 8
11440       %val1 = load double, double* %ptr1, align 8
11441       %val2 = load double, double* %ptr2, align 8
11442       %val3 = load double, double* %ptr3, align 8
11443
11444       %vec0    = insertelement <4 x double>undef, %val0, 0
11445       %vec01   = insertelement <4 x double>%vec0, %val1, 1
11446       %vec012  = insertelement <4 x double>%vec01, %val2, 2
11447       %vec0123 = insertelement <4 x double>%vec012, %val3, 3
11448
11449.. _int_mscatter:
11450
11451'``llvm.masked.scatter.*``' Intrinsics
11452^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11453
11454Syntax:
11455"""""""
11456This is an overloaded intrinsic. The data stored in memory is a vector of any integer, floating point or pointer data type. Each vector element is stored in an arbitrary memory address. Scatter with overlapping addresses is guaranteed to be ordered from least-significant to most-significant element.
11457
11458::
11459
11460       declare void @llvm.masked.scatter.v8i32   (<8 x i32>     <value>, <8 x i32*>     <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <8 x i1>  <mask>)
11461       declare void @llvm.masked.scatter.v16f32  (<16 x float>  <value>, <16 x float*>  <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <16 x i1> <mask>)
11462       declare void @llvm.masked.scatter.v4p0f64 (<4 x double*> <value>, <4 x double**> <ptrs>, i32 <alignment>, <4 x i1>  <mask>)
11463
11464Overview:
11465"""""""""
11466
11467Writes each element from the value vector to the corresponding memory address. The memory addresses are represented as a vector of pointers. Writing is done according to the provided mask. The mask holds a bit for each vector lane, and is used to prevent memory accesses to the masked-off lanes.
11468
11469Arguments:
11470""""""""""
11471
11472The first operand is a vector value to be written to memory. The second operand is a vector of pointers, pointing to where the value elements should be stored. It has the same underlying type as the value operand. The third operand is an alignment of the destination addresses. The fourth operand, mask, is a vector of boolean values. The types of the mask and the value operand must have the same number of vector elements.
11473
11474
11475Semantics:
11476""""""""""
11477
11478The '``llvm.masked.scatter``' intrinsics is designed for writing selected vector elements to arbitrary memory addresses in a single IR operation. The operation may be conditional, when not all bits in the mask are switched on. It is useful for targets that support vector masked scatter and allows vectorizing basic blocks with data and control divergence. Other targets may support this intrinsic differently, for example by lowering it into a sequence of branches that guard scalar store operations.
11479
11480::
11481
11482       ;; This instruction unconditionaly stores data vector in multiple addresses
11483       call @llvm.masked.scatter.v8i32 (<8 x i32> %value, <8 x i32*> %ptrs, i32 4,  <8 x i1>  <true, true, .. true>)
11484
11485       ;; It is equivalent to a list of scalar stores
11486       %val0 = extractelement <8 x i32> %value, i32 0
11487       %val1 = extractelement <8 x i32> %value, i32 1
11488       ..
11489       %val7 = extractelement <8 x i32> %value, i32 7
11490       %ptr0 = extractelement <8 x i32*> %ptrs, i32 0
11491       %ptr1 = extractelement <8 x i32*> %ptrs, i32 1
11492       ..
11493       %ptr7 = extractelement <8 x i32*> %ptrs, i32 7
11494       ;; Note: the order of the following stores is important when they overlap:
11495       store i32 %val0, i32* %ptr0, align 4
11496       store i32 %val1, i32* %ptr1, align 4
11497       ..
11498       store i32 %val7, i32* %ptr7, align 4
11499
11500
11501Memory Use Markers
11502------------------
11503
11504This class of intrinsics provides information about the lifetime of
11505memory objects and ranges where variables are immutable.
11506
11507.. _int_lifestart:
11508
11509'``llvm.lifetime.start``' Intrinsic
11510^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11511
11512Syntax:
11513"""""""
11514
11515::
11516
11517      declare void @llvm.lifetime.start(i64 <size>, i8* nocapture <ptr>)
11518
11519Overview:
11520"""""""""
11521
11522The '``llvm.lifetime.start``' intrinsic specifies the start of a memory
11523object's lifetime.
