Add GNU attribute 'retain'

[MaskRay]

Summary

For ELF targets, GCC 11 will set SHF_GNU_RETAIN on the section of a
__attribute__((retain)) function/variable to prevent linker garbage
collection. (See AttrDocs.td for the linker support).

This patch adds retain functions/variables to the llvm.used list, which has
the desired linker GC semantics. Note: retain does not imply used,
so an unused function/variable can be dropped by Sema.

Before 'retain' was introduced, previous ELF solutions require inline asm or
linker tricks, e.g. asm volatile(".reloc 0, R_X86_64_NONE, target");
(architecture dependent) or define a non-local symbol in the section and use
ld -u. There was no elegant source-level solution.

With D97448, __attribute__((retain)) will set SHF_GNU_RETAIN on ELF targets.

[rnk]

clang/include/clang/Basic/AttrDocs.td

74

I think it would be helpful to add more context here, since each linker has its own terminology to describe section GC. Here's my attempt at starting this paragraph:

Whether this attribute has any effect on the linker depends on the target and the linker. Most linkers support the feature of section garbage collection (--gc-sections), also known as "dead stripping" (ld64 -dead_strip) or discarding unreferenced sections (link.exe /OPT:REF). On COFF and Mach-O targets (Windows and Apple platforms), the `used` attribute prevents symbols from being removed by linker section GC. On ELF targets, ...

I'm not sure how to link to the docs for the various command line flags from rst, but I think it would be helpful.

86

The linker can discard definitions for various reasons, like comdats, weak symbols, archive semantics, etc etc. Is SHF_GNU_RETAIN specific to section GC? Can you say so if so?

[MaskRay]

Improve documentation

clang/include/clang/Basic/AttrDocs.td

74

Adopted. Thanks!

86

Thanks for spotting this confusing part. I'll add archive member selection and COMDAT group resolution.

Weak symbols are not related. Weak symbols are part of symbol resolution, that does not affect the sections backing up the symbols.

[MaskRay]

I have performed a large-scale internal test. I don't find any problem with a toolchain built with D97446/D97447/D97448.

[rnk]

lgtm with a minor doc tweak

My reading of the discussion is that this is ready, but please wait for others if you are aware of any outstanding concerns.

clang/include/clang/Basic/AttrDocs.td

98

The attribute does have an effect on non-ELF targets: a retained global will be added to llvm.used, if it ends up being emitted. Maybe you can say that the attribute is only necessary on ELF targets, and that there is no harm in using retain in addition to used on non-ELF targets. Using the attributes together should result in consistent behavior across platforms.

[MaskRay]

Improve doc as rnk suggested.

clang/include/clang/Basic/Attr.td

def Unused : InheritableAttr {
   let Subjects = SubjectList<[Var, ObjCIvar, Type, Enum, EnumConstant, Label,
                               Field, ObjCMethod, FunctionLike]>;
   let Documentation = [WarnMaybeUnusedDocs];
 }
 
 def Used : InheritableAttr {
   let Spellings = [GCC<"used">];
   let Subjects = SubjectList<[NonLocalVar, Function, ObjCMethod]>;
-  let Documentation = [Undocumented];
+  let Documentation = [UsedDocs];
+  let SimpleHandler = 1;
+}
+
+def Retain : InheritableAttr {
+  let Spellings = [GCC<"retain">];
+  let Subjects = SubjectList<[NonLocalVar, Function, ObjCMethod]>;
+  let Documentation = [RetainDocs];
   let SimpleHandler = 1;
 }
 
 def Uuid : InheritableAttr {
   let Spellings = [Declspec<"uuid">, Microsoft<"uuid">];
   let Args = [StringArgument<"Guid">,
               DeclArgument<MSGuid, "GuidDecl", 0, /*fake=*/1>];
   let Subjects = SubjectList<[Record, Enum]>;

clang/include/clang/Basic/AttrDocs.td

def SectionDocs : Documentation {
   let Category = DocCatVariable;
   let Content = [{
 The ``section`` attribute allows you to specify a specific section a
 global variable or function should be in after translation.
   }];
   let Heading = "section, __declspec(allocate)";
 }
 
+def UsedDocs : Documentation {
+  let Category = DocCatFunction;
+  let Content = [{
+This attribute, when attached to a function or variable definition, indicates
+that there may be references to the entity which are not apparent in the source
+code.  For example, it may be referenced from inline ``asm``, or it may be
+found through a dynamic symbol or section lookup.
+
+The compiler must emit the definition even if it appears to be unused, and it
+must not apply optimizations which depend on fully understanding how the entity
+is used.
+
+Whether this attribute has any effect on the linker depends on the target and
+the linker. Most linkers support the feature of section garbage collection
+(``--gc-sections``), also known as "dead stripping" (``ld64 -dead_strip``) or
+discarding unreferenced sections (``link.exe /OPT:REF``). On COFF and Mach-O
+targets (Windows and Apple platforms), the `used` attribute prevents symbols
+from being removed by linker section GC. On ELF targets, it has no effect on its
+own, and the linker may remove the definition if it is not otherwise referenced.
+This linker GC can be avoided by also adding the ``retain`` attribute.  Note
+that ``retain`` requires special support from the linker; see that attribute's
+documentation for further information.
+  }];
+}
+
+def RetainDocs : Documentation {
+  let Category = DocCatFunction;
+  let Content = [{
+This attribute, when attached to a function or variable definition, prevents
+section garbage collection in the linker. It does not prevent other discard
+mechanisms, such as archive member selection, and COMDAT group resolution.
+
+If the compiler does not emit the definition, e.g. because it was not used in
+the translation unit or the compiler was able to eliminate all of the uses,
+this attribute has no effect.  This attribute is typically combined with the
+``used`` attribute to force the definition to be emitted and preserved into the
+final linked image.
+
+This attribute is only necessary on ELF targets; other targets prevent section
+garbage collection by the linker when using the ``used`` attribute alone.
+Using the attributes together should result in consistent behavior across
+targets.
+
+This attribute requires the linker to support the ``SHF_GNU_RETAIN`` extension.
+This support is available in GNU ``ld`` and ``gold`` as of binutils 2.36, as
+well as in ``ld.lld`` 13.
+  }];
+}
+
 def InitPriorityDocs : Documentation {
   let Category = DocCatVariable;
   let Content = [{
 In C++, the order in which global variables are initialized across translation
 units is unspecified, unlike the ordering within a single translation unit. The
 ``init_priority`` attribute allows you to specify a relative ordering for the
 initialization of objects declared at namespace scope in C++. The priority is
 given as an integer constant expression between 101 and 65535 (inclusive).

clang/lib/CodeGen/CGDecl.cpp

void CodeGenFunction::EmitStaticVarDecl(const VarDecl &D,
   if (auto *SA = D.getAttr<PragmaClangRodataSectionAttr>())
     var->addAttribute("rodata-section", SA->getName());
   if (auto *SA = D.getAttr<PragmaClangRelroSectionAttr>())
     var->addAttribute("relro-section", SA->getName());
 
   if (const SectionAttr *SA = D.getAttr<SectionAttr>())
     var->setSection(SA->getName());
 
-  if (D.hasAttr<UsedAttr>())
+  if (D.hasAttr<RetainAttr>())
+    CGM.addUsedGlobal(var);
+  else if (D.hasAttr<UsedAttr>())
     CGM.addUsedOrCompilerUsedGlobal(var);
 
   // We may have to cast the constant because of the initializer
   // mismatch above.
   //
   // FIXME: It is really dangerous to store this in the map; if anyone
   // RAUW's the GV uses of this constant will be invalid.
   llvm::Constant *castedAddr =

clang/lib/CodeGen/CodeGenModule.cpp

 
 void CodeGenModule::setNonAliasAttributes(GlobalDecl GD,
                                           llvm::GlobalObject *GO) {
   const Decl *D = GD.getDecl();
   SetCommonAttributes(GD, GO);
 
   if (D) {
     if (auto *GV = dyn_cast<llvm::GlobalVariable>(GO)) {
+      if (D->hasAttr<RetainAttr>())
+        addUsedGlobal(GV);
       if (auto *SA = D->getAttr<PragmaClangBSSSectionAttr>())
         GV->addAttribute("bss-section", SA->getName());
       if (auto *SA = D->getAttr<PragmaClangDataSectionAttr>())
         GV->addAttribute("data-section", SA->getName());
       if (auto *SA = D->getAttr<PragmaClangRodataSectionAttr>())
         GV->addAttribute("rodata-section", SA->getName());
       if (auto *SA = D->getAttr<PragmaClangRelroSectionAttr>())
         GV->addAttribute("relro-section", SA->getName());
     }
 
     if (auto *F = dyn_cast<llvm::Function>(GO)) {
+      if (D->hasAttr<RetainAttr>())
+        addUsedGlobal(F);
       if (auto *SA = D->getAttr<PragmaClangTextSectionAttr>())
         if (!D->getAttr<SectionAttr>())
           F->addFnAttr("implicit-section-name", SA->getName());
 
       llvm::AttrBuilder Attrs;
       if (GetCPUAndFeaturesAttributes(GD, Attrs)) {
         // We know that GetCPUAndFeaturesAttributes will always have the
         // newest set, since it has the newest possible FunctionDecl, so the

clang/lib/Sema/SemaDecl.cpp

 /// mergeDeclAttributes - Copy attributes from the Old decl to the New one.
 void Sema::mergeDeclAttributes(NamedDecl *New, Decl *Old,
                                AvailabilityMergeKind AMK) {
   if (UsedAttr *OldAttr = Old->getMostRecentDecl()->getAttr<UsedAttr>()) {
     UsedAttr *NewAttr = OldAttr->clone(Context);
     NewAttr->setInherited(true);
     New->addAttr(NewAttr);
   }
+  if (RetainAttr *OldAttr = Old->getMostRecentDecl()->getAttr<RetainAttr>()) {
+    RetainAttr *NewAttr = OldAttr->clone(Context);
+    NewAttr->setInherited(true);
+    New->addAttr(NewAttr);
+  }
 
   if (!Old->hasAttrs() && !New->hasAttrs())
     return;
 
   // [dcl.constinit]p1:
   //   If the [constinit] specifier is applied to any declaration of a
   //   variable, it shall be applied to the initializing declaration.
   const auto *OldConstInit = Old->getAttr<ConstInitAttr>();
if (isa<DeprecatedAttr>(I) ||
       case AMK_Override:
       case AMK_ProtocolImplementation:
         LocalAMK = AMK;
         break;
       }
     }
 
     // Already handled.
-    if (isa<UsedAttr>(I))
+    if (isa<UsedAttr>(I) || isa<RetainAttr>(I))
       continue;
 
     if (mergeDeclAttribute(*this, New, I, LocalAMK))
       foundAny = true;
   }
 
   if (mergeAlignedAttrs(*this, New, Old))
     foundAny = true;
void Sema::FinalizeDeclaration(Decl *ThisDecl) {
 
   if (UsedAttr *Attr = VD->getAttr<UsedAttr>()) {
     if (!Attr->isInherited() && !VD->isThisDeclarationADefinition()) {
       Diag(Attr->getLocation(), diag::warn_attribute_ignored_on_non_definition)
           << Attr;
       VD->dropAttr<UsedAttr>();
     }
   }
+  if (RetainAttr *Attr = VD->getAttr<RetainAttr>()) {
+    if (!Attr->isInherited() && !VD->isThisDeclarationADefinition()) {
+      Diag(Attr->getLocation(), diag::warn_attribute_ignored_on_non_definition)
+          << Attr;
+      VD->dropAttr<RetainAttr>();
+    }
+  }
 
   const DeclContext *DC = VD->getDeclContext();
   // If there's a #pragma GCC visibility in scope, and this isn't a class
   // member, set the visibility of this variable.
   if (DC->getRedeclContext()->isFileContext() && VD->isExternallyVisible())
     AddPushedVisibilityAttribute(VD);
 
   // FIXME: Warn on unused var template partial specializations.

clang/test/CodeGen/attr-retain.c

+// RUN: %clang_cc1 -emit-llvm %s -o - | FileCheck %s
+
+/// Set !retain regardless of the target. The backend will lower !retain to
+/// SHF_GNU_RETAIN on ELF and ignore the metadata for other binary formats.
+// CHECK:      @c0 ={{.*}} constant i32 {{.*}}
+// CHECK:      @foo.l0 = internal global i32 {{.*}}
+// CHECK:      @g0 ={{.*}} global i32 {{.*}}
+// CHECK-NEXT: @g1 ={{.*}} global i32 {{.*}}
+// CHECK-NEXT: @g3 = internal global i32 {{.*}}
+// CHECK-NEXT: @g4 = internal global i32 0, section ".data.g"{{.*}}
+
+// CHECK:      @llvm.used = appending global [8 x i8*] [i8* bitcast (i32* @c0 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @foo.l0 to i8*), i8* bitcast (void ()* @f0 to i8*), i8* bitcast (void ()* @f2 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g0 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g1 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g3 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g4 to i8*)], section "llvm.metadata"
+// CHECK:      @llvm.compiler.used = appending global [3 x i8*] [i8* bitcast (void ()* @f2 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g3 to i8*), i8* bitcast (i32* @g4 to i8*)], section "llvm.metadata"
+
+const int c0 __attribute__((retain)) = 42;
+
+void foo() {
+  static int l0 __attribute__((retain)) = 2;
+}
+
+__attribute__((retain)) int g0;
+int g1 __attribute__((retain));
+__attribute__((retain)) static int g2;
+__attribute__((used, retain)) static int g3;
+__attribute__((used, retain, section(".data.g"))) static int g4;
+
+void __attribute__((retain)) f0(void) {}
+static void __attribute__((retain)) f1(void) {}
+static void __attribute__((used, retain)) f2(void) {}

clang/test/CodeGenCXX/attr-retain.cpp

+// RUN: %clang_cc1 -emit-llvm -triple %itanium_abi_triple -Werror %s -o - | FileCheck %s
+
+// CHECK:      @llvm.used = appending global [7 x i8*]
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN2X0C2Ev
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN2X0C1Ev
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN2X0D2Ev
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN2X0D1Ev
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN2X16Nested2f1Ev
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN10merge_declL4funcEv
+// CHECK-SAME:   @_ZN18instantiate_member1SIiE1fEv
+
+struct X0 {
+  // CHECK: define linkonce_odr{{.*}} @_ZN2X0C1Ev({{.*}}
+  __attribute__((used, retain)) X0() {}
+  // CHECK: define linkonce_odr{{.*}} @_ZN2X0D1Ev({{.*}}
+  __attribute__((used, retain)) ~X0() {}
+};
+
+struct X1 {
+  struct Nested {
+    // CHECK-NOT: 2f0Ev
+    // CHECK: define linkonce_odr{{.*}} @_ZN2X16Nested2f1Ev({{.*}}
+    void __attribute__((retain)) f0() {}
+    void __attribute__((used, retain)) f1() {}
+  };
+};
+
+// CHECK: define internal void @_ZN10merge_declL4funcEv(){{.*}}
+namespace merge_decl {
+static void func();
+void bar() { void func() __attribute__((used, retain)); }
+static void func() {}
+} // namespace merge_decl
+
+namespace instantiate_member {
+template <typename T>
+struct S {
+  void __attribute__((used, retain)) f() {}
+};
+
+void test() {
+  // CHECK: define linkonce_odr{{.*}} void @_ZN18instantiate_member1SIiE1fEv({{.*}}
+  S<int> a;
+}
+} // namespace instantiate_member

clang/test/Sema/attr-retain.c

+// RUN: %clang_cc1 -fsyntax-only -verify %s -Wunused-function
+
+/// We allow 'retain' on non-ELF targets because 'retain' is often used together
+/// with 'used'. 'used' has GC root semantics on macOS and Windows. We want
+/// users to just write retain,used and don't need to dispatch on binary formats.
+
+extern char test1[] __attribute__((retain));       // expected-warning {{'retain' attribute ignored on a non-definition declaration}}
+extern const char test2[] __attribute__((retain)); // expected-warning {{'retain' attribute ignored on a non-definition declaration}}
+const char test3[] __attribute__((retain)) = "";
+
+struct __attribute__((retain)) s { // expected-warning {{'retain' attribute only applies to variables with non-local storage, functions, and Objective-C methods}}
+};
+
+void foo() {
+  static int a __attribute__((retain));
+  int b __attribute__((retain)); // expected-warning {{'retain' attribute only applies to variables with non-local storage, functions, and Objective-C methods}}
+  (void)a;
+  (void)b;
+}
+
+__attribute__((retain,used)) static void f0() {}
+__attribute__((retain)) static void f1() {} // expected-warning {{unused function 'f1'}}
+__attribute__((retain)) void f2() {}
+
+/// Test attribute merging.
+int tentative;
+int tentative __attribute__((retain));
+extern int tentative;
+int tentative = 0;