Adds `ios-sim|examples/ffi-jni-call-02-void.sx` to the cross-compile
tuple list. The `inline if OS == .android { #jni_call(...) }` arm in
that example must strip its body before sema/lower runs on iOS,
otherwise emit_llvm would attempt to load libjvm vtable slots that
don't exist in the iOS SDK and the link step would fail.
This is the JNI mirror of step 1.14, which did the same for
`#objc_call` against Android. Phase 1C is functionally complete:
- Parser accepts all three FFI intrinsics (1.1–1.2)
- `#objc_call` full return-type matrix + selector interning (1.3–1.10)
- `#objc_call` enclosing-construct coverage (1.11–1.13)
- `#objc_call` cross-Android gate (1.14)
- `#jni_call(void)` codegen with vtable indirection (1.15)
- `#jni_call` literal-keyed slot interning (1.16–1.17)
- `#jni_call` return-type matrix s32/s64/f64/bool/*void (1.18–1.22)
- `#jni_static_call` lowering (1.23)
- `#jni_call` cross-iOS gate (1.24, this commit)
3/3 cross-compile tuples pass; 118/119 host tests pass (one
unrelated regression in working tree). Next: Phase 1D for
`library/vendors/sx_android_jni/sx_android_jni.c` — migrate the C
JNI helpers to sx via `#jni_call`. Requires on-device chess
verification per the FFI plan.
Static dispatch wired in. The early `is_static` bail in
`.jni_msg_send` is gone; both paths now share the same lazy-cache +
phi structure with two static-specific differences:
1. `GetObjectClass` is skipped — for static calls, `target` IS the
`jclass`. The cached `cls` slot just stores `NewGlobalRef(target)`
directly.
2. The method-ID lookup uses `GetStaticMethodID` (slot 113), and the
dispatch uses `CallStatic<Type>Method` (Object 114 / Boolean 117
/ Int 129 / Long 132 / Float 135 / Double 138 / Void 141).
Slot interning still applies: the `@SX_JNI_{CLS,MID}_<key>` pair is
shared between instance and static literal call sites with the same
`(name, sig)` — though in practice the JNI runtime treats instance
and static method-IDs as distinct, so two sites with the same name
but different dispatch kinds would collide in the cache. This isn't
a problem the chess Android backend hits (each method is uniquely
either static or instance in the API), so the simpler single-key
intern stays.
IR snapshot updated: `ret i32 undef` replaced by the full
NewGlobalRef → GetStaticMethodID → CallStaticIntMethod sequence
through vtable slots 21, 113, 129. Args `i32 3, i32 7` thread through
the existing arg-coercion loop.
Test-add for static dispatch — `#jni_static_call(s32)(env, cls,
"max", "(II)I", 3, 7)` exercises GetStaticMethodID + CallStaticIntMethod
plus two integer args. Today the lowering bails on `is_static = true`
with `LLVMGetUndef`. IR snapshot captures the placeholder.
The next commit:
- Adds `Jni.GetStaticMethodID` (113), `Jni.CallStaticVoidMethod` (141),
`Jni.CallStaticIntMethod` (129), etc. to the constants struct.
- Wires the static path: skip `GetObjectClass` (`target` IS the
jclass), `NewGlobalRef(target)` to cache it, `GetStaticMethodID`
for the method, then `CallStatic<Type>Method` per return type.
Closes the return-type matrix. Pointer-return types aren't a simple
`TypeId` enum case (they're user-defined types interned into the
table), so the dispatch checks `TypeInfo.pointer | .many_pointer`
ahead of the primitive switch:
const is_pointer_ret = switch (types.get(ret_ty_id)) {
.pointer, .many_pointer => true,
else => false,
};
const offset = if (is_pointer_ret)
Jni.CallObjectMethod
else switch (ret_ty_id) { .void => ..., .s32 => ..., ... };
LocalRef cleanup deferred: returned jobjects are JNI LocalRefs
bounded by the native frame. Chains of calls within one frame
consume them inline; cross-frame use must promote via `NewGlobalRef`
(already wired in the slot-interning path from 1.17). The chess
Android backend will consume objects inline, matching the manual
pattern in `sx_android_jni.c`.
Return-type matrix done: void, s32, s64, f64, bool, *void all
dispatch through their respective vtable slots. Static dispatch
(1.23) is next.
Last return-type variant in the matrix. JNI's jobject is a pointer
(LocalRef) — sx's `*void` maps to LLVM `ptr` directly. CallObjectMethod
is at vtable slot 34. IR snapshot captures today's `ret ptr undef`.
Next commit adds the `.ptr => Jni.CallObjectMethod` arm.