11524
11525Arguments:
11526""""""""""
11527
11528The first argument is a constant integer representing the size of the
11529object, or -1 if it is variable sized. The second argument is a pointer
11530to the object.
11531
11532Semantics:
11533""""""""""
11534
11535This intrinsic indicates that before this point in the code, the value
11536of the memory pointed to by ``ptr`` is dead. This means that it is known
11537to never be used and has an undefined value. A load from the pointer
11538that precedes this intrinsic can be replaced with ``'undef'``.
11539
11540.. _int_lifeend:
11541
11542'``llvm.lifetime.end``' Intrinsic
11543^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11544
11545Syntax:
11546"""""""
11547
11548::
11549
11550      declare void @llvm.lifetime.end(i64 <size>, i8* nocapture <ptr>)
11551
11552Overview:
11553"""""""""
11554
11555The '``llvm.lifetime.end``' intrinsic specifies the end of a memory
11556object's lifetime.
11557
11558Arguments:
11559""""""""""
11560
11561The first argument is a constant integer representing the size of the
11562object, or -1 if it is variable sized. The second argument is a pointer
11563to the object.
11564
11565Semantics:
11566""""""""""
11567
11568This intrinsic indicates that after this point in the code, the value of
11569the memory pointed to by ``ptr`` is dead. This means that it is known to
11570never be used and has an undefined value. Any stores into the memory
11571object following this intrinsic may be removed as dead.
11572
11573'``llvm.invariant.start``' Intrinsic
11574^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11575
11576Syntax:
11577"""""""
11578
11579::
11580
11581      declare {}* @llvm.invariant.start(i64 <size>, i8* nocapture <ptr>)
11582
11583Overview:
11584"""""""""
11585
11586The '``llvm.invariant.start``' intrinsic specifies that the contents of
11587a memory object will not change.
11588
11589Arguments:
11590""""""""""
11591
11592The first argument is a constant integer representing the size of the
11593object, or -1 if it is variable sized. The second argument is a pointer
11594to the object.
11595
11596Semantics:
11597""""""""""
11598
11599This intrinsic indicates that until an ``llvm.invariant.end`` that uses
11600the return value, the referenced memory location is constant and
11601unchanging.
11602
11603'``llvm.invariant.end``' Intrinsic
11604^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11605
11606Syntax:
11607"""""""
11608
11609::
11610
11611      declare void @llvm.invariant.end({}* <start>, i64 <size>, i8* nocapture <ptr>)
11612
11613Overview:
11614"""""""""
11615
11616The '``llvm.invariant.end``' intrinsic specifies that the contents of a
11617memory object are mutable.
11618
11619Arguments:
11620""""""""""
11621
11622The first argument is the matching ``llvm.invariant.start`` intrinsic.
11623The second argument is a constant integer representing the size of the
11624object, or -1 if it is variable sized and the third argument is a
11625pointer to the object.
11626
11627Semantics:
11628""""""""""
11629
11630This intrinsic indicates that the memory is mutable again.
11631
11632'``llvm.invariant.group.barrier``' Intrinsic
11633^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11634
11635Syntax:
11636"""""""
11637
11638::
11639
11640      declare i8* @llvm.invariant.group.barrier(i8* <ptr>)
11641
11642Overview:
11643"""""""""
11644
11645The '``llvm.invariant.group.barrier``' intrinsic can be used when an invariant
11646established by invariant.group metadata no longer holds, to obtain a new pointer
11647value that does not carry the invariant information.
11648
11649
11650Arguments:
11651""""""""""
11652
11653The ``llvm.invariant.group.barrier`` takes only one argument, which is
11654the pointer to the memory for which the ``invariant.group`` no longer holds.
11655
11656Semantics:
11657""""""""""
11658
11659Returns another pointer that aliases its argument but which is considered different
11660for the purposes of ``load``/``store`` ``invariant.group`` metadata.
11661
11662General Intrinsics
11663------------------
11664
11665This class of intrinsics is designed to be generic and has no specific
11666purpose.
11667
11668'``llvm.var.annotation``' Intrinsic
11669^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11670
11671Syntax:
11672"""""""
11673
11674::
11675
11676      declare void @llvm.var.annotation(i8* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11677
11678Overview:
11679"""""""""
11680
11681The '``llvm.var.annotation``' intrinsic.
