Fix array compound literal parsing #309

lorettayao · 2025-10-06T13:22:56Z

Summary
Fix a segfault when evaluating array compound literals like (int[]){1,2,3,4,5} in expression context. The literal now yields the temporary array’s address (via decay) instead of collapsing to a single element, so indexing and reads work correctly.

Motivation
Previously, code like the snippet below crashed because the array literal was reduced to a scalar and later treated as a pointer.

Reproduction (manual)

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    int *a = (int[]){1,2,3,4,5};   // used to crash later
    printf("Testing basic array compound literal:\n");
    for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
        printf("  a[%d] = %d\n", i, a[i]);

    int sum = a[0] + a[4];
    printf("Sum = %d (expect 6)\n", sum);
    return 0;
}

Before: segfault
After: prints a[0..4] and Sum = 6 as expected

Approach (high level)

Ensure (type[]){…} produces a real temporary array object and the expression value decays to its address.
Only collapse to a scalar when a scalar is actually required by context.
No changes to struct compound literals or plain scalars.

Scope

This PR addresses the array side of Fix compound literals to capture all field values, not just first #299 sufficient to eliminate the segfault in basic use.
Struct compound literals and broader initializer behaviors are intentionally out of scope here.

Tests

No test files are added in this PR. The manual snippet above demonstrates the fix.

Compatibility

Restores standard pointer semantics for array compound literals.
No behavioral changes for structs or scalars.

Issue

Partially addresses Fix compound literals to capture all field values, not just first #299 (array compound literals).

Summary by cubic

Fix parsing of array compound literals so they allocate a temporary array and decay to its address, preserving pointer semantics and preventing segfaults.

Bug Fixes
- Eliminates crashes when using (int[]){...} in expressions, assignments, and parameter passing.
- Correct behavior across binary ops, pointer arithmetic, ternary results, and function-call (incl. variadic) arguments.
- Zero-length array literals yield 0 for scalar uses to avoid garbage reads.
- Addresses Fix compound literals to capture all field values, not just first #299.
Refactors
- Added parse_array_compound_literal, scalarize_array_literal, and an is_compound_literal flag to centralize handling; scalarize only when a scalar is required.
- Emits element writes and counts initializers; tracks brace consumption to avoid double reads.
- Struct and scalar compound literals remain unchanged.
- Increased MAX_VAR_LEN to 128 to prevent generated temporary name truncation.

^{Written for commit 62c0f47. Summary will update automatically on new commits.}

jserv · 2025-10-06T14:02:23Z

src/parser.c

+    }
+    lex_expect(T_close_curly);
+    var->array_size = count;
+}


Add a new blank line.

Add a blank line.

DrXiao

Add some test cases to the test suite for validation.

jserv

Don't use static qualifier since shecc does not support. Check 'COMPLIANCE.md' carefully.

src/parser.c

jserv · 2025-10-06T14:07:42Z

You MUST ensure bootstrapping is fully functional before submitting pull requests.

visitorckw · 2025-10-06T14:34:14Z

IIUC, compound literals are a feature supported only since C99, and the shecc README mentions from the very beginning that this project aims to support ANSI C. Therefore, IMO, this at least does not "fix" anything.

DrXiao · 2025-10-06T14:49:42Z

IIUC, compound literals are a feature supported only since C99, and the shecc README mentions from the very beginning that this project aims to support ANSI C. Therefore, IMO, this at least does not "fix" anything.

As far as I know, shecc is planned to fully support the C99 standard, so I think the term "fix" is acceptable.

visitorckw · 2025-10-06T14:53:37Z

Fine, but since we haven't claimed to fully support C99 and, IIUC, array compound literals were never supported before, this seems more like supporting a new feature to me, rather than fixing an existing problem.

DrXiao · 2025-10-06T15:10:25Z

In fact, shecc has ability to handle array compound literals, but it only captures the first element (#299).

Therefore, this pull request specifically aims to fix it.

visitorckw · 2025-10-06T15:21:20Z

In fact, shecc has ability to handle array compound literals, but it only captures the first element (#299).

Therefore, this pull request specifically aims to fix it.

