A block's value is now its last statement ONLY when that statement is a
trailing expression with no `;`. A trailing `;` discards the value,
leaving the block void. This makes value-vs-statement explicit and lets
the compiler reject "this block was supposed to produce a value".
Compiler:
- Parser records `Block.produces_value` (last stmt is a no-`;` trailing
expression) + `Block.discarded_semi` (the `;` that discarded a value),
via `expectSemicolonAfter`. A trailing expression before `}` may now
omit its `;` (previously a parse error). Match-arm and else-arm bodies
are built value-producing regardless of the arm `;` (arms are exempt —
the `;` is an arm terminator).
- Lowering: `lowerBlockValue` / the block-expr path / `inferExprType`
respect `produces_value`. A value-position block that discards its value
is a hard error (`lowerValueBody` for function bodies; the value-context
`.block` path for if/else branches, `catch` bodies, value bindings,
match arms). Pure-failable `-> !` bodies (value rides the error channel)
and a value-if whose branches are void are handled without false errors.
- `defer`/`onfail` cleanup bodies lower as statements (void), so a
trailing `;` there is fine.
Migration (behavior-preserving — output unchanged):
- stdlib + ~210 examples: dropped the trailing `;` on value-position last
expressions. `format` now ends with an explicit `#insert "return
result;"` (it relied on `#insert`-as-block-value, which `;` discards).
- Two `main :: () -> s32` examples that relied on the old silent
default-return got an explicit trailing `0`.
- Rejection snapshots 0412 / 1013 regenerated (their quoted source lines
lost a `;`); the diagnostics themselves are unchanged.
Docs/tests: specs.md "Block values" section; examples 0040 (rules) + 0041
(rejection); 3 parser unit tests. Filed issue 0066 (pre-existing
match-arm negated-literal phi-width quirk, surfaced not caused here).
Gates: zig build, zig build test, run_examples.sh -> 343 passed,
cross_compile.sh -> 7 passed (also refreshed its stale example names).
Building on the Option 3 lvalue-borrow rule, the long-lived allocators
in `library/modules/allocators.sx` (GPA, Arena, TrackingAllocator) now
return their state by value instead of via a heap-allocated `*T`. The
caller binds the result to a local; the local IS the allocator state.
`xx local` borrows that storage under Option 3, so the `Allocator`
protocol value's `ctx` points at the local — no heap allocation for
the state struct, no `free` of the state needed.
```sx
gpa := GPA.init(); // GPA (value)
arena := Arena.init(xx gpa, 4096); // Arena (value)
tracker := TrackingAllocator.init(xx gpa); // TrackingAllocator (value)
push Context.{ allocator = xx tracker, data = null } { ... }
```
Why by-value:
- One fewer `libc_malloc` per allocator instance.
- No state-struct leak. The local is reclaimed at scope exit; `deinit`
only handles downstream resources (chunks, etc.) — not its own struct.
- Owning structs can embed allocators as value fields directly.
Callsite changes:
- `library/modules/ui/pipeline.sx`: `arena_a: Arena;` / `arena_b:
Arena;` (was `*Arena;`). The `build_arena: *Arena` local takes
`@self.arena_a` / `@self.arena_b`.
- `examples/126-xx-recover-then-dispatch.sx`: `recovered == @gpa`
instead of `recovered == gpa` (gpa is a value now).
- `examples/135-xx-lvalue-borrows.sx`: drop the `tracker_ptr.*`
deref — `init` already returns the value.
- `examples/50-smoke.sx`: Arena alloc counts dropped by 1 (no
state-struct allocation). Comments + snapshot updated.
`Arena.deinit` drops the trailing `parent.dealloc(xx a)` — the
caller's local owns the storage.
FFI IR snapshots regenerated to reflect the new signatures:
`@GPA.init` returns `i64` (was `ptr`); `@Arena.init` and
`@TrackingAllocator.init` use sret returns (was `ptr`).
CLAUDE.md "Allocator construction" rule rewritten around the
by-value convention. The forbidden caller-provides-storage and
redundant-pointer-rename patterns are still forbidden but for the
right reasons now (verbose, fragile) rather than as a workaround
for the old `init() -> *T` shape.
157/157 example tests pass; chess clean on macOS, iOS sim, and
Android via `tools/verify-step.sh`.
The session-long set of changes that lay the groundwork for the
Jai-literal implicit-Context-parameter refactor. Lots of accumulated
work; the new arrival is the implicit-ctx foundation (steps 1+2 of
the plan in current/CHECKPOINT-MEM.md):
Step 1 — `CAllocator :: struct {}` stateless allocator in
library/modules/allocators.sx, delegating directly to
libc_malloc/libc_free. `ConstantValue` in src/ir/inst.zig gains a
`func_ref: FuncId` leaf so nested aggregates can carry function
pointers (the inline Allocator value's fn-ptr fields). Switch
sites updated in emit_llvm.zig, print.zig, interp.zig.
Step 2 — `emitDefaultContextGlobal` in src/ir/lower.zig synthesises
a static `__sx_default_context` global with a nested-aggregate
init_val pointing at the CAllocator → Allocator thunks. The
second-pass `initVtableGlobals` in emit_llvm.zig is generalised
to handle `.aggregate` init_vals (re-emits after func_map is
populated so func_ref leaves resolve to real symbols).
Also folded in from earlier work this session:
- Phase 1.1: `xx value` heap-copy in `buildProtocolValue` routes
through `context.allocator` via the new `allocViaContext` helper.
- interp.zig: `marshalForeignArg` double-offset bug fixed —
`heapSlice` already adds `hp.offset` to the slice ptr, so the
extra `+ hp.offset` was scribbling memcpy/memset into adjacent
heap state, corrupting `heap.items[0]`. Symptom: `build_format`
at comptime produced zero bytes, all `print` calls failed.
- Lazy lowering: `lazyLowerFunction` now declares foreign-body
functions as extern stubs in the local (comptime) module so
cross-module foreign calls resolve.
- Allocator API: all stdlib allocators on one-line `init() -> *T`
(CAllocator/GPA: libc-backed; Arena/TrackingAllocator: parent-
backed; BufAlloc: embeds state at head of user buffer).
- issues 0038 (transitive #import), 0039 (chess + stdlib migration
fallout), 0040 (generic struct method dot-dispatch), 0041
(pointer types as type-arg), 0042 (alias name resolution) — all
fixed; regression tests in examples/.
- Diagnostic: `emitError` now embeds the lowering's
`current_source_file` and enclosing function in the literal
message; SX_TRACE_UNRESOLVED=1 dumps a Zig stack trace at the
emit site so misattributed spans can't hide where the failure
is.
- tools/verify-step.sh (all-platforms gate) and tools/scratch.sh
(interp/codegen parity tester) added.
Test suite: 152 example tests pass; chess builds + screenshots on
macOS / iOS sim / Android.
- examples/modules/ -> library/modules/ (top-level, no more
symlink hacks in consumer projects)
- compiler discovers stdlib via _NSGetExecutablePath / readlink
/proc/self/exe; searches dev layout (../../library), install
layout (../library), and alongside-binary fallback
- SX_STDLIB_PATH env var overrides for tests / dev convenience
- SX_DEBUG_STDLIB env var dumps the discovery results
- build.zig installs library/ alongside the binary
- Compilation gains stdlib_paths field threaded through resolveImports
- 50 tests pass; consumer projects can now build from any cwd