11682
11683Arguments:
11684""""""""""
11685
11686The first argument is a pointer to a value, the second is a pointer to a
11687global string, the third is a pointer to a global string which is the
11688source file name, and the last argument is the line number.
11689
11690Semantics:
11691""""""""""
11692
11693This intrinsic allows annotation of local variables with arbitrary
11694strings. This can be useful for special purpose optimizations that want
11695to look for these annotations. These have no other defined use; they are
11696ignored by code generation and optimization.
11697
11698'``llvm.ptr.annotation.*``' Intrinsic
11699^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11700
11701Syntax:
11702"""""""
11703
11704This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use '``llvm.ptr.annotation``' on a
11705pointer to an integer of any width. *NOTE* you must specify an address space for
11706the pointer. The identifier for the default address space is the integer
11707'``0``'.
11708
11709::
11710
11711      declare i8*   @llvm.ptr.annotation.p<address space>i8(i8* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11712      declare i16*  @llvm.ptr.annotation.p<address space>i16(i16* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11713      declare i32*  @llvm.ptr.annotation.p<address space>i32(i32* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11714      declare i64*  @llvm.ptr.annotation.p<address space>i64(i64* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11715      declare i256* @llvm.ptr.annotation.p<address space>i256(i256* <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11716
11717Overview:
11718"""""""""
11719
11720The '``llvm.ptr.annotation``' intrinsic.
11721
11722Arguments:
11723""""""""""
11724
11725The first argument is a pointer to an integer value of arbitrary bitwidth
11726(result of some expression), the second is a pointer to a global string, the
11727third is a pointer to a global string which is the source file name, and the
11728last argument is the line number. It returns the value of the first argument.
11729
11730Semantics:
11731""""""""""
11732
11733This intrinsic allows annotation of a pointer to an integer with arbitrary
11734strings. This can be useful for special purpose optimizations that want to look
11735for these annotations. These have no other defined use; they are ignored by code
11736generation and optimization.
11737
11738'``llvm.annotation.*``' Intrinsic
11739^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11740
11741Syntax:
11742"""""""
11743
11744This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use '``llvm.annotation``' on
11745any integer bit width.
11746
11747::
11748
11749      declare i8 @llvm.annotation.i8(i8 <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11750      declare i16 @llvm.annotation.i16(i16 <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11751      declare i32 @llvm.annotation.i32(i32 <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11752      declare i64 @llvm.annotation.i64(i64 <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11753      declare i256 @llvm.annotation.i256(i256 <val>, i8* <str>, i8* <str>, i32  <int>)
11754
11755Overview:
11756"""""""""
11757
11758The '``llvm.annotation``' intrinsic.
11759
11760Arguments:
11761""""""""""
11762
11763The first argument is an integer value (result of some expression), the
11764second is a pointer to a global string, the third is a pointer to a
11765global string which is the source file name, and the last argument is
11766the line number. It returns the value of the first argument.
11767
11768Semantics:
11769""""""""""
11770
11771This intrinsic allows annotations to be put on arbitrary expressions
11772with arbitrary strings. This can be useful for special purpose
11773optimizations that want to look for these annotations. These have no
11774other defined use; they are ignored by code generation and optimization.
11775
11776'``llvm.trap``' Intrinsic
11777^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11778
11779Syntax:
11780"""""""
11781
11782::
11783
11784      declare void @llvm.trap() noreturn nounwind
11785
11786Overview:
11787"""""""""
11788
11789The '``llvm.trap``' intrinsic.
11790
11791Arguments:
11792""""""""""
11793
11794None.
11795
11796Semantics:
11797""""""""""
11798
11799This intrinsic is lowered to the target dependent trap instruction. If
11800the target does not have a trap instruction, this intrinsic will be
11801lowered to a call of the ``abort()`` function.
11802
11803'``llvm.debugtrap``' Intrinsic
11804^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11805
11806Syntax:
11807"""""""
11808
11809::
11810
11811      declare void @llvm.debugtrap() nounwind
11812
11813Overview:
11814"""""""""
11815
11816The '``llvm.debugtrap``' intrinsic.