Thanks, that resolves my doubt.
However, should we also mention the issue in the first commit?

src/parser.c

jserv

Don't add tests/array_ptr.c. Instead, consolidate tests/driver.sh.

visitorckw

Please rebase your branch to keep the git history clean.
Commits that fix problems introduced within the same pull request should be avoided.

src/parser.c

cubic-dev-ai · 2025-11-07T12:08:23Z

Looking at the changes, the core logic for handling array compound literals looks solid—good job centralizing the decay behavior to avoid ad-hoc fixes everywhere. But yeah, there are some style inconsistencies and comment opportunities that could make this even tighter. Here's what I'd suggest, focused on parser.c (the bulk of the changes) and the test additions. I'll keep it practical: specific line tweaks for consistency with the rest of the codebase (e.g., brace placement, naming, spacing) and punchier comments.

Style Fixes for `parser.c`

Brace placement and indentation in new functions:

In parse_array_compound_literal, the if (!lex_peek(T_close_curly, NULL)) block has inconsistent indentation for the inner for loop—align it to match the function's style (2-space indents). Also, add braces around single-statement blocks for consistency (e.g., the count++ line).

if (!lex_peek(T_close_curly, NULL)) {
    for (;;) {
        read_expr(parent, bb);
        read_ternary_operation(parent, bb);
        var_t *value = opstack_pop();
        if (count == 0)
            var->init_val = value->init_val;
        if (emit_code) {
            // ... (existing code)
        }
        count++;  // Add braces if expanding later
        if (!lex_accept(T_comma))
            break;
        if (lex_peek(T_close_curly, NULL))
            break;
    }
}

This matches the style in read_expr and avoids future bugs.

Variable naming consistency:
- vd is overused as a generic var_t pointer—rename to something descriptive in read_ternary_operation (e.g., result_var for the final vd). It's clear in context, but vd feels like a holdover from declarations elsewhere.
```
var_t *result_var = require_var(parent);
gen_name_to(result_var->var_name);
add_insn(parent, then_, OP_assign, result_var, true_val, NULL, 0, NULL);
add_insn(parent, else_, OP_assign, result_var, false_val, NULL, 0, NULL);
// ...
result_var->is_ternary_ret = true;
opstack_push(result_var);
```
- Similarly, in read_body_assignment, rhs_val and rhs are redundant—use rhs consistently and drop the intermediate.
Spacing and operator alignment:
- In is_array_literal_placeholder, tighten the return condition: return var && var->array_size > 0 && !var->ptr_level && var->var_name[0] == '.';
- In binary op handling (around line 2908), the new rs1_is_ptr_like checks have good logic but uneven spacing—align the bool defs:
```
bool rs1_is_ptr_like = rs1 && (rs1->ptr_level || rs1->array_size);
bool rs2_is_ptr_like = rs2 && (rs2->ptr_level || rs2->array_size);
```
- Remove extra blank lines after function defs (e.g., after scalarize_array_literal) to match the compact style in the original parser.
Minor: Unused params and locals:
- In scalarize_array_literal, hint_type defaults to TY_int if invalid, but the null check for elem_type could be simplified: type_t *elem_type = hint_type ? hint_type : array_var->type ? array_var->type : TY_int;. Drops the nested if.
- var->init_val = 0; in a few spots (e.g., zero-length handling) is fine, but ensure it's set consistently—it's already good, just a nit.

Comment Improvements

The inline comments are mostly helpful, but some are wordy or could be more precise. Aim for concise, factual notes that explain why not just what.

Update the placeholder comment (around line 1364):
- Current: "Identify compiler-emitted temporaries that hold array compound literals. Parsing assigns these temporaries synthetic names via gen_name_to (".tN") and they keep array metadata without pointer indirection."
- Suggested: "Detect compiler temporaries ('.tN' names) holding array compound literals. These retain array metadata (size/type) without decaying to pointers until needed."
  - Shorter, focuses on the key invariant (no auto-decay).

Add a brief header comment to parse_array_compound_literal:

/* Parse array compound literal contents: emit element stores to a temporary array.
 * Counts initializers and consumes the closing brace. Used only for array types. */
void parse_array_compound_literal(var_t *var, /* ... */)

Explains purpose without repeating the PR description.