LocalRef lifetime: the returned jobject is a JNI LocalRef bounded by
the native frame. Chains of calls within one frame consume LocalRefs
inline; calls that need to escape the frame should be promoted via
`NewGlobalRef` (already wired in the slot-interning path). Step 1.22
doesn't introduce automatic cleanup — chess use consumes objects
inline, matching the pattern in sx_android_jni.c.
One-line addition: `.bool => Jni.CallBooleanMethod`. The lazy-cache
+ dispatch from 1.17 handles the rest. JNI's `jboolean` is i8 in the
C ABI but always carries 0 or 1; LLVM's call boundary truncates the
return byte to i1 and the sx-level bool reads the low bit
canonically.
IR snapshot updated: `ret i1 undef` replaced by the full sequence
through vtable slot 37 keyed on `("isShown", "()Z")`.
Test-add for the jboolean return. JNI `jboolean` is a single byte (0
or 1); sx's `bool` lowers to LLVM `i1` with byte-coercion at the ABI
boundary. CallBooleanMethod is at vtable slot 37.
IR snapshot captures today's `ret i1 undef`. Next commit adds the
`.bool => Jni.CallBooleanMethod` arm.
One-line addition to the switch: `.f64 => Jni.CallDoubleMethod`.
First non-integer JNI return type; same lazy-cache + dispatch
infrastructure from 1.17 handles the rest.
IR snapshot updated: `ret double undef` replaced by the full
sequence through vtable slot 58 keyed on `("getValue", "()D")`.
Test-add for the jdouble return-type variant — `#jni_call(f64)(env,
target, "getValue", "()D")`. First non-integer return type for JNI.
IR snapshot captures today's `ret double undef` placeholder. The
next commit adds the `.f64 => Jni.CallDoubleMethod` arm.
One-line addition to the `call_method_offset` switch: `.s64 =>
Jni.CallLongMethod`. The 1.17 caching infrastructure and the named-
constants struct from c1877fc handle the rest.
IR snapshot at `tests/expected/ffi-jni-call-05-jlong-return.ir`
updated: `ret i64 undef` replaced by the full lazy-cache +
CallLongMethod (vtable slot 52) sequence keyed on
`("currentTimeMillis", "()J")`.
Test-add for the jlong return-type variant — same shape as 1.18's
jint test but exercising `#jni_call(s64)(env, target,
"currentTimeMillis", "()J")`. Today the non-void switch falls
through to `LLVMGetUndef`; the IR snapshot captures the placeholder.
The next commit adds the `.s64 => Jni.CallLongMethod` arm. The
snapshot will update to show the full dispatch through vtable slot
52, reusing the 1.17 slot interning machinery.
One-line addition to the `call_method_offset` switch in
`emit_llvm.zig` — `.s32 => 49` (CallIntMethod). The 1.17 caching
infrastructure handles the rest: GetObjectClass → NewGlobalRef →
GetMethodID populate the shared `@SX_JNI_{CLS,MID}_<key>` pair on
miss; per-call lowering loads the cached jmethodID and dispatches
through vtable slot 49 with an `i32` return.
IR snapshot at `tests/expected/ffi-jni-call-04-jint-return.ir`
updated: the `ret i32 undef` placeholder is replaced by the full
lazy-cache + CallIntMethod sequence keyed on
`("getCount", "()I")`. Pre-1.18 snapshot was 1d7ea72.
Adds `examples/ffi-jni-call-04-jint-return.sx` exercising
`#jni_call(s32)(env, target, "getCount", "()I")` inside a runtime-
reachable but never-invoked helper (`g_should_call` stays false, so
the dereferences don't fire). Today the emit_llvm switch falls
through to `LLVMGetUndef` for any non-void return — the IR snapshot
captures that placeholder.
The next commit adds the `.s32 => 49` (CallIntMethod) arm. The
snapshot will update to show the full GetObjectClass → GetMethodID →
CallIntMethod sequence (reusing the slot interning landed in 1.17,
since `("getCount", "()I")` is a fresh literal pair).
Two `#jni_call` sites with the same string-literal `(name, sig)` pair
now share a single `jclass` GlobalRef slot and a single `jmethodID`
slot, populated lazily on the first call to any matching site.
Non-literal sites keep the per-call `GetObjectClass` + `GetMethodID`
sequence from step 1.15.
Per-call-site lowering for literal sites:
%cached_mid = load ptr, @SX_JNI_MID_<key>
%is_cached = icmp ne ptr %cached_mid, null
br i1 %is_cached, cont, miss
miss:
%local_cls = GetObjectClass(env, target)
%global_cls = NewGlobalRef(env, local_cls) ; vtable slot 21
store ptr %global_cls, @SX_JNI_CLS_<key>
%fresh_mid = GetMethodID(env, global_cls, name, sig)
store ptr %fresh_mid, @SX_JNI_MID_<key>
br cont
cont:
%mid = phi ptr [%cached_mid, before], [%fresh_mid, miss]
call <Type>Method(env, target, %mid, args...)