11817
11818Arguments:
11819""""""""""
11820
11821None.
11822
11823Semantics:
11824""""""""""
11825
11826This intrinsic is lowered to code which is intended to cause an
11827execution trap with the intention of requesting the attention of a
11828debugger.
11829
11830'``llvm.stackprotector``' Intrinsic
11831^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11832
11833Syntax:
11834"""""""
11835
11836::
11837
11838      declare void @llvm.stackprotector(i8* <guard>, i8** <slot>)
11839
11840Overview:
11841"""""""""
11842
11843The ``llvm.stackprotector`` intrinsic takes the ``guard`` and stores it
11844onto the stack at ``slot``. The stack slot is adjusted to ensure that it
11845is placed on the stack before local variables.
11846
11847Arguments:
11848""""""""""
11849
11850The ``llvm.stackprotector`` intrinsic requires two pointer arguments.
11851The first argument is the value loaded from the stack guard
11852``@__stack_chk_guard``. The second variable is an ``alloca`` that has
11853enough space to hold the value of the guard.
11854
11855Semantics:
11856""""""""""
11857
11858This intrinsic causes the prologue/epilogue inserter to force the position of
11859the ``AllocaInst`` stack slot to be before local variables on the stack. This is
11860to ensure that if a local variable on the stack is overwritten, it will destroy
11861the value of the guard. When the function exits, the guard on the stack is
11862checked against the original guard by ``llvm.stackprotectorcheck``. If they are
11863different, then ``llvm.stackprotectorcheck`` causes the program to abort by
11864calling the ``__stack_chk_fail()`` function.
11865
11866'``llvm.stackprotectorcheck``' Intrinsic
11867^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11868
11869Syntax:
11870"""""""
11871
11872::
11873
11874      declare void @llvm.stackprotectorcheck(i8** <guard>)
11875
11876Overview:
11877"""""""""
11878
11879The ``llvm.stackprotectorcheck`` intrinsic compares ``guard`` against an already
11880created stack protector and if they are not equal calls the
11881``__stack_chk_fail()`` function.
11882
11883Arguments:
11884""""""""""
11885
11886The ``llvm.stackprotectorcheck`` intrinsic requires one pointer argument, the
11887the variable ``@__stack_chk_guard``.
11888
11889Semantics:
11890""""""""""
11891
11892This intrinsic is provided to perform the stack protector check by comparing
11893``guard`` with the stack slot created by ``llvm.stackprotector`` and if the
11894values do not match call the ``__stack_chk_fail()`` function.
11895
11896The reason to provide this as an IR level intrinsic instead of implementing it
11897via other IR operations is that in order to perform this operation at the IR
11898level without an intrinsic, one would need to create additional basic blocks to
11899handle the success/failure cases. This makes it difficult to stop the stack
11900protector check from disrupting sibling tail calls in Codegen. With this
11901intrinsic, we are able to generate the stack protector basic blocks late in
11902codegen after the tail call decision has occurred.
11903
11904'``llvm.objectsize``' Intrinsic
11905^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11906
11907Syntax:
11908"""""""
11909
11910::
11911
11912      declare i32 @llvm.objectsize.i32(i8* <object>, i1 <min>)
11913      declare i64 @llvm.objectsize.i64(i8* <object>, i1 <min>)
11914
11915Overview:
11916"""""""""
11917
11918The ``llvm.objectsize`` intrinsic is designed to provide information to
11919the optimizers to determine at compile time whether a) an operation
11920(like memcpy) will overflow a buffer that corresponds to an object, or
11921b) that a runtime check for overflow isn't necessary. An object in this
11922context means an allocation of a specific class, structure, array, or
11923other object.
11924
11925Arguments:
11926""""""""""
11927
11928The ``llvm.objectsize`` intrinsic takes two arguments. The first
11929argument is a pointer to or into the ``object``. The second argument is
11930a boolean and determines whether ``llvm.objectsize`` returns 0 (if true)
11931or -1 (if false) when the object size is unknown. The second argument
11932only accepts constants.
