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1=head1 LIBECB - e-C-Builtins
2
1=head1 LIBECB 3=head2 ABOUT LIBECB
2 4
3You suck, we don't(tm) 5Libecb is currently a simple header file that doesn't require any
6configuration to use or include in your project.
7
8It's part of the e-suite of libraries, other members of which include
9libev and libeio.
10
11Its homepage can be found here:
12
13 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/libecb
14
15It mainly provides a number of wrappers around GCC built-ins, together
16with replacement functions for other compilers. In addition to this,
17it provides a number of other lowlevel C utilities, such as endianness
18detection, byte swapping or bit rotations.
19
20Or in other words, things that should be built into any standard C system,
21but aren't, implemented as efficient as possible with GCC, and still
22correct with other compilers.
23
24More might come.
4 25
5=head2 ABOUT THE HEADER 26=head2 ABOUT THE HEADER
6 27
7- how to include it 28At the moment, all you have to do is copy F<ecb.h> somewhere where your
8- it includes inttypes.h 29compiler can find it and include it:
9- no .a
10- whats a bool
11- function mean macro or function
12- macro means untyped
13 30
31 #include <ecb.h>
32
33The header should work fine for both C and C++ compilation, and gives you
34all of F<inttypes.h> in addition to the ECB symbols.
35
36There are currently no object files to link to - future versions might
37come with an (optional) object code library to link against, to reduce
38code size or gain access to additional features.
39
40It also currently includes everything from F<inttypes.h>.
41
42=head2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL / CONVENTIONS
43
44This manual mainly describes each (public) function available after
45including the F<ecb.h> header. The header might define other symbols than
46these, but these are not part of the public API, and not supported in any
47way.
48
49When the manual mentions a "function" then this could be defined either as
50as inline function, a macro, or an external symbol.
51
52When functions use a concrete standard type, such as C<int> or
53C<uint32_t>, then the corresponding function works only with that type. If
54only a generic name is used (C<expr>, C<cond>, C<value> and so on), then
55the corresponding function relies on C to implement the correct types, and
56is usually implemented as a macro. Specifically, a "bool" in this manual
57refers to any kind of boolean value, not a specific type.
58
59=head2 TYPES / TYPE SUPPORT
60
61ecb.h makes sure that the following types are defined (in the expected way):
62
63 int8_t uint8_
64 int16_t uint16_t
65 int32_t uint32_
66 int64_t uint64_t
67 int_fast8_t uint_fast8_t
68 int_fast16_t uint_fast16_t
69 int_fast32_t uint_fast32_t
70 int_fast64_t uint_fast64_t
71 intptr_t uintptr_t
72
73The macro C<ECB_PTRSIZE> is defined to the size of a pointer on this
74platform (currently C<4> or C<8>) and can be used in preprocessor
75expressions.
76
77For C<ptrdiff_t> and C<size_t> use C<stddef.h>/C<cstddef>.
78
79=head2 LANGUAGE/ENVIRONMENT/COMPILER VERSIONS
80
81All the following symbols expand to an expression that can be tested in
82preprocessor instructions as well as treated as a boolean (use C<!!> to
83ensure it's either C<0> or C<1> if you need that).
84
85=over 4
86
87=item ECB_C
88
89True if the implementation defines the C<__STDC__> macro to a true value,
90while not claiming to be C++.
91
92=item ECB_C99
93
94True if the implementation claims to be compliant to C99 (ISO/IEC
959899:1999) or any later version, while not claiming to be C++.
96
97Note that later versions (ECB_C11) remove core features again (for
98example, variable length arrays).
99
100=item ECB_C11, ECB_C17
101
102True if the implementation claims to be compliant to C11/C17 (ISO/IEC
1039899:2011, :20187) or any later version, while not claiming to be C++.
104
105=item ECB_CPP
106
107True if the implementation defines the C<__cplusplus__> macro to a true
108value, which is typically true for C++ compilers.
109
110=item ECB_CPP11, ECB_CPP14, ECB_CPP17
111
112True if the implementation claims to be compliant to C++11/C++14/C++17
113(ISO/IEC 14882:2011, :2014, :2017) or any later version.
114
115=item ECB_GCC_VERSION (major, minor)
116
117Expands to a true value (suitable for testing in by the preprocessor)
118if the compiler used is GNU C and the version is the given version, or
119higher.
120
121This macro tries to return false on compilers that claim to be GCC
122compatible but aren't.
123
124=item ECB_EXTERN_C
125
126Expands to C<extern "C"> in C++, and a simple C<extern> in C.
127
128This can be used to declare a single external C function:
129
130 ECB_EXTERN_C int printf (const char *format, ...);
131
132=item ECB_EXTERN_C_BEG / ECB_EXTERN_C_END
133
134These two macros can be used to wrap multiple C<extern "C"> definitions -
135they expand to nothing in C.
136
137They are most useful in header files:
138
139 ECB_EXTERN_C_BEG
140
141 int mycfun1 (int x);
142 int mycfun2 (int x);
143
144 ECB_EXTERN_C_END
145
146=item ECB_STDFP
147
148If this evaluates to a true value (suitable for testing in by the
149preprocessor), then C<float> and C<double> use IEEE 754 single/binary32
150and double/binary64 representations internally I<and> the endianness of
151both types match the endianness of C<uint32_t> and C<uint64_t>.