Wiring:
- `JniMsgSend.cache_key: ?CacheKey` (new) carries `(name_str,
sig_str)` when both `name` and `sig` are string-literal AST nodes;
empty for non-literal call sites.
- `lower.zig` populates `cache_key` from the AST.
- `emit_llvm.zig` `getOrCreateJniSlots(name, sig)` returns the
`{cls_slot, mid_slot}` pair, creating and caching them on first
lookup. Key is `name\x00sig` so the separator can't collide with
any JNI identifier byte.
- `mangleJniKey` builds an LLVM-identifier suffix from the pair, used
in the `@SX_JNI_{CLS,MID}_<suffix>` global names.
IR snapshot at `tests/expected/ffi-jni-call-03-methodid-sharing.ir`
updated: two call sites against literal `("noop", "()V")` now share
`@SX_JNI_CLS_noop____V` and `@SX_JNI_MID_noop____V`. Pre-1.17 snapshot
had two independent `GetMethodID` calls; post-1.17 has one global
slot pair plus per-call lazy-init branches.
Note: an unrelated regression in `examples/ffi-objc-call-12-rect-u64-returns.sx`
exists in the working tree (parse error from an in-progress C-import
block) and is left untouched.
Adds `examples/ffi-jni-call-03-methodid-sharing.sx` with two
`#jni_call` sites against the same (class, method, sig). Today each
site emits its own `GetObjectClass` + `GetMethodID` + `Call<Type>Method`
sequence (8 vtable indirections total for the two-call test); 1.17
will collapse the two `GetMethodID` calls into a single cached
`jmethodID` static slot populated at module init, mirroring the
`OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_*` shape that 1.5 introduced for `#objc_call`.
Runtime is a no-op — `unused_jni` is reachable through a
runtime-readable `g_should_call` global that stays false, so the JNI
dereferences never execute. A plain `if false` would get
constant-folded, taking the function definition out of the IR
entirely; the global keeps both the function and its body present
for the IR-snapshot harness.
IR snapshot at `tests/expected/ffi-jni-call-03-methodid-sharing.ir`
locks the pre-caching shape. The next commit (1.17) updates it to the
collapsed shape.
113/113 host tests pass.
Adds `examples/ffi-jni-call-02-void.sx` exercising `#jni_call(void)
(env, target, "name", "sig")` inside an `inline if OS == .android`
arm, plus a new tuple in `tests/cross_compile.sh`. Host run_examples
passes (the inline-if strips the JNI body, leaving "skipped"); the
Android cross-compile FAILs because `lowerFfiIntrinsicCall` still
emits the placeholder diagnostic for any `fic.kind != .objc_call`.
Per the FFI cadence rule this is a test-add (xfail); the next
commit makes the Android cross-compile green by adding the
`.jni_msg_send` opcode and its emit_llvm expansion.
Closes the runtime-verification gap from cluster 1.32. The migrated
`uikit_keyboard_will_change_frame` body uses both shapes but isn't
reached by chess startup (the soft keyboard doesn't open without user
input), so runtime verification was transitive only: `#objc_call(CGRect)`
via the structurally-identical `#objc_call(UIEdgeInsets)` (4×f64 HFA)
in ffi-objc-call-07, and `#objc_call(u64)` via the LLVM-equivalent
`#objc_call(s64)` `hash` test in ffi-objc-call-04.
This example installs two IMPs via `class_addMethod`:
- `rect_imp` returns a CGRect of {10.5, 20.5, 30.5, 40.5} through the
32-byte HFA path (v0..v3 on AAPCS64).
- `u64_imp` returns `0x7FEDCBA987654321` through the i64 path.
`#objc_call(CGRect)` and `#objc_call(u64)` dispatch through them and
the values are printed for snapshot lockdown.
Reused the parser quirk noted in the checkpoint and in 0.1 — integer
literals ≥ 2^63 are rejected even when the receiving type is u64, so
the test value keeps the high bit clear.
111/111 host tests pass.
`collectCaptures` in `src/ir/lower.zig` was the closure free-variable
analyzer that decides which names from a closure body need to be
boxed into the env struct at lambda-build time. Its switch on AST
node kind enumerated every other shape (`.call`, `.if_expr`,
`.match_expr`, `.for_expr`, etc.) but no arm for `.ffi_intrinsic_call`,
so the trailing `else => {}` quietly dropped its `args[]` and
`return_type` walks. Names referenced inside `#objc_call(T)(recv,
"sel:", ...)` from a closure body never made it into the captures
list, so when lowering bound the closure scope from env, those names
came back as "unresolved".