11933
11934Semantics:
11935""""""""""
11936
11937The ``llvm.objectsize`` intrinsic is lowered to a constant representing
11938the size of the object concerned. If the size cannot be determined at
11939compile time, ``llvm.objectsize`` returns ``i32/i64 -1 or 0`` (depending
11940on the ``min`` argument).
11941
11942'``llvm.expect``' Intrinsic
11943^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11944
11945Syntax:
11946"""""""
11947
11948This is an overloaded intrinsic. You can use ``llvm.expect`` on any
11949integer bit width.
11950
11951::
11952
11953      declare i1 @llvm.expect.i1(i1 <val>, i1 <expected_val>)
11954      declare i32 @llvm.expect.i32(i32 <val>, i32 <expected_val>)
11955      declare i64 @llvm.expect.i64(i64 <val>, i64 <expected_val>)
11956
11957Overview:
11958"""""""""
11959
11960The ``llvm.expect`` intrinsic provides information about expected (the
11961most probable) value of ``val``, which can be used by optimizers.
11962
11963Arguments:
11964""""""""""
11965
11966The ``llvm.expect`` intrinsic takes two arguments. The first argument is
11967a value. The second argument is an expected value, this needs to be a
11968constant value, variables are not allowed.
11969
11970Semantics:
11971""""""""""
11972
11973This intrinsic is lowered to the ``val``.
11974
11975.. _int_assume:
11976
11977'``llvm.assume``' Intrinsic
11978^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
11979
11980Syntax:
11981"""""""
11982
11983::
11984
11985      declare void @llvm.assume(i1 %cond)
11986
11987Overview:
11988"""""""""
11989
11990The ``llvm.assume`` allows the optimizer to assume that the provided
11991condition is true. This information can then be used in simplifying other parts
11992of the code.
11993
11994Arguments:
11995""""""""""
11996
11997The condition which the optimizer may assume is always true.
11998
11999Semantics:
12000""""""""""
12001
12002The intrinsic allows the optimizer to assume that the provided condition is
12003always true whenever the control flow reaches the intrinsic call. No code is
12004generated for this intrinsic, and instructions that contribute only to the
12005provided condition are not used for code generation. If the condition is
12006violated during execution, the behavior is undefined.
12007
12008Note that the optimizer might limit the transformations performed on values
12009used by the ``llvm.assume`` intrinsic in order to preserve the instructions
12010only used to form the intrinsic's input argument. This might prove undesirable
12011if the extra information provided by the ``llvm.assume`` intrinsic does not cause
12012sufficient overall improvement in code quality. For this reason,
12013``llvm.assume`` should not be used to document basic mathematical invariants
12014that the optimizer can otherwise deduce or facts that are of little use to the
12015optimizer.
12016
12017.. _bitset.test:
12018
12019'``llvm.bitset.test``' Intrinsic
12020^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
12021
12022Syntax:
12023"""""""
12024
12025::
12026
12027      declare i1 @llvm.bitset.test(i8* %ptr, metadata %bitset) nounwind readnone
12028
12029
12030Arguments:
12031""""""""""
12032
12033The first argument is a pointer to be tested. The second argument is a
12034metadata object representing an identifier for a :doc:`bitset <BitSets>`.
12035
12036Overview:
12037"""""""""
12038
12039The ``llvm.bitset.test`` intrinsic tests whether the given pointer is a
12040member of the given bitset.
12041
12042'``llvm.donothing``' Intrinsic
12043^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
12044
12045Syntax:
12046"""""""
12047
12048::
12049
12050      declare void @llvm.donothing() nounwind readnone
12051
12052Overview:
12053"""""""""
12054
12055The ``llvm.donothing`` intrinsic doesn't perform any operation. It's one of only
12056two intrinsics (besides ``llvm.experimental.patchpoint``) that can be called
12057with an invoke instruction.
12058
12059Arguments:
12060""""""""""
12061
12062None.
12063
12064Semantics:
12065""""""""""
12066
12067This intrinsic does nothing, and it's removed by optimizers and ignored
12068by codegen.
12069
12070Stack Map Intrinsics
12071--------------------
12072
12073LLVM provides experimental intrinsics to support runtime patching
12074mechanisms commonly desired in dynamic language JITs. These intrinsics
12075are described in :doc:`StackMaps`.
12076