Clarify scalarization calls:
- In function params (around line 1650), add: // Decay array literals to scalars for non-pointer params, per C semantics.
- In ternary handling: // Scalarize array literals if the other branch isn't pointer-like, to match types.
- In assignment: // Decay RHS array literal to scalar if target is non-pointer (e.g., int x = (int[]){1}; uses first elem).
  - These tie back to the motivation (avoiding scalar collapse in pointer contexts) without verbosity.
Zero-length handling (in read_expr_operand):
- Current implicit via if (compound_var->array_size == 0). Add: // Zero-length arrays default to 0 constant (avoids garbage reads in scalar contexts).

For Tests in `driver.sh`

The new tests are great for coverage, but add a comment block at the top of the array sections:
```
# Array compound literal tests: verify decay to pointer in assignments and args
```
In the sum test, the 0, 0 padding is clever for partial init, but add an expected output comment: # Expects sum=6 from first 3 elements.
Consistent with existing tests: Use try_ 0 everywhere (you did), and keep EOF indents clean.

These tweaks keep the code readable and maintainable without overhauling anything. Total changes: ~20 lines. Run a style check (assuming you have one) after, and it'll align nicely with the rest of the parser. If you push an updated commit, I can re-review the diffs.

jserv · 2025-11-14T08:27:22Z

I defer to @ChAoSUnItY for confirmation.

ChAoSUnItY · 2025-11-14T16:09:47Z

src/arm-codegen.c

            fatal("Unsupported truncation operation with invalid target size");
        }
        return;
-    case OP_sign_ext: {


Why removing the curly braces while this case branch has variable declaration?

I didn’t really mean to drop those braces—they were just left behind while trying other tweaks. but it’s fine either way because C99 lets us declare source_size right after the case label without changing behavior.

Yes, although C99 allows this. But since in our compiler's standard workflow, stage 0 will be compiled by GCC with -Wpedantic compilation option included, and this will cause building process to output warning even in this case it didn't do anything in a harmful way.

I reverted it to the original order in my latest commit

src/parser.c

DrXiao · 2025-11-27T14:30:00Z

@lorettayao, note that the commit message body should be wrapped at 72 characters.

Unify and correct the handling of array compound literals across parsing, semantic analysis, and lowering. The compiler now builds a temporary array by writing each element, tracking initializer counts, and returning the array’s address instead of collapsing the literal to its first element. Decay to a scalar is performed only when a scalar value is required. A centralized helper now governs literal decay, replacing scattered ad-hoc callers in binary operators, assignments, function-call arguments, and ternary expressions. This resolves cases where array literals were incorrectly forced to scalars in pointer contexts and brings the behavior closer to standard C expectations. The update also corrects scalarization in variadic and pointer arithmetic contexts, ensures pointer-typed ternary results, handles zero-length array literals as constant zero, avoids double-brace consumption in the parser, and regenerates ARM and RISC-V snapshots to match the corrected lowering. These changes restore correct pointer semantics for array compound literals and address sysprog21#299.

src/parser.c

DrXiao · 2025-11-30T14:49:50Z

src/parser.c

+    }
+    lex_expect(T_close_curly);
+    var->array_size = count;
+}


Add a blank line.

src/parser.c

DrXiao

The second commit (a4aba54) modified both the C source code and the test suites, but its message only describes the latter. The message does not accurately reflect the changes made.

src/parser.c

DrXiao

I notice that the term "decay" appears in the commit messages, but I am not sure why it is used. Could you explain the reason behind this choice?

DrXiao

Notice that a blank line is required between two function definitions. For example:

Correct example:

void func1(void)
{
    /* ... */
}

/* (Comment)
 * ...
 * ...
 */
int func2(void)
{
    /* ... */
}

void func3(int a)
{
    /* ... */
}

Incorrect example:

void func1(void)
{
    /* ... */
}
/* (Comment)
 * ...
 * ...
 */
int func2(void)
{
    /* ... */
}
void func3(int a)
{
    /* ... */
}

lorettayao · 2025-12-23T10:51:30Z

I notice that the term "decay" appears in the commit messages, but I am not sure why it is used. Could you explain the reason behind this choice?

i use the word decay to specify fixes around treating array compound literals this way—e.g., assigning (int[]){1,2,3} to an int * or passing it to a function should transparently yield a pointer

jserv

The work touches too many places with similar boilerplate:

  if (!var->ptr_level && var->array_size == 0)
      rhs = scalarize_array_literal(parent, &bb, rhs, var->type);

This pattern appears in:

read_body_assignment (line 3815)
read_body_statement assignments (line 4563)
read_body_statement nv assignments (line 4661)
read_ternary_operation twice

Problem: The special case logic is multiplying, not disappearing.

jserv · 2025-12-24T03:35:25Z

src/parser.c

+bool is_array_literal_placeholder(var_t *var)
+{
+    return var && var->array_size > 0 && !var->ptr_level &&
+           var->var_name[0] == '.';
+}


Detecting temporaries by checking if name starts with . is fragile. This is pattern-matching on internal naming conventions rather than explicit type tracking.

Better approach: Add an explicit is_compound_literal flag to var_t.

I added is_compound_literal flag to var_t in defs.h and and switched is_array_literal_placeholder to rely on it instead of the synthetic .t naming.

jserv · 2025-12-24T03:36:16Z

src/parser.c

+        if (func && param_num < func->num_params) {
+            var_t *target = &func->param_defs[param_num];
+            if (!target->ptr_level && !target->array_size)
+                param =
+                    scalarize_array_literal(parent, bb, param, target->type);
+        }


This only scalarizes for defined params, but variadic args (func->va_args) might still misbehave. Test case needed:

printf("%p", (int[]){1,2,3}); // Should print pointer, not 1

Added the test case taking care this in the latest commit

src/parser.c

jserv · 2025-12-24T03:38:17Z

Consider test case below

  // Variadic function with array literal
  int main(void) {
      int *p = (int[]){42, 43, 44};
      return *p == 42 ? 0 : 1;
  }

The existing tests cover basic pointer decay but not all edge cases from the cubic analysis.

lorettayao · 2025-12-26T09:41:17Z

I encountered a CI failure with "buffer overflow detected" during the stage 1 bootstrap.

Debugging with AddressSanitizer revealed a stack-buffer-overflow in src/parser.c where a generated temporary name (34 bytes) exceeded the MAX_VAR_LEN limit (32 bytes).

I have increased MAX_VAR_LEN to 128 to accommodate these generated identifiers and prevent similar overflows in strcpy operations. Please let me know if you would prefer a local fix instead of this global change.

Add regression tests that verify pointer and decay semantics of array compound literals. The tests cover decay during initialization, passing array literals to functions that expect pointer arguments, pointer-typed ternary expressions involving literal branches, and correctness for char[] and short[] literals in simple computations. Add a driver test to ensure array compound literals decay to pointers (int *p = (int[]){42,43,44}) and fix parsing to track compound literals explicitly and keep them pointer-like for varargs and pointer initializers. These tests confirm the behavior introduced by the refined compound literal semantics implemented in the preceding commit. Parser cleanup: flattened the nested parameter-handling conditionals in parser.c so array-literal parameters are scalarized and promoted/resized without deep if-nesting, improving readability while preserving the decay semantics enforced by the new tests Change the MAX_VAR_LEN to 128 to deal with generated temporary name (34 bytes) exceeded the MAX_VAR_LEN limit (32 bytes)

jserv · 2025-12-26T09:43:57Z

Please let me know if you would prefer a local fix instead of this global change.

Instead of asking for decisions, you should present the relevant considerations from your own perspective, since you are both the implementer and the domain expert for the above code.

jserv · 2025-12-27T07:59:19Z

I defer to @ChAoSUnItY for confirmation.

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Fix array compound literal parsing #309

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Fix array compound literal parsing #309

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Style Fixes for parser.c

Comment Improvements

For Tests in driver.sh

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lorettayao commented Oct 6, 2025 •

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Style Fixes for `parser.c`

For Tests in `driver.sh`

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