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classification
Title: [C API] PEP 670: Convert macros to functions in the Python C API
Type: Stage: patch review
Components: C API Versions: Python 3.11
process
Status: open Resolution:
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: erlendaasland, lemburg, vstinner
Priority: normal Keywords: patch

Created on 2021-10-15 17:43 by vstinner, last changed 2022-04-11 14:59 by admin.

Files
File name Uploaded Description Edit
macros-that-reuse-args.txt erlendaasland, 2022-02-10 12:50
Pull Requests
URL Status Linked Edit
PR 29728 closed vstinner, 2021-11-23 15:04
PR 31217 merged vstinner, 2022-02-08 16:21
PR 31221 closed vstinner, 2022-02-08 19:51
Messages (7)
msg404038 - (view) Author: STINNER Victor (vstinner) * (Python committer) Date: 2021-10-15 17:43
C macros are really cool and useful, but there are a bunch of pitfalls which are better to avoid:
https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/cpp/Macro-Pitfalls.html

Some macros of the Python C API have been converted to static inline functions over the last years. It went smoothly, I am not aware of any major issue with these conversions.

This meta issue tracks other issues related to macros and static inline functions.


=== Return void ===

One issue is that some macros are treated as an expression and can be reused, whereas it was not intended. For example PyList_SET_ITEM() was implemented as (simplified code):

  #define PyList_SET_ITEM(op, i, v) (op->ob_item[i] = v)

This expression has a value! Two projects used this value by mistake, like:

  "if (obj == NULL || PyList_SET_ITEM (l, i, obj) < 0)"

PyList_SET_ITEM() was fixed by casting the expression to void:

  #define PyList_SET_ITEM(op, i, v) ((void)(op->ob_item[i] = v))

=> bpo-30459



=== Abuse macros as an l-value ===

The Py_TYPE() macro could be used to assign a value: "Py_TYPE(obj) = new_type".

The macro was defined as:

  #define Py_TYPE(ob) (ob->ob_type)

It was converted to a static inline function to disallow using it as an l-value and a new Py_SET_TYPE(op, new_type) function was added. These changes give more freedom to other Python implementations to implement "PyObject" and Py_SET_TYPE().

=> bpo-45476 "[C API] Disallow using PyFloat_AS_DOUBLE() as l-value"
=> bpo-39573 PyObject Py_TYPE/Py_SET_TYPE


=== C API: Macros and embedded Python ===

Sadly, only symbols exported by libpython are accessible to other programming languages embedding Python. Macros of the Python C API are simply not available to them. Projects embedding Python have to hardcode constants and copy macros to their own language, with the risk of being outdated when Python macros are updated.

Even some projects written in C cannot use macros, because they only use libpython symbols. The vim text editor embeds Python this way.

Also, macros are simply excluded from the Python stable ABI (PEP 384).


=== Performance of static inline functions ===

In bpo-45116, it seems like _PyEval_EvalFrameDefault() reached Visual Studio thresholds and some static inline functions are no longer inlined (Py_INCREF/Py_DECREF).

I also noticed that when Python is built in debug mode in Visual Studio, static inline functions are not inlined. Well, the compiler is free to not inline in debug mode. I guess that GCC and clang also skip inlining using -Og and/or -O0 optimization levels. Using __forceinline and __attribute__((always_inline)) on static inline functions (Py_INCREF, Py_TYPE) for debug builds was discussed in bpo-45094, but the idea was rejected.

On the other side, sometimes it's better to *disable* inlining on purpose to reduce the stack memory consumption, using the Py_NO_INLINE macro. See recent measurements of the stack memory usage:
https://bugs.python.org/issue45439#msg403768

In GH-28893, I noticed that converting a static inline function (PyObject_CallOneArg) to a regular function made it faster. I am not really sure, more benchmarks should be run to really what's going on.


=== Advantages of static inline functions ===

* It's possible to put a breakpoint on a static inline functions.

* Debuggers and profilers are able to get the static inline function names from the machine line, even with inline functions.

* Parameters and the return value have well defined types.

* Variables have a local scope.

* There is no risk of evaluating an expression multiple times.

* Regular C code. No need to use "\" character to multi-line statement. No need for "do { ... } while (0)" and other quicks to workaround preprocessor pitfalls. No abuse of (((parenthesis))).
msg404045 - (view) Author: Marc-Andre Lemburg (lemburg) * (Python committer) Date: 2021-10-15 19:18
Meta comment :-) ... wouldn't it be better to enable the Github wiki feature for
such collections ?
msg404183 - (view) Author: Erlend E. Aasland (erlendaasland) * (Python triager) Date: 2021-10-18 13:17
+1!

See also bpo-43502
msg404185 - (view) Author: Erlend E. Aasland (erlendaasland) * (Python triager) Date: 2021-10-18 13:18
Previous discussion on Discourse:

https://discuss.python.org/t/what-to-do-with-unsafe-macros/7771
msg412861 - (view) Author: STINNER Victor (vstinner) * (Python committer) Date: 2022-02-08 19:15
I will use this issue to track changes related to PEP 670.
msg412995 - (view) Author: Erlend E. Aasland (erlendaasland) * (Python triager) Date: 2022-02-10 12:50
I made a list of macros that reuse their argument some time around February/March 2021. (Each macro is squashed into a single line for some reason I can't remember.) See attachment, or check out the gist version:

https://gist.github.com/erlend-aasland/a7ca3cff95b136e272ff5b03447aff21
msg413079 - (view) Author: STINNER Victor (vstinner) * (Python committer) Date: 2022-02-11 16:01
New changeset e0bcfd0e4db193743d4bafc48d10f15ae9ed7b2b by Victor Stinner in branch 'main':
bpo-45490: Rename static inline functions (GH-31217)
https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/e0bcfd0e4db193743d4bafc48d10f15ae9ed7b2b
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:59:51adminsetgithub: 89653
2022-02-11 16:01:26vstinnersetmessages: + msg413079
2022-02-10 12:50:37erlendaaslandsetfiles: + macros-that-reuse-args.txt

messages: + msg412995
2022-02-08 19:51:42vstinnersetpull_requests: + pull_request29391
2022-02-08 19:15:41vstinnersetmessages: + msg412861
title: [meta][C API] Avoid C macro pitfalls and usage of static inline functions -> [C API] PEP 670: Convert macros to functions in the Python C API
2022-02-08 16:21:27vstinnersetpull_requests: + pull_request29387
2021-11-23 15:04:48vstinnersetkeywords: + patch
stage: patch review
pull_requests: + pull_request27965
2021-10-18 13:18:50erlendaaslandsetmessages: + msg404185
2021-10-18 13:17:23erlendaaslandsetnosy: + erlendaasland
messages: + msg404183
2021-10-15 19:18:44lemburgsetnosy: + lemburg
messages: + msg404045
2021-10-15 17:43:25vstinnercreate