152
153This means you can just copy the bits of a C<float> (or C<double>) to an
154C<uint32_t> (or C<uint64_t>) and get the raw IEEE 754 bit representation
155without having to think about format or endianness.
156
157This is true for basically all modern platforms, although F<ecb.h> might
158not be able to deduce this correctly everywhere and might err on the safe
159side.
160
161=item ECB_AMD64, ECB_AMD64_X32
162
163These two macros are defined to C<1> on the x86_64/amd64 ABI and the X32
164ABI, respectively, and undefined elsewhere.
165
166The designers of the new X32 ABI for some inexplicable reason decided to
167make it look exactly like amd64, even though it's completely incompatible
168to that ABI, breaking about every piece of software that assumed that
169C<__x86_64> stands for, well, the x86-64 ABI, making these macros
170necessary.
171
172=back
173
174=head2 MACRO TRICKERY
175
176=over 4
177
178=item ECB_CONCAT (a, b)
179
180Expands any macros in C<a> and C<b>, then concatenates the result to form
181a single token. This is mainly useful to form identifiers from components,
182e.g.:
183
184 #define S1 str
185 #define S2 cpy
186
187 ECB_CONCAT (S1, S2)(dst, src); // == strcpy (dst, src);
188
189=item ECB_STRINGIFY (arg)
190
191Expands any macros in C<arg> and returns the stringified version of
192it. This is mainly useful to get the contents of a macro in string form,
193e.g.:
194
195 #define SQL_LIMIT 100
196 sql_exec ("select * from table limit " ECB_STRINGIFY (SQL_LIMIT));
197
198=item ECB_STRINGIFY_EXPR (expr)
199
200Like C<ECB_STRINGIFY>, but additionally evaluates C<expr> to make sure it
201is a valid expression. This is useful to catch typos or cases where the
202macro isn't available:
203
204 #include <errno.h>
205
206 ECB_STRINGIFY (EDOM); // "33" (on my system at least)
207 ECB_STRINGIFY_EXPR (EDOM); // "33"
208
209 // now imagine we had a typo:
210
211 ECB_STRINGIFY (EDAM); // "EDAM"
212 ECB_STRINGIFY_EXPR (EDAM); // error: EDAM undefined
213
214=back
215
14=head2 GCC ATTRIBUTES 216=head2 ATTRIBUTES
15 217
16blabla where to put, what others 218A major part of libecb deals with additional attributes that can be
219assigned to functions, variables and sometimes even types - much like
220C<const> or C<volatile> in C. They are implemented using either GCC
221attributes or other compiler/language specific features. Attributes
222declarations must be put before the whole declaration:
17 223
18=over 4 224 ecb_const int mysqrt (int a);
225 ecb_unused int i;
19 226
20=item ecb_attribute ((attrs...)) 227=over 4
21
22A simple wrapper that expands to C<__attribute__((attrs))> on GCC, and
23to nothing on other compilers, so the effect is that only GCC sees these.
24 228
25=item ecb_unused 229=item ecb_unused
26 230
27Marks a function or a variable as "unused", which simply suppresses a 231Marks a function or a variable as "unused", which simply suppresses a
28warning by GCC when it detects it as unused. This is useful when you e.g. 232warning by GCC when it detects it as unused. This is useful when you e.g.
29declare a variable but do not always use it: 233declare a variable but do not always use it:
30 234
235 {
236 ecb_unused int var;
237
238 #ifdef SOMECONDITION
239 var = ...;
240 return var;
241 #else
242 return 0;
243 #endif
244 }
245
246=item ecb_deprecated
247
248Similar to C<ecb_unused>, but marks a function, variable or type as
249deprecated. This makes some compilers warn when the type is used.
250
251=item ecb_deprecated_message (message)
252
253Same as C<ecb_deprecated>, but if possible, the specified diagnostic is
254used instead of a generic depreciation message when the object is being
255used.
256
257=item ecb_inline
258
259Expands either to (a compiler-specific equivalent of) C<static inline> or
260to just C<static>, if inline isn't supported. It should be used to declare
261functions that should be inlined, for code size or speed reasons.
262
263Example: inline this function, it surely will reduce codesize.
264
265 ecb_inline int
266 negmul (int a, int b)
31 { 267 {
32 int var ecb_unused; 268 return - (a * b);
33
34 #ifdef SOMECONDITION
35 var = ...;
36 return var;
37 #else
38 return 0;
39 #endif
40 } 269 }
41 270
42=item ecb_noinline 271=item ecb_noinline
43 272
44Prevent a function from being inlined - it might be optimsied away, but 273Prevents a function from being inlined - it might be optimised away, but
45not inlined into other functions. This is useful if you know your function 274not inlined into other functions. This is useful if you know your function
46is rarely called and large enough for inlining not to be helpful. 275is rarely called and large enough for inlining not to be helpful.
47 276
48=item ecb_noreturn 277=item ecb_noreturn
49 278
279Marks a function as "not returning, ever". Some typical functions that
280don't return are C<exit> or C<abort> (which really works hard to not
281return), and now you can make your own:
282
283 ecb_noreturn void
284 my_abort (const char *errline)
285 {
286 puts (errline);
287 abort ();
288 }
289
290In this case, the compiler would probably be smart enough to deduce it on
291its own, so this is mainly useful for declarations.