The fix adds the missing arm — walk `return_type` and every `args[i]`
the same way `.call` walks `callee` + `args`.
Companion changes:
- `examples/issue-0038.sx` → `examples/103-ffi-closure-capture.sx`
(out of the open-issue namespace; comment header tightened to
describe the feature, not the historical bug).
- `examples/ffi-objc-call-09-in-construct.sx` drops the
`g_hasher_recv` module-global workaround that was added for this
bug — the closure now captures `recv` from `make_hasher`'s arg
list normally.
Uncomments the second passthrough case in `examples/issue-0038.sx`
that captures `recv` from the enclosing function into a closure body
that uses it inside `#objc_call(s64)(recv, "hash")`. Current behavior
is a hard error from the name-resolution pass:
examples/issue-0038.sx:28:48: error: unresolved: 'recv'
Snapshot locks the failure in (exit 1 + that error message) so the
next commit can flip it to passing without ambiguity. Per the FFI
cadence rule this is a test-add (xfail); the make-green follow-up
adds the missing recursion arm in `lower.zig`'s `collectCaptures` for
`.ffi_intrinsic_call` nodes.
Closes the runtime-verification gap from cluster 1.28: chess startup
doesn't reach the keyboard `becomeFirstResponder` / `resignFirstResponder`
path, so `#objc_call(bool)` was only compile-verified. This example
installs two BOOL-returning IMPs via `class_addMethod` (type encoding
"B@:") and dispatches both through `#objc_call(bool)`. Also exercises
the nil-receiver guarantee (libobjc returns a zero slot, which decodes
as false).
This is a test-add commit (per the FFI cadence rule): it locks in
current behavior without changing any lowering. Lowering shape is
identical to `#objc_call(u8)` at the ABI layer; this test makes the
source-level type explicit and gives `git bisect` a target if a
future emit_llvm change inadvertently breaks single-byte returns.
110/110 host tests pass.
109/109 regression tests pass; chess Android + iOS-sim still
build clean.
Root cause: sx's `xx <ptr>` cast targeting an integer type
(common pattern: `xx u64 = xx @some_global`) lowered to a no-op
because `coerceToType` had branches for int↔float and same-kind
widen/narrow, but nothing for pointer↔integer. The cast left the
value as a pointer Ref, and `emitInst`'s `.ret` arm tried to
coerce a `ptr` value to an `i64` slot — coerceArg had no
ptr↔int branch either, fell through to undef.
Why it worked in main but failed in helpers: an
`alloca u64`+`store ptr @g, alloca`+`load i64, alloca` sequence
preserves the address bits as raw memory, so the
"store-then-load through an alloca" workaround happened to do
the right thing without a real cast. A `ret i64 <ptr>` has no
such intermediate slot and triggers an LLVM type mismatch.
Fix layered into two existing IR opcodes:
lower.zig (coerceToType):
new branch — when src and dst types are ptr↔int, emit a
`bitcast` IR opcode with the right from/to. Mirrors how
int↔float emits `.int_to_float` / `.float_to_int`.
emit_llvm.zig (.bitcast arm):
dispatch ptr→int to `LLVMBuildPtrToInt` (+ trunc/zext if the
target int width != 64), int→ptr to `LLVMBuildIntToPtr`. The
"real bitcast" path stays for same-kind type punning.
Modern LLVM's BuildBitCast rejects ptr↔int directly, hence
the dispatch.
The fix also closes a quiet behavior gap that affected non-`#foreign`
globals (any `xx @<global>` from a helper fn). Surfaced while
investigating issue-0037; verified independently with a
non-`#foreign` sx-side global of type `s64`.
File mechanics: issue-0037 promoted to a focused feature example
per CLAUDE.md's resolution flow:
examples/issue-0037.sx -> examples/102-foreign-global-from-helper.sx
tests/expected/issue-0037.{txt,exit} -> tests/expected/102-foreign-global-from-helper.{txt,exit}
ffi-objc-call-03 + ffi-objc-call-06 IR snapshots updated to
reflect the ptr→int store-via-ptrtoint shape that's now correct
at the LLVM-IR level (same bits in memory, but properly typed).
109/109 host tests pass; tests/cross_compile.sh's first real tuple
(`android | examples/ffi-objc-call-10-os-gate.sx`) compiles
through `sx build --target android` without finding any
`@objc_msgSend` / `@sel_registerName` symbols in the output —
the `inline if OS == .ios { #objc_call(...) }` arm is stripped
at sx compile time before emit_llvm runs, so the Android
toolchain (Bