1 @c markers: CROSSREF BUG TODO
3 @c Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999,
4 @c 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
5 @c This is part of the GCC manual.
6 @c For copying conditions, see the file gcc.texi.
9 @chapter Passes and Files of the Compiler
10 @cindex passes and files of the compiler
11 @cindex files and passes of the compiler
12 @cindex compiler passes and files
14 This chapter is dedicated to giving an overview of the optimization and
15 code generation passes of the compiler. In the process, it describes
16 some of the language front end interface, though this description is no
20 * Parsing pass:: The language front end turns text into bits.
21 * Gimplification pass:: The bits are turned into something we can optimize.
22 * Pass manager:: Sequencing the optimization passes.
23 * Tree-SSA passes:: Optimizations on a high-level representation.
24 * RTL passes:: Optimizations on a low-level representation.
30 @findex lang_hooks.parse_file
31 The language front end is invoked only once, via
32 @code{lang_hooks.parse_file}, to parse the entire input. The language
33 front end may use any intermediate language representation deemed
34 appropriate. The C front end uses GENERIC trees (CROSSREF), plus
35 a double handful of language specific tree codes defined in
36 @file{c-common.def}. The Fortran front end uses a completely different
37 private representation.
40 @cindex gimplification
42 @cindex language-independent intermediate representation
43 @cindex intermediate representation lowering
44 @cindex lowering, language-dependent intermediate representation
45 At some point the front end must translate the representation used in the
46 front end to a representation understood by the language-independent
47 portions of the compiler. Current practice takes one of two forms.
48 The C front end manually invokes the gimplifier (CROSSREF) on each function,
49 and uses the gimplifier callbacks to convert the language-specific tree
50 nodes directly to GIMPLE (CROSSREF) before passing the function off to
52 The Fortran front end converts from a private representation to GENERIC,
53 which is later lowered to GIMPLE when the function is compiled. Which
54 route to choose probably depends on how well GENERIC (plus extensions)
55 can be made to match up with the source language and necessary parsing
58 BUG: Gimplification must occur before nested function lowering,
59 and nested function lowering must be done by the front end before
60 passing the data off to cgraph.
62 TODO: Cgraph should control nested function lowering. It would
63 only be invoked when it is certain that the outer-most function
66 TODO: Cgraph needs a gimplify_function callback. It should be
67 invoked when (1) it is certain that the function is used, (2)
68 warning flags specified by the user require some amount of
69 compilation in order to honor, (3) the language indicates that
70 semantic analysis is not complete until gimplification occurs.
71 Hum@dots{} this sounds overly complicated. Perhaps we should just
72 have the front end gimplify always; in most cases it's only one
75 The front end needs to pass all function definitions and top level
76 declarations off to the middle-end so that they can be compiled and
77 emitted to the object file. For a simple procedural language, it is
78 usually most convenient to do this as each top level declaration or
79 definition is seen. There is also a distinction to be made between
80 generating functional code and generating complete debug information.
81 The only thing that is absolutely required for functional code is that
82 function and data @emph{definitions} be passed to the middle-end. For
83 complete debug information, function, data and type declarations
84 should all be passed as well.
86 @findex rest_of_decl_compilation
87 @findex rest_of_type_compilation
88 @findex cgraph_finalize_function
89 In any case, the front end needs each complete top-level function or
90 data declaration, and each data definition should be passed to
91 @code{rest_of_decl_compilation}. Each complete type definition should
92 be passed to @code{rest_of_type_compilation}. Each function definition
93 should be passed to @code{cgraph_finalize_function}.
95 TODO: I know rest_of_compilation currently has all sorts of
96 rtl-generation semantics. I plan to move all code generation
97 bits (both tree and rtl) to compile_function. Should we hide
98 cgraph from the front ends and move back to rest_of_compilation
99 as the official interface? Possibly we should rename all three
100 interfaces such that the names match in some meaningful way and
101 that is more descriptive than "rest_of".
103 The middle-end will, at its option, emit the function and data
104 definitions immediately or queue them for later processing.
106 @node Gimplification pass
107 @section Gimplification pass
109 @cindex gimplification
111 @dfn{Gimplification} is a whimsical term for the process of converting
112 the intermediate representation of a function into the GIMPLE language
113 (CROSSREF). The term stuck, and so words like ``gimplification'',
114 ``gimplify'', ``gimplifier'' and the like are sprinkled throughout this
118 While a front end may certainly choose to generate GIMPLE directly if
119 it chooses, this can be a moderately complex process unless the
120 intermediate language used by the front end is already fairly simple.
121 Usually it is easier to generate GENERIC trees plus extensions
122 and let the language-independent gimplifier do most of the work.
124 @findex gimplify_function_tree
125 @findex gimplify_expr
126 @findex lang_hooks.gimplify_expr
127 The main entry point to this pass is @code{gimplify_function_tree}
128 located in @file{gimplify.c}. From here we process the entire
129 function gimplifying each statement in turn. The main workhorse
130 for this pass is @code{gimplify_expr}. Approximately everything
131 passes through here at least once, and it is from here that we
132 invoke the @code{lang_hooks.gimplify_expr} callback.
134 The callback should examine the expression in question and return
135 @code{GS_UNHANDLED} if the expression is not a language specific
136 construct that requires attention. Otherwise it should alter the
137 expression in some way to such that forward progress is made toward
138 producing valid GIMPLE@. If the callback is certain that the
139 transformation is complete and the expression is valid GIMPLE, it
140 should return @code{GS_ALL_DONE}. Otherwise it should return
141 @code{GS_OK}, which will cause the expression to be processed again.
142 If the callback encounters an error during the transformation (because
143 the front end is relying on the gimplification process to finish
144 semantic checks), it should return @code{GS_ERROR}.
147 @section Pass manager
149 The pass manager is located in @file{passes.c}, @file{tree-optimize.c}
150 and @file{tree-pass.h}.
151 Its job is to run all of the individual passes in the correct order,
152 and take care of standard bookkeeping that applies to every pass.
154 The theory of operation is that each pass defines a structure that
155 represents everything we need to know about that pass---when it
156 should be run, how it should be run, what intermediate language
157 form or on-the-side data structures it needs. We register the pass
158 to be run in some particular order, and the pass manager arranges
159 for everything to happen in the correct order.
161 The actuality doesn't completely live up to the theory at present.
162 Command-line switches and @code{timevar_id_t} enumerations must still
163 be defined elsewhere. The pass manager validates constraints but does
164 not attempt to (re-)generate data structures or lower intermediate
165 language form based on the requirements of the next pass. Nevertheless,
166 what is present is useful, and a far sight better than nothing at all.
168 TODO: describe the global variables set up by the pass manager,
169 and a brief description of how a new pass should use it.
170 I need to look at what info rtl passes use first...
172 @node Tree-SSA passes
173 @section Tree-SSA passes
175 The following briefly describes the tree optimization passes that are
176 run after gimplification and what source files they are located in.
179 @item Remove useless statements
181 This pass is an extremely simple sweep across the gimple code in which
182 we identify obviously dead code and remove it. Here we do things like
183 simplify @code{if} statements with constant conditions, remove
184 exception handling constructs surrounding code that obviously cannot
185 throw, remove lexical bindings that contain no variables, and other
186 assorted simplistic cleanups. The idea is to get rid of the obvious
187 stuff quickly rather than wait until later when it's more work to get
188 rid of it. This pass is located in @file{tree-cfg.c} and described by
189 @code{pass_remove_useless_stmts}.
191 @item Mudflap declaration registration
193 If mudflap (@pxref{Optimize Options,,-fmudflap -fmudflapth
194 -fmudflapir,gcc.info,Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)}) is
195 enabled, we generate code to register some variable declarations with
196 the mudflap runtime. Specifically, the runtime tracks the lifetimes of
197 those variable declarations that have their addresses taken, or whose
198 bounds are unknown at compile time (@code{extern}). This pass generates
199 new exception handling constructs (@code{try}/@code{finally}), and so
200 must run before those are lowered. In addition, the pass enqueues
201 declarations of static variables whose lifetimes extend to the entire
202 program. The pass is located in @file{tree-mudflap.c} and is described
203 by @code{pass_mudflap_1}.
205 @item Lower control flow
207 This pass flattens @code{if} statements (@code{COND_EXPR})
208 and moves lexical bindings (@code{BIND_EXPR}) out of line. After
209 this pass, all @code{if} statements will have exactly two @code{goto}
210 statements in its @code{then} and @code{else} arms. Lexical binding
211 information for each statement will be found in @code{TREE_BLOCK} rather
212 than being inferred from its position under a @code{BIND_EXPR}. This
213 pass is found in @file{gimple-low.c} and is described by
214 @code{pass_lower_cf}.
216 @item Lower exception handling control flow
218 This pass decomposes high-level exception handling constructs
219 (@code{TRY_FINALLY_EXPR} and @code{TRY_CATCH_EXPR}) into a form
220 that explicitly represents the control flow involved. After this
221 pass, @code{lookup_stmt_eh_region} will return a non-negative
222 number for any statement that may have EH control flow semantics;
223 examine @code{tree_can_throw_internal} or @code{tree_can_throw_external}
224 for exact semantics. Exact control flow may be extracted from
225 @code{foreach_reachable_handler}. The EH region nesting tree is defined
226 in @file{except.h} and built in @file{except.c}. The lowering pass
227 itself is in @file{tree-eh.c} and is described by @code{pass_lower_eh}.
229 @item Build the control flow graph
231 This pass decomposes a function into basic blocks and creates all of
232 the edges that connect them. It is located in @file{tree-cfg.c} and
233 is described by @code{pass_build_cfg}.
235 @item Find all referenced variables
237 This pass walks the entire function and collects an array of all
238 variables referenced in the function, @code{referenced_vars}. The
239 index at which a variable is found in the array is used as a UID
240 for the variable within this function. This data is needed by the
241 SSA rewriting routines. The pass is located in @file{tree-dfa.c}
242 and is described by @code{pass_referenced_vars}.
244 @item Enter static single assignment form
246 This pass rewrites the function such that it is in SSA form. After
247 this pass, all @code{is_gimple_reg} variables will be referenced by
248 @code{SSA_NAME}, and all occurrences of other variables will be
249 annotated with @code{VDEFS} and @code{VUSES}; PHI nodes will have
250 been inserted as necessary for each basic block. This pass is
251 located in @file{tree-ssa.c} and is described by @code{pass_build_ssa}.
253 @item Warn for uninitialized variables
255 This pass scans the function for uses of @code{SSA_NAME}s that
256 are fed by default definition. For non-parameter variables, such
257 uses are uninitialized. The pass is run twice, before and after
258 optimization. In the first pass we only warn for uses that are
259 positively uninitialized; in the second pass we warn for uses that
260 are possibly uninitialized. The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa.c}
261 and is defined by @code{pass_early_warn_uninitialized} and
262 @code{pass_late_warn_uninitialized}.
264 @item Dead code elimination
266 This pass scans the function for statements without side effects whose
267 result is unused. It does not do memory life analysis, so any value
268 that is stored in memory is considered used. The pass is run multiple
269 times throughout the optimization process. It is located in
270 @file{tree-ssa-dce.c} and is described by @code{pass_dce}.
272 @item Dominator optimizations
274 This pass performs trivial dominator-based copy and constant propagation,
275 expression simplification, and jump threading. It is run multiple times
276 throughout the optimization process. It it located in @file{tree-ssa-dom.c}
277 and is described by @code{pass_dominator}.
279 @item Redundant PHI elimination
281 This pass removes PHI nodes for which all of the arguments are the same
282 value, excluding feedback. Such degenerate forms are typically created
283 by removing unreachable code. The pass is run multiple times throughout
284 the optimization process. It is located in @file{tree-ssa.c} and is
285 described by @code{pass_redundant_phi}.o
287 @item Forward propagation of single-use variables
289 This pass attempts to remove redundant computation by substituting
290 variables that are used once into the expression that uses them and
291 seeing if the result can be simplified. It is located in
292 @file{tree-ssa-forwprop.c} and is described by @code{pass_forwprop}.
296 This pass attempts to change the name of compiler temporaries involved in
297 copy operations such that SSA->normal can coalesce the copy away. When compiler
298 temporaries are copies of user variables, it also renames the compiler
299 temporary to the user variable resulting in better use of user symbols. It is
300 located in @file{tree-ssa-copyrename.c} and is described by
301 @code{pass_copyrename}.
303 @item PHI node optimizations
305 This pass recognizes forms of PHI inputs that can be represented as
306 conditional expressions and rewrites them into straight line code.
307 It is located in @file{tree-ssa-phiopt.c} and is described by
310 @item May-alias optimization
312 This pass performs a flow sensitive SSA-based points-to analysis.
313 The resulting may-alias, must-alias, and escape analysis information
314 is used to promote variables from in-memory addressable objects to
315 non-aliased variables that can be renamed into SSA form. We also
316 update the @code{VDEF}/@code{VUSE} memory tags for non-renameable
317 aggregates so that we get fewer false kills. The pass is located
318 in @file{tree-ssa-alias.c} and is described by @code{pass_may_alias}.
322 This pass rewrites the function in order to collect runtime block
323 and value profiling data. Such data may be fed back into the compiler
324 on a subsequent run so as to allow optimization based on expected
325 execution frequencies. The pass is located in @file{predict.c} and
326 is described by @code{pass_profile}.
328 @item Lower complex arithmetic
330 This pass rewrites complex arithmetic operations into their component
331 scalar arithmetic operations. The pass is located in @file{tree-complex.c}
332 and is described by @code{pass_lower_complex}.
334 @item Scalar replacement of aggregates
336 This pass rewrites suitable non-aliased local aggregate variables into
337 a set of scalar variables. The resulting scalar variables are
338 rewritten into SSA form, which allows subsequent optimization passes
339 to do a significantly better job with them. The pass is located in
340 @file{tree-sra.c} and is described by @code{pass_sra}.
342 @item Dead store elimination
344 This pass eliminates stores to memory that are subsequently overwritten
345 by another store, without any intervening loads. The pass is located
346 in @file{tree-ssa-dse.c} and is described by @code{pass_dse}.
348 @item Tail recursion elimination
350 This pass transforms tail recursion into a loop. It is located in
351 @file{tree-tailcall.c} and is described by @code{pass_tail_recursion}.
353 @item Forward store motion
355 This pass sinks stores and assignments down the flowgraph closer to it's
356 use point. The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-sink.c} and is
357 described by @code{pass_sink_code}.
359 @item Partial redundancy elimination
361 This pass eliminates partially redundant computations, as well as
362 performing load motion. The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-pre.c}
363 and is described by @code{pass_pre}.
365 Just before partial redundancy elimination, if
366 @option{-funsafe-math-optimizations} is on, GCC tries to convert
367 divisions to multiplications by the reciprocal. The pass is located
368 in @file{tree-ssa-math-opts.c} and is described by
369 @code{pass_cse_reciprocal}.
371 @item Full redundancy elimination
373 This is a simpler form of PRE that only eliminate redundancies that
374 occur an all paths. It is located in @file{tree-ssa-pre.c} and
375 described by @code{pass_fre}.
377 @item Loop optimization
379 The main driver of the pass is placed in @file{tree-ssa-loop.c}
380 and described by @code{pass_loop}.
382 The optimizations performed by this pass are:
384 Loop invariant motion. This pass moves only invariants that
385 would be hard to handle on rtl level (function calls, operations that expand to
386 nontrivial sequences of insns). With @option{-funswitch-loops} it also moves
387 operands of conditions that are invariant out of the loop, so that we can use
388 just trivial invariantness analysis in loop unswitching. The pass also includes
389 store motion. The pass is implemented in @file{tree-ssa-loop-im.c}.
391 Canonical induction variable creation. This pass creates a simple counter
392 for number of iterations of the loop and replaces the exit condition of the
393 loop using it, in case when a complicated analysis is necessary to determine
394 the number of iterations. Later optimizations then may determine the number
395 easily. The pass is implemented in @file{tree-ssa-loop-ivcanon.c}.
397 Induction variable optimizations. This pass performs standard induction
398 variable optimizations, including strength reduction, induction variable
399 merging and induction variable elimination. The pass is implemented in
400 @file{tree-ssa-loop-ivopts.c}.
402 Loop unswitching. This pass moves the conditional jumps that are invariant
403 out of the loops. To achieve this, a duplicate of the loop is created for
404 each possible outcome of conditional jump(s). The pass is implemented in
405 @file{tree-ssa-loop-unswitch.c}. This pass should eventually replace the
406 rtl-level loop unswitching in @file{loop-unswitch.c}, but currently
407 the rtl-level pass is not completely redundant yet due to deficiencies
408 in tree level alias analysis.
410 The optimizations also use various utility functions contained in
411 @file{tree-ssa-loop-manip.c}, @file{cfgloop.c}, @file{cfgloopanal.c} and
412 @file{cfgloopmanip.c}.
414 Vectorization. This pass transforms loops to operate on vector types
415 instead of scalar types. Data parallelism across loop iterations is exploited
416 to group data elements from consecutive iterations into a vector and operate
417 on them in parallel. Depending on available target support the loop is
418 conceptually unrolled by a factor @code{VF} (vectorization factor), which is
419 the number of elements operated upon in parallel in each iteration, and the
420 @code{VF} copies of each scalar operation are fused to form a vector operation.
421 Additional loop transformations such as peeling and versioning may take place
422 to align the number of iterations, and to align the memory accesses in the loop.
423 The pass is implemented in @file{tree-vectorizer.c} (the main driver and general
424 utilities), @file{tree-vect-analyze.c} and @file{tree-vect-transform.c}.
425 Analysis of data references is in @file{tree-data-ref.c}.
427 @item Tree level if-conversion for vectorizer
429 This pass applies if-conversion to simple loops to help vectorizer.
430 We identify if convertible loops, if-convert statements and merge
431 basic blocks in one big block. The idea is to present loop in such
432 form so that vectorizer can have one to one mapping between statements
433 and available vector operations. This patch re-introduces COND_EXPR
434 at GIMPLE level. This pass is located in @file{tree-if-conv.c} and is
435 described by @code{pass_if_conversion}.
437 @item Conditional constant propagation
439 This pass relaxes a lattice of values in order to identify those
440 that must be constant even in the presence of conditional branches.
441 The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-ccp.c} and is described
444 A related pass that works on memory loads and stores, and not just
445 register values, is located in @file{tree-ssa-ccp.c} and described by
446 @code{pass_store_ccp}.
448 @item Conditional copy propagation
450 This is similar to constant propagation but the lattice of values is
451 the ``copy-of'' relation. It eliminates redundant copies from the
452 code. The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-copy.c} and described by
453 @code{pass_copy_prop}.
455 A related pass that works on memory copies, and not just register
456 copies, is located in @file{tree-ssa-copy.c} and described by
457 @code{pass_store_copy_prop}.
459 @item Value range propagation
461 This transformation is similar to constant propagation but
462 instead of propagating single constant values, it propagates
463 known value ranges. The implementation is based on Patterson's
464 range propagation algorithm (Accurate Static Branch Prediction by
465 Value Range Propagation, J. R. C. Patterson, PLDI '95). In
466 contrast to Patterson's algorithm, this implementation does not
467 propagate branch probabilities nor it uses more than a single
468 range per SSA name. This means that the current implementation
469 cannot be used for branch prediction (though adapting it would
470 not be difficult). The pass is located in @file{tree-vrp.c} and is
471 described by @code{pass_vrp}.
473 @item Folding built-in functions
475 This pass simplifies built-in functions, as applicable, with constant
476 arguments or with inferrable string lengths. It is located in
477 @file{tree-ssa-ccp.c} and is described by @code{pass_fold_builtins}.
479 @item Split critical edges
481 This pass identifies critical edges and inserts empty basic blocks
482 such that the edge is no longer critical. The pass is located in
483 @file{tree-cfg.c} and is described by @code{pass_split_crit_edges}.
485 @item Control dependence dead code elimination
487 This pass is a stronger form of dead code elimination that can
488 eliminate unnecessary control flow statements. It is located
489 in @file{tree-ssa-dce.c} and is described by @code{pass_cd_dce}.
491 @item Tail call elimination
493 This pass identifies function calls that may be rewritten into
494 jumps. No code transformation is actually applied here, but the
495 data and control flow problem is solved. The code transformation
496 requires target support, and so is delayed until RTL@. In the
497 meantime @code{CALL_EXPR_TAILCALL} is set indicating the possibility.
498 The pass is located in @file{tree-tailcall.c} and is described by
499 @code{pass_tail_calls}. The RTL transformation is handled by
500 @code{fixup_tail_calls} in @file{calls.c}.
502 @item Warn for function return without value
504 For non-void functions, this pass locates return statements that do
505 not specify a value and issues a warning. Such a statement may have
506 been injected by falling off the end of the function. This pass is
507 run last so that we have as much time as possible to prove that the
508 statement is not reachable. It is located in @file{tree-cfg.c} and
509 is described by @code{pass_warn_function_return}.
511 @item Mudflap statement annotation
513 If mudflap is enabled, we rewrite some memory accesses with code to
514 validate that the memory access is correct. In particular, expressions
515 involving pointer dereferences (@code{INDIRECT_REF}, @code{ARRAY_REF},
516 etc.) are replaced by code that checks the selected address range
517 against the mudflap runtime's database of valid regions. This check
518 includes an inline lookup into a direct-mapped cache, based on
519 shift/mask operations of the pointer value, with a fallback function
520 call into the runtime. The pass is located in @file{tree-mudflap.c} and
521 is described by @code{pass_mudflap_2}.
523 @item Leave static single assignment form
525 This pass rewrites the function such that it is in normal form. At
526 the same time, we eliminate as many single-use temporaries as possible,
527 so the intermediate language is no longer GIMPLE, but GENERIC@. The
528 pass is located in @file{tree-outof-ssa.c} and is described by
531 @item Merge PHI nodes that feed into one another
533 This is part of the CFG cleanup passes. It attempts to join PHI nodes
534 from a forwarder CFG block into another block with PHI nodes. The
535 pass is located in @file{tree-cfgcleanup.c} and is described by
536 @code{pass_merge_phi}.
538 @item Return value optimization
540 If a function always returns the same local variable, and that local
541 variable is an aggregate type, then the variable is replaced with the
542 return value for the function (i.e., the function's DECL_RESULT). This
543 is equivalent to the C++ named return value optimization applied to
544 GIMPLE. The pass is located in @file{tree-nrv.c} and is described by
547 @item Return slot optimization
549 If a function returns a memory object and is called as @code{var =
550 foo()}, this pass tries to change the call so that the address of
551 @code{var} is sent to the caller to avoid an extra memory copy. This
552 pass is located in @code{tree-nrv.c} and is described by
553 @code{pass_return_slot}.
555 @item Optimize calls to @code{__builtin_object_size}
557 This is a propagation pass similar to CCP that tries to remove calls
558 to @code{__builtin_object_size} when the size of the object can be
559 computed at compile-time. This pass is located in
560 @file{tree-object-size.c} and is described by
561 @code{pass_object_sizes}.
563 @item Loop invariant motion
565 This pass removes expensive loop-invariant computations out of loops.
566 The pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-loop.c} and described by
569 @item Loop nest optimizations
571 This is a family of loop transformations that works on loop nests. It
572 includes loop interchange, scaling, skewing and reversal and they are
573 all geared to the optimization of data locality in array traversals
574 and the removal of dependencies that hamper optimizations such as loop
575 parallelization and vectorization. The pass is located in
576 @file{tree-loop-linear.c} and described by
577 @code{pass_linear_transform}.
579 @item Removal of empty loops
581 This pass removes loops with no code in them. The pass is located in
582 @file{tree-ssa-loop-ivcanon.c} and described by
583 @code{pass_empty_loop}.
585 @item Unrolling of small loops
587 This pass completely unrolls loops with few iterations. The pass
588 is located in @file{tree-ssa-loop-ivcanon.c} and described by
589 @code{pass_complete_unroll}.
593 This pass rewrites arithmetic expressions to enable optimizations that
594 operate on them, like redundancy elimination and vectorization. The
595 pass is located in @file{tree-ssa-reassoc.c} and described by
598 @item Optimization of @code{stdarg} functions
600 This pass tries to avoid the saving of register arguments into the
601 stack on entry to @code{stdarg} functions. If the function doesn't
602 use any @code{va_start} macros, no registers need to be saved. If
603 @code{va_start} macros are used, the @code{va_list} variables don't
604 escape the function, it is only necessary to save registers that will
605 be used in @code{va_arg} macros. For instance, if @code{va_arg} is
606 only used with integral types in the function, floating point
607 registers don't need to be saved. This pass is located in
608 @code{tree-stdarg.c} and described by @code{pass_stdarg}.
615 The following briefly describes the rtl generation and optimization
616 passes that are run after tree optimization.
621 @c Avoiding overfull is tricky here.
622 The source files for RTL generation include
630 and @file{emit-rtl.c}.
632 @file{insn-emit.c}, generated from the machine description by the
633 program @code{genemit}, is used in this pass. The header file
634 @file{expr.h} is used for communication within this pass.
638 The header files @file{insn-flags.h} and @file{insn-codes.h},
639 generated from the machine description by the programs @code{genflags}
640 and @code{gencodes}, tell this pass which standard names are available
641 for use and which patterns correspond to them.
643 @item Generate exception handling landing pads
645 This pass generates the glue that handles communication between the
646 exception handling library routines and the exception handlers within
647 the function. Entry points in the function that are invoked by the
648 exception handling library are called @dfn{landing pads}. The code
649 for this pass is located within @file{except.c}.
651 @item Cleanup control flow graph
653 This pass removes unreachable code, simplifies jumps to next, jumps to
654 jump, jumps across jumps, etc. The pass is run multiple times.
655 For historical reasons, it is occasionally referred to as the ``jump
656 optimization pass''. The bulk of the code for this pass is in
657 @file{cfgcleanup.c}, and there are support routines in @file{cfgrtl.c}
660 @item Common subexpression elimination
662 This pass removes redundant computation within basic blocks, and
663 optimizes addressing modes based on cost. The pass is run twice.
664 The source is located in @file{cse.c}.
666 @item Global common subexpression elimination.
668 This pass performs two
669 different types of GCSE depending on whether you are optimizing for
670 size or not (LCM based GCSE tends to increase code size for a gain in
671 speed, while Morel-Renvoise based GCSE does not).
672 When optimizing for size, GCSE is done using Morel-Renvoise Partial
673 Redundancy Elimination, with the exception that it does not try to move
674 invariants out of loops---that is left to the loop optimization pass.
675 If MR PRE GCSE is done, code hoisting (aka unification) is also done, as
677 If you are optimizing for speed, LCM (lazy code motion) based GCSE is
678 done. LCM is based on the work of Knoop, Ruthing, and Steffen. LCM
679 based GCSE also does loop invariant code motion. We also perform load
680 and store motion when optimizing for speed.
681 Regardless of which type of GCSE is used, the GCSE pass also performs
682 global constant and copy propagation.
683 The source file for this pass is @file{gcse.c}, and the LCM routines
686 @item Loop optimization
688 This pass moves constant expressions out of loops, and optionally does
689 strength-reduction as well. The pass is located in @file{loop.c}.
690 Loop dependency analysis routines are contained in @file{dependence.c}.
691 This pass is seriously out-of-date and is supposed to be replaced by
692 a new one described below in near future.
694 A second loop optimization pass takes care of basic block level
695 optimizations---unrolling, peeling and unswitching loops. The source
696 files are @file{cfgloopanal.c} and @file{cfgloopmanip.c} containing
697 generic loop analysis and manipulation code, @file{loop-init.c} with
698 initialization and finalization code, @file{loop-unswitch.c} for loop
699 unswitching and @file{loop-unroll.c} for loop unrolling and peeling.
700 It also contains a separate loop invariant motion pass implemented in
701 @file{loop-invariant.c}.
705 This pass is an aggressive form of GCSE that transforms the control
706 flow graph of a function by propagating constants into conditional
707 branch instructions. The source file for this pass is @file{gcse.c}.
711 This pass attempts to replace conditional branches and surrounding
712 assignments with arithmetic, boolean value producing comparison
713 instructions, and conditional move instructions. In the very last
714 invocation after reload, it will generate predicated instructions
715 when supported by the target. The pass is located in @file{ifcvt.c}.
717 @item Web construction
719 This pass splits independent uses of each pseudo-register. This can
720 improve effect of the other transformation, such as CSE or register
721 allocation. Its source files are @file{web.c}.
725 This pass computes which pseudo-registers are live at each point in
726 the program, and makes the first instruction that uses a value point
727 at the instruction that computed the value. It then deletes
728 computations whose results are never used, and combines memory
729 references with add or subtract instructions to make autoincrement or
730 autodecrement addressing. The pass is located in @file{flow.c}.
732 @item Instruction combination
734 This pass attempts to combine groups of two or three instructions that
735 are related by data flow into single instructions. It combines the
736 RTL expressions for the instructions by substitution, simplifies the
737 result using algebra, and then attempts to match the result against
738 the machine description. The pass is located in @file{combine.c}.
740 @item Register movement
742 This pass looks for cases where matching constraints would force an
743 instruction to need a reload, and this reload would be a
744 register-to-register move. It then attempts to change the registers
745 used by the instruction to avoid the move instruction.
746 The pass is located in @file{regmove.c}.
748 @item Optimize mode switching
750 This pass looks for instructions that require the processor to be in a
751 specific ``mode'' and minimizes the number of mode changes required to
752 satisfy all users. What these modes are, and what they apply to are
753 completely target-specific.
754 The source is located in @file{mode-switching.c}.
756 @cindex modulo scheduling
757 @cindex sms, swing, software pipelining
758 @item Modulo scheduling
760 This pass looks at innermost loops and reorders their instructions
761 by overlapping different iterations. Modulo scheduling is performed
762 immediately before instruction scheduling.
763 The pass is located in (@file{modulo-sched.c}).
765 @item Instruction scheduling
767 This pass looks for instructions whose output will not be available by
768 the time that it is used in subsequent instructions. Memory loads and
769 floating point instructions often have this behavior on RISC machines.
770 It re-orders instructions within a basic block to try to separate the
771 definition and use of items that otherwise would cause pipeline
772 stalls. This pass is performed twice, before and after register
773 allocation. The pass is located in @file{haifa-sched.c},
774 @file{sched-deps.c}, @file{sched-ebb.c}, @file{sched-rgn.c} and
777 @item Register allocation
779 These passes make sure that all occurrences of pseudo registers are
780 eliminated, either by allocating them to a hard register, replacing
781 them by an equivalent expression (e.g.@: a constant) or by placing
782 them on the stack. This is done in several subpasses:
786 Register class preferencing. The RTL code is scanned to find out
787 which register class is best for each pseudo register. The source
788 file is @file{regclass.c}.
791 Local register allocation. This pass allocates hard registers to
792 pseudo registers that are used only within one basic block. Because
793 the basic block is linear, it can use fast and powerful techniques to
794 do a decent job. The source is located in @file{local-alloc.c}.
797 Global register allocation. This pass allocates hard registers for
798 the remaining pseudo registers (those whose life spans are not
799 contained in one basic block). The pass is located in @file{global.c}.
803 Reloading. This pass renumbers pseudo registers with the hardware
804 registers numbers they were allocated. Pseudo registers that did not
805 get hard registers are replaced with stack slots. Then it finds
806 instructions that are invalid because a value has failed to end up in
807 a register, or has ended up in a register of the wrong kind. It fixes
808 up these instructions by reloading the problematical values
809 temporarily into registers. Additional instructions are generated to
812 The reload pass also optionally eliminates the frame pointer and inserts
813 instructions to save and restore call-clobbered registers around calls.
815 Source files are @file{reload.c} and @file{reload1.c}, plus the header
816 @file{reload.h} used for communication between them.
819 @item Basic block reordering
821 This pass implements profile guided code positioning. If profile
822 information is not available, various types of static analysis are
823 performed to make the predictions normally coming from the profile
824 feedback (IE execution frequency, branch probability, etc). It is
825 implemented in the file @file{bb-reorder.c}, and the various
826 prediction routines are in @file{predict.c}.
828 @item Variable tracking
830 This pass computes where the variables are stored at each
831 position in code and generates notes describing the variable locations
832 to RTL code. The location lists are then generated according to these
833 notes to debug information if the debugging information format supports
836 @item Delayed branch scheduling
838 This optional pass attempts to find instructions that can go into the
839 delay slots of other instructions, usually jumps and calls. The
840 source file name is @file{reorg.c}.
842 @item Branch shortening
844 On many RISC machines, branch instructions have a limited range.
845 Thus, longer sequences of instructions must be used for long branches.
846 In this pass, the compiler figures out what how far each instruction
847 will be from each other instruction, and therefore whether the usual
848 instructions, or the longer sequences, must be used for each branch.
850 @item Register-to-stack conversion
852 Conversion from usage of some hard registers to usage of a register
853 stack may be done at this point. Currently, this is supported only
854 for the floating-point registers of the Intel 80387 coprocessor. The
855 source file name is @file{reg-stack.c}.
859 This pass outputs the assembler code for the function. The source files
860 are @file{final.c} plus @file{insn-output.c}; the latter is generated
861 automatically from the machine description by the tool @file{genoutput}.
862 The header file @file{conditions.h} is used for communication between
863 these files. If mudflap is enabled, the queue of deferred declarations
864 and any addressed constants (e.g., string literals) is processed by
865 @code{mudflap_finish_file} into a synthetic constructor function
866 containing calls into the mudflap runtime.
868 @item Debugging information output
870 This is run after final because it must output the stack slot offsets
871 for pseudo registers that did not get hard registers. Source files
872 are @file{dbxout.c} for DBX symbol table format, @file{sdbout.c} for
873 SDB symbol table format, @file{dwarfout.c} for DWARF symbol table
874 format, files @file{dwarf2out.c} and @file{dwarf2asm.c} for DWARF2
875 symbol table format, and @file{vmsdbgout.c} for VMS debug symbol table