292
293=item ecb_restrict
294
295Expands to the C<restrict> keyword or equivalent on compilers that support
296them, and to nothing on others. Must be specified on a pointer type or
297an array index to indicate that the memory doesn't alias with any other
298restricted pointer in the same scope.
299
300Example: multiply a vector, and allow the compiler to parallelise the
301loop, because it knows it doesn't overwrite input values.
302
303 void
304 multiply (ecb_restrict float *src,
305 ecb_restrict float *dst,
306 int len, float factor)
307 {
308 int i;
309
310 for (i = 0; i < len; ++i)
311 dst [i] = src [i] * factor;
312 }
313
50=item ecb_const 314=item ecb_const
51 315
316Declares that the function only depends on the values of its arguments,
317much like a mathematical function. It specifically does not read or write
318any memory any arguments might point to, global variables, or call any
319non-const functions. It also must not have any side effects.
320
321Such a function can be optimised much more aggressively by the compiler -
322for example, multiple calls with the same arguments can be optimised into
323a single call, which wouldn't be possible if the compiler would have to
324expect any side effects.
325
326It is best suited for functions in the sense of mathematical functions,
327such as a function returning the square root of its input argument.
328
329Not suited would be a function that calculates the hash of some memory
330area you pass in, prints some messages or looks at a global variable to
331decide on rounding.
332
333See C<ecb_pure> for a slightly less restrictive class of functions.
334
52=item ecb_pure 335=item ecb_pure
53 336
337Similar to C<ecb_const>, declares a function that has no side
338effects. Unlike C<ecb_const>, the function is allowed to examine global
339variables and any other memory areas (such as the ones passed to it via
340pointers).
341
342While these functions cannot be optimised as aggressively as C<ecb_const>
343functions, they can still be optimised away in many occasions, and the
344compiler has more freedom in moving calls to them around.
345
346Typical examples for such functions would be C<strlen> or C<memcmp>. A
347function that calculates the MD5 sum of some input and updates some MD5
348state passed as argument would I<NOT> be pure, however, as it would modify
349some memory area that is not the return value.
350
54=item ecb_hot 351=item ecb_hot
55 352
353This declares a function as "hot" with regards to the cache - the function
354is used so often, that it is very beneficial to keep it in the cache if
355possible.
356
357The compiler reacts by trying to place hot functions near to each other in
358memory.
359
360Whether a function is hot or not often depends on the whole program,
361and less on the function itself. C<ecb_cold> is likely more useful in
362practise.
363
56=item ecb_cold 364=item ecb_cold
57 365
366The opposite of C<ecb_hot> - declares a function as "cold" with regards to
367the cache, or in other words, this function is not called often, or not at
368speed-critical times, and keeping it in the cache might be a waste of said
369cache.
370
371In addition to placing cold functions together (or at least away from hot
372functions), this knowledge can be used in other ways, for example, the
373function will be optimised for size, as opposed to speed, and codepaths
374leading to calls to those functions can automatically be marked as if
375C<ecb_expect_false> had been used to reach them.
376
377Good examples for such functions would be error reporting functions, or
378functions only called in exceptional or rare cases.
379
58=item ecb_artificial 380=item ecb_artificial
59 381
382Declares the function as "artificial", in this case meaning that this
383function is not really meant to be a function, but more like an accessor
384- many methods in C++ classes are mere accessor functions, and having a
385crash reported in such a method, or single-stepping through them, is not
386usually so helpful, especially when it's inlined to just a few instructions.
387
388Marking them as artificial will instruct the debugger about just this,
389leading to happier debugging and thus happier lives.
390
391Example: in some kind of smart-pointer class, mark the pointer accessor as
392artificial, so that the whole class acts more like a pointer and less like
393some C++ abstraction monster.
394
395 template<typename T>
396 struct my_smart_ptr
397 {
398 T *value;
399
400 ecb_artificial
401 operator T *()
402 {
403 return value;
404 }
405 };
406
60=back 407=back
61 408
62=head2 OPTIMISATION HINTS 409=head2 OPTIMISATION HINTS
63 410
64=over 4 411=over 4
65 412
413=item ECB_OPTIMIZE_SIZE
414
415Is C<1> when the compiler optimizes for size, C<0> otherwise. This symbol
416can also be defined before including F<ecb.h>, in which case it will be
417unchanged.
418
66=item bool ecb_is_constant(expr) [MACRO] 419=item bool ecb_is_constant (expr)
67 420
68Returns true iff the expression can be deduced to be a compile-time 421Returns true iff the expression can be deduced to be a compile-time
69constant, and false otherwise. 422constant, and false otherwise.
70 423
71For example, when you have a C<rndm16> function that returns a 16 bit 424For example, when you have a C<rndm16> function that returns a 16 bit
89 return is_constant (n) && !(n & (n - 1)) 442 return is_constant (n) && !(n & (n - 1))
90 ? rndm16 () & (num - 1) 443 ? rndm16 () & (num - 1)
91 : (n * (uint32_t)rndm16 ()) >> 16; 444 : (n * (uint32_t)rndm16 ()) >> 16;
92 } 445 }
93 446
94=item bool ecb_expect (expr, value) [MACRO] 447=item ecb_expect (expr, value)
95 448
96Evaluates C<expr> and returns it. In addition, it tells the compiler that 449Evaluates C<expr> and returns it. In addition, it tells the compiler that
97the C<expr> evaluates to C<value> a lot, which can be used for static 450the C<expr> evaluates to C<value> a lot, which can be used for static
98branch optimisations. 451branch optimisations.
99 452
100Usually, you want to use the more intuitive C<ecb_likely> and 453Usually, you want to use the more intuitive C<ecb_expect_true> and
101C<ecb_unlikely> functions instead. 454C<ecb_expect_false> functions instead.
102 455
103=item bool ecb_likely (bool) [MACRO] 456=item bool ecb_expect_true (cond)
104 457
105=item bool ecb_unlikely (bool) [MACRO] 458=item bool ecb_expect_false (cond)
106 459
107These two functions expect a expression that is true or false and return 460These two functions expect a expression that is true or false and return
108C<1> or C<0>, respectively, so when used in the condition of an C<if> or 461C<1> or C<0>, respectively, so when used in the condition of an C<if> or
109other conditional statement, it will not change the program: 462other conditional statement, it will not change the program:
110 463
111 /* these two do the same thing */ 464 /* these two do the same thing */
112 if (some_condition) ...; 465 if (some_condition) ...;
113 if (ecb_likely (some_condition)) ...; 466 if (ecb_expect_true (some_condition)) ...;
114 467
115However, by using C<ecb_likely>, you tell the compiler that the condition 468However, by using C<ecb_expect_true>, you tell the compiler that the
116is likely to be true (and for C<ecb_unlikel>, that it is unlikely to be 469condition is likely to be true (and for C<ecb_expect_false>, that it is
117true). 470unlikely to be true).
118 471
119For example, when you check for a 0-ptr and expect this to be a rare, 472For example, when you check for a null pointer and expect this to be a
120exceptional, case, then use C<ecb_unlikely>: 473rare, exceptional, case, then use C<ecb_expect_false>:
121 474
122 void my_free (void *ptr) 475 void my_free (void *ptr)
123 { 476 {
124 if (ecb_unlikely (ptr == 0)) 477 if (ecb_expect_false (ptr == 0))
125 return; 478 return;
126 } 479 }
127 480
128Consequent use of these functions to mark away exceptional cases or to 481Consequent use of these functions to mark away exceptional cases or to
129tell the compiler what the hot path through a function is can increase 482tell the compiler what the hot path through a function is can increase
130performance considerably. 483performance considerably.
131 484
485You might know these functions under the name C<likely> and C<unlikely>
486- while these are common aliases, we find that the expect name is easier
487to understand when quickly skimming code. If you wish, you can use
488C<ecb_likely> instead of C<ecb_expect_true> and C<ecb_unlikely> instead of
489C<ecb_expect_false> - these are simply aliases.
490
132A very good example is in a function that reserves more space for some 491A very good example is in a function that reserves more space for some
133memory block (for example, inside an implementation of a string stream) - 492memory block (for example, inside an implementation of a string stream) -
134eahc time something is added, you have to check for a buffer overrun, but 493each time something is added, you have to check for a buffer overrun, but
135you expect that most checks will turn out to be false: 494you expect that most checks will turn out to be false:
136 495
137 /* make sure we have "size" extra room in our buffer */ 496 /* make sure we have "size" extra room in our buffer */
138 ecb_inline void 497 ecb_inline void
139 reserve (int size) 498 reserve (int size)
140 { 499 {
141 if (ecb_unlikely (current + size > end)) 500 if (ecb_expect_false (current + size > end))
142 real_reserve_method (size); /* presumably noinline */ 501 real_reserve_method (size); /* presumably noinline */
143 } 502 }
144 503
145=item bool ecb_assume (cond) [MACRO] 504=item ecb_assume (cond)
146 505
147Try to tell the compiler that some condition is true, even if it's not 506Tries to tell the compiler that some condition is true, even if it's not
148obvious. 507obvious. This is not a function, but a statement: it cannot be used in
508another expression.
149 509
150This can be used to teach the compiler about invariants or other 510This can be used to teach the compiler about invariants or other
151conditions that might improve code generation, but which are impossible to 511conditions that might improve code generation, but which are impossible to
152deduce form the code itself. 512deduce form the code itself.
153 513
154For example, the example reservation function from the C<ecb_unlikely> 514For example, the example reservation function from the C<ecb_expect_false>
155description could be written thus (only C<ecb_assume> was added): 515description could be written thus (only C<ecb_assume> was added):
156 516
157 ecb_inline void 517 ecb_inline void
158 reserve (int size) 518 reserve (int size)
159 { 519 {
160 if (ecb_unlikely (current + size > end)) 520 if (ecb_expect_false (current + size > end))
161 real_reserve_method (size); /* presumably noinline */ 521 real_reserve_method (size); /* presumably noinline */
162 522
163 ecb_assume (current + size <= end); 523 ecb_assume (current + size <= end);
164 } 524 }
165 525
170 530
171Then the compiler I<might> be able to optimise out the second call 531Then the compiler I<might> be able to optimise out the second call
172completely, as it knows that C<< current + 1 > end >> is false and the 532completely, as it knows that C<< current + 1 > end >> is false and the
173call will never be executed. 533call will never be executed.
174 534
175=item bool ecb_unreachable () 535=item ecb_unreachable ()
176 536
177This function does nothing itself, except tell the compiler that it will 537This function does nothing itself, except tell the compiler that it will
178never be executed. Apart from supressing a warning in some cases, this 538never be executed. Apart from suppressing a warning in some cases, this
179function can be used to implement C<ecb_assume> or similar functions. 539function can be used to implement C<ecb_assume> or similar functionality.
180 540
181=item bool ecb_prefetch (addr, rw, locality) [MACRO] 541=item ecb_prefetch (addr, rw, locality)
182 542
183Tells the compiler to try to prefetch memory at the given C<addr>ess 543Tells the compiler to try to prefetch memory at the given C<addr>ess
184for either reading (c<rw> = 0) or writing (C<rw> = 1). A C<locality> of 544for either reading (C<rw> = 0) or writing (C<rw> = 1). A C<locality> of
185C<0> means that there will only be one access later, C<3> means that 545C<0> means that there will only be one access later, C<3> means that
186the data will likely be accessed very often, and values in between mean 546the data will likely be accessed very often, and values in between mean
187something... in between. The memory pointed to by the address does not 547something... in between. The memory pointed to by the address does not
188need to be accessible (it could be a null pointer for example), but C<rw> 548need to be accessible (it could be a null pointer for example), but C<rw>
189and C<locality> must be compile-time constants. 549and C<locality> must be compile-time constants.
190 550
551This is a statement, not a function: you cannot use it as part of an
552expression.
553
191An obvious way to use this is to prefetch some data far away, in a big 554An obvious way to use this is to prefetch some data far away, in a big
192array you loop over. This prefethces memory some 128 array elements later, 555array you loop over. This prefetches memory some 128 array elements later,
193in the hope that it will be ready when the CPU arrives at that location. 556in the hope that it will be ready when the CPU arrives at that location.
194 557
195 int sum = 0; 558 int sum = 0;
196 559
197 for (i = 0; i < N; ++i) 560 for (i = 0; i < N; ++i)
214After processing the node, (part of) the next node might already be in 577After processing the node, (part of) the next node might already be in
215cache. 578cache.
216 579
217=back 580=back
218 581
219=head2 BIT FIDDLING / BITSTUFFS 582=head2 BIT FIDDLING / BIT WIZARDRY
220 583
221=over 4 584=over 4
222 585
223=item bool ecb_big_endian () 586=item bool ecb_big_endian ()
224 587
225=item bool ecb_little_endian () 588=item bool ecb_little_endian ()
226 589
590These two functions return true if the byte order is big endian
591(most-significant byte first) or little endian (least-significant byte
592first) respectively.
593
594On systems that are neither, their return values are unspecified.
595
227=item int ecb_ctz32 (uint32_t x) 596=item int ecb_ctz32 (uint32_t x)
228 597
598=item int ecb_ctz64 (uint64_t x)
599
600Returns the index of the least significant bit set in C<x> (or
601equivalently the number of bits set to 0 before the least significant bit
602set), starting from 0. If C<x> is 0 the result is undefined.
603
604For smaller types than C<uint32_t> you can safely use C<ecb_ctz32>.
605
606For example:
607
608 ecb_ctz32 (3) = 0
609 ecb_ctz32 (6) = 1
610
611=item bool ecb_is_pot32 (uint32_t x)
612
613=item bool ecb_is_pot64 (uint32_t x)
614
615Returns true iff C<x> is a power of two or C<x == 0>.
616
617For smaller types than C<uint32_t> you can safely use C<ecb_is_pot32>.
618
619=item int ecb_ld32 (uint32_t x)
620
621=item int ecb_ld64 (uint64_t x)
622
623Returns the index of the most significant bit set in C<x>, or the number
624of digits the number requires in binary (so that C<< 2**ld <= x <
6252**(ld+1) >>). If C<x> is 0 the result is undefined. A common use case is
626to compute the integer binary logarithm, i.e. C<floor (log2 (n))>, for
627example to see how many bits a certain number requires to be encoded.
628
629This function is similar to the "count leading zero bits" function, except
630that that one returns how many zero bits are "in front" of the number (in
631the given data type), while C<ecb_ld> returns how many bits the number
632itself requires.
633
634For smaller types than C<uint32_t> you can safely use C<ecb_ld32>.
635
229=item int ecb_popcount32 (uint32_t x) 636=item int ecb_popcount32 (uint32_t x)
230 637
638=item int ecb_popcount64 (uint64_t x)
639
640Returns the number of bits set to 1 in C<x>.
641
642For smaller types than C<uint32_t> you can safely use C<ecb_popcount32>.
643
644For example:
645
646 ecb_popcount32 (7) = 3
647 ecb_popcount32 (255) = 8
648
649=item uint8_t ecb_bitrev8 (uint8_t x)
650
651=item uint16_t ecb_bitrev16 (uint16_t x)
652
653=item uint32_t ecb_bitrev32 (uint32_t x)
654
655Reverses the bits in x, i.e. the MSB becomes the LSB, MSB-1 becomes LSB+1
656and so on.
657
658Example:
659
660 ecb_bitrev8 (0xa7) = 0xea
661 ecb_bitrev32 (0xffcc4411) = 0x882233ff
662
231=item uint32_t ecb_bswap16 (uint32_t x) 663=item uint32_t ecb_bswap16 (uint32_t x)
232 664
233=item uint32_t ecb_bswap32 (uint32_t x) 665=item uint32_t ecb_bswap32 (uint32_t x)
234 666
667=item uint64_t ecb_bswap64 (uint64_t x)
668
669These functions return the value of the 16-bit (32-bit, 64-bit) value
670C<x> after reversing the order of bytes (0x11223344 becomes 0x44332211 in
671C<ecb_bswap32>).
672
673=item T ecb_bswap (T x) [C++]
674
675For C++, an additional generic bswap function is provided. It supports
676C<uint8_t>, C<uint16_t>, C<uint32_t> and C<uint64_t>.
677
678=item uint8_t ecb_rotl8 (uint8_t x, unsigned int count)
679
680=item uint16_t ecb_rotl16 (uint16_t x, unsigned int count)
681
682=item uint32_t ecb_rotl32 (uint32_t x, unsigned int count)
683
684=item uint64_t ecb_rotl64 (uint64_t x, unsigned int count)
685
686=item uint8_t ecb_rotr8 (uint8_t x, unsigned int count)
687
688=item uint16_t ecb_rotr16 (uint16_t x, unsigned int count)
689
235=item uint32_t ecb_rotr32 (uint32_t x, unsigned int count) 690=item uint32_t ecb_rotr32 (uint32_t x, unsigned int count)
236 691
237=item uint32_t ecb_rotl32 (uint32_t x, unsigned int count) 692=item uint64_t ecb_rotr64 (uint64_t x, unsigned int count)
693
694These two families of functions return the value of C<x> after rotating
695all the bits by C<count> positions to the right (C<ecb_rotr>) or left
696(C<ecb_rotl>).
697
698Current GCC versions understand these functions and usually compile them
699to "optimal" code (e.g. a single C<rol> or a combination of C<shld> on
700x86).
701
702=back
703
704=head2 HOST ENDIANNESS CONVERSION
705
706=over 4
707
708=item uint_fast16_t ecb_be_u16_to_host (uint_fast16_t v)
709
710=item uint_fast32_t ecb_be_u32_to_host (uint_fast32_t v)
711
712=item uint_fast64_t ecb_be_u64_to_host (uint_fast64_t v)
713
714=item uint_fast16_t ecb_le_u16_to_host (uint_fast16_t v)
715
716=item uint_fast32_t ecb_le_u32_to_host (uint_fast32_t v)
717
718=item uint_fast64_t ecb_le_u64_to_host (uint_fast64_t v)
719
720Convert an unsigned 16, 32 or 64 bit value from big or little endian to host byte order.
721
722The naming convention is C<ecb_>(C<be>|C<le>)C<_u>C<16|32|64>C<_to_host>,
723where be and le stand for big endian and little endian, respectively.
724
725=item uint_fast16_t ecb_host_to_be_u16 (uint_fast16_t v)
726
727=item uint_fast32_t ecb_host_to_be_u32 (uint_fast32_t v)
728
729=item uint_fast64_t ecb_host_to_be_u64 (uint_fast64_t v)
730
731=item uint_fast16_t ecb_host_to_le_u16 (uint_fast16_t v)
732
733=item uint_fast32_t ecb_host_to_le_u32 (uint_fast32_t v)
734
735=item uint_fast64_t ecb_host_to_le_u64 (uint_fast64_t v)
736
737Like above, but converts I<from> host byte order to the specified
738endianness.
739
740=back
741
742In C++ the following additional functions are supported:
743
744=over 4
745
746=item T ecb_be_to_host (T v)
747
748=item T ecb_le_to_host (T v)
749
750=item T ecb_host_to_be (T v)
751
752=item T ecb_host_to_le (T v)
753
754These work like their C counterparts, above, but use templates for the
755type, which make them useful in generic code.
756
757C<T> must be one of C<uint8_t>, C<uint16_t>, C<uint32_t> or C<uint64_t>
758(so unlike their C counterparts, there is a version for C<uint8_t>, which
759again can be useful in generic code).
760
761=head2 UNALIGNED LOAD/STORE
762
763These function load or store unaligned multi-byte values.
764
765=over 4
766
767=item uint_fast16_t ecb_peek_u16_u (const void *ptr)
768
769=item uint_fast32_t ecb_peek_u32_u (const void *ptr)
770
771=item uint_fast64_t ecb_peek_u64_u (const void *ptr)
772
773These functions load an unaligned, unsigned 16, 32 or 64 bit value from
774memory.
775
776=item uint_fast16_t ecb_peek_be_u16_u (const void *ptr)
777
778=item uint_fast32_t ecb_peek_be_u32_u (const void *ptr)
779
780=item uint_fast64_t ecb_peek_be_u64_u (const void *ptr)
781
782=item uint_fast16_t ecb_peek_le_u16_u (const void *ptr)
783
784=item uint_fast32_t ecb_peek_le_u32_u (const void *ptr)
785
786=item uint_fast64_t ecb_peek_le_u64_u (const void *ptr)
787
788Like above, but additionally convert from big endian (C<be>) or little
789endian (C<le>) byte order to host byte order while doing so.
790
791=item ecb_poke_u16_u (void *ptr, uint16_t v)
792
793=item ecb_poke_u32_u (void *ptr, uint32_t v)
794
795=item ecb_poke_u64_u (void *ptr, uint64_t v)
796
797These functions store an unaligned, unsigned 16, 32 or 64 bit value to
798memory.
799
800=item ecb_poke_be_u16_u (void *ptr, uint_fast16_t v)
801
802=item ecb_poke_be_u32_u (void *ptr, uint_fast32_t v)
803
804=item ecb_poke_be_u64_u (void *ptr, uint_fast64_t v)
805
806=item ecb_poke_le_u16_u (void *ptr, uint_fast16_t v)
807
808=item ecb_poke_le_u32_u (void *ptr, uint_fast32_t v)
809
810=item ecb_poke_le_u64_u (void *ptr, uint_fast64_t v)
811
812Like above, but additionally convert from host byte order to big endian
813(C<be>) or little endian (C<le>) byte order while doing so.
814
815=back
816
817In C++ the following additional functions are supported:
818
819=over 4
820
821=item T ecb_peek (const void *ptr)
822
823=item T ecb_peek_be (const void *ptr)
824
825=item T ecb_peek_le (const void *ptr)
826
827=item T ecb_peek_u (const void *ptr)
828
829=item T ecb_peek_be_u (const void *ptr)
830
831=item T ecb_peek_le_u (const void *ptr)
832
833Similarly to their C counterparts, these functions load an unsigned 8, 16,
83432 or 64 bit value from memory, with optional conversion from big/little
835endian.
836
837Since the type cannot be deduced, it has top be specified explicitly, e.g.
838
839 uint_fast16_t v = ecb_peek<uint16_t> (ptr);
840
841C<T> must be one of C<uint8_t>, C<uint16_t>, C<uint32_t> or C<uint64_t>.
842
843Unlike their C counterparts, these functions support 8 bit quantities
844(C<uint8_t>) and also have an aligned version (without the C<_u> prefix),
845all of which hopefully makes them more useful in generic code.
846
847=item ecb_poke (void *ptr, T v)
848
849=item ecb_poke_be (void *ptr, T v)
850
851=item ecb_poke_le (void *ptr, T v)
852
853=item ecb_poke_u (void *ptr, T v)
854
855=item ecb_poke_be_u (void *ptr, T v)
856
857=item ecb_poke_le_u (void *ptr, T v)
858
859Again, similarly to their C counterparts, these functions store an
860unsigned 8, 16, 32 or z64 bit value to memory, with optional conversion to
861big/little endian.
862
863C<T> must be one of C<uint8_t>, C<uint16_t>, C<uint32_t> or C<uint64_t>.
864
865Unlike their C counterparts, these functions support 8 bit quantities
866(C<uint8_t>) and also have an aligned version (without the C<_u> prefix),
867all of which hopefully makes them more useful in generic code.
868
869=back
870
871=head2 FLOATING POINT FIDDLING
872
873=over 4
874
875=item ECB_INFINITY [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
876
877Evaluates to positive infinity if supported by the platform, otherwise to
878a truly huge number.
879
880=item ECB_NAN [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
881
882Evaluates to a quiet NAN if supported by the platform, otherwise to
883C<ECB_INFINITY>.
884
885=item float ecb_ldexpf (float x, int exp) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
886
887Same as C<ldexpf>, but always available.
888
889=item uint32_t ecb_float_to_binary16 (float x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
890
891=item uint32_t ecb_float_to_binary32 (float x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
892
893=item uint64_t ecb_double_to_binary64 (double x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
894
895These functions each take an argument in the native C<float> or C<double>
896type and return the IEEE 754 bit representation of it (binary16/half,
897binary32/single or binary64/double precision).
898
899The bit representation is just as IEEE 754 defines it, i.e. the sign bit
900will be the most significant bit, followed by exponent and mantissa.
901
902This function should work even when the native floating point format isn't
903IEEE compliant, of course at a speed and code size penalty, and of course
904also within reasonable limits (it tries to convert NaNs, infinities and
905denormals, but will likely convert negative zero to positive zero).
906
907On all modern platforms (where C<ECB_STDFP> is true), the compiler should
908be able to optimise away this function completely.
909
910These functions can be helpful when serialising floats to the network - you
911can serialise the return value like a normal uint16_t/uint32_t/uint64_t.
912
913Another use for these functions is to manipulate floating point values
914directly.
915
916Silly example: toggle the sign bit of a float.
917
918 /* On gcc-4.7 on amd64, */
919 /* this results in a single add instruction to toggle the bit, and 4 extra */
920 /* instructions to move the float value to an integer register and back. */
921
922 x = ecb_binary32_to_float (ecb_float_to_binary32 (x) ^ 0x80000000U)
923
924=item float ecb_binary16_to_float (uint16_t x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
925
926=item float ecb_binary32_to_float (uint32_t x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
927
928=item double ecb_binary64_to_double (uint64_t x) [-UECB_NO_LIBM]
929
930The reverse operation of the previous function - takes the bit
931representation of an IEEE binary16, binary32 or binary64 number (half,
932single or double precision) and converts it to the native C<float> or
933C<double> format.
934
935This function should work even when the native floating point format isn't
936IEEE compliant, of course at a speed and code size penalty, and of course
937also within reasonable limits (it tries to convert normals and denormals,
938and might be lucky for infinities, and with extraordinary luck, also for
939negative zero).
940
941On all modern platforms (where C<ECB_STDFP> is true), the compiler should
942be able to optimise away this function completely.
943
944=item uint16_t ecb_binary32_to_binary16 (uint32_t x)
945
946=item uint32_t ecb_binary16_to_binary32 (uint16_t x)
947
948Convert a IEEE binary32/single precision to binary16/half format, and vice
949versa, handling all details (round-to-nearest-even, subnormals, infinity
950and NaNs) correctly.
951
952These are functions are available under C<-DECB_NO_LIBM>, since
953they do not rely on the platform floating point format. The
954C<ecb_float_to_binary16> and C<ecb_binary16_to_float> functions are
955usually what you want.
238 956
239=back 957=back
240 958
241=head2 ARITHMETIC 959=head2 ARITHMETIC
242 960
243=over 4 961=over 4
244 962
245=item x = ecb_mod (m, n) [MACRO] 963=item x = ecb_mod (m, n)
964
965Returns C<m> modulo C<n>, which is the same as the positive remainder
966of the division operation between C<m> and C<n>, using floored
967division. Unlike the C remainder operator C<%>, this function ensures that
968the return value is always positive and that the two numbers I<m> and
969I<m' = m + i * n> result in the same value modulo I<n> - in other words,
970C<ecb_mod> implements the mathematical modulo operation, which is missing
971in the language.
972
973C<n> must be strictly positive (i.e. C<< >= 1 >>), while C<m> must be
974negatable, that is, both C<m> and C<-m> must be representable in its
975type (this typically excludes the minimum signed integer value, the same
976limitation as for C</> and C<%> in C).
977
978Current GCC versions compile this into an efficient branchless sequence on
979almost all CPUs.
980
981For example, when you want to rotate forward through the members of an
982array for increasing C<m> (which might be negative), then you should use
983C<ecb_mod>, as the C<%> operator might give either negative results, or
984change direction for negative values:
985
986 for (m = -100; m <= 100; ++m)
987 int elem = myarray [ecb_mod (m, ecb_array_length (myarray))];
988
989=item x = ecb_div_rd (val, div)
990
991=item x = ecb_div_ru (val, div)
992
993Returns C<val> divided by C<div> rounded down or up, respectively.
994C<val> and C<div> must have integer types and C<div> must be strictly
995positive. Note that these functions are implemented with macros in C
996and with function templates in C++.
246 997
247=back 998=back
248 999
249=head2 UTILITY 1000=head2 UTILITY
250 1001
251=over 4 1002=over 4
252 1003
253=item element_count = ecb_array_length (name) [MACRO] 1004=item element_count = ecb_array_length (name)
254 1005
255=back 1006Returns the number of elements in the array C<name>. For example:
256 1007
1008 int primes[] = { 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 };
1009 int sum = 0;
257 1010
1011 for (i = 0; i < ecb_array_length (primes); i++)
1012 sum += primes [i];
1013
1014=back
1015
1016=head2 SYMBOLS GOVERNING COMPILATION OF ECB.H ITSELF
1017
1018These symbols need to be defined before including F<ecb.h> the first time.
1019
1020=over 4
1021
1022=item ECB_NO_THREADS
1023
1024If F<ecb.h> is never used from multiple threads, then this symbol can
1025be defined, in which case memory fences (and similar constructs) are
1026completely removed, leading to more efficient code and fewer dependencies.
1027
1028Setting this symbol to a true value implies C<ECB_NO_SMP>.
1029
1030=item ECB_NO_SMP
1031
1032The weaker version of C<ECB_NO_THREADS> - if F<ecb.h> is used from
1033multiple threads, but never concurrently (e.g. if the system the program
1034runs on has only a single CPU with a single core, no hyperthreading and so
1035on), then this symbol can be defined, leading to more efficient code and
1036fewer dependencies.
1037
1038=item ECB_NO_LIBM
1039
1040When defined to C<1>, do not export any functions that might introduce
1041dependencies on the math library (usually called F<-lm>) - these are
1042marked with [-UECB_NO_LIBM].
1043
1044=back
1045
1046=head1 UNDOCUMENTED FUNCTIONALITY
1047
1048F<ecb.h> is full of undocumented functionality as well, some of which is
1049intended to be internal-use only, some of which we forgot to document, and
1050some of which we hide because we are not sure we will keep the interface
1051stable.
1052
1053While you are welcome to rummage around and use whatever you find useful
1054(we can't stop you), keep in mind that we will change undocumented
1055functionality in incompatible ways without thinking twice, while we are
1056considerably more conservative with documented things.
1057
1058=head1 AUTHORS
1059
1060C<libecb> is designed and maintained by:
1061
1062 Emanuele Giaquinta <e.giaquinta@glauco.it>
1063 Marc Alexander Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1064
1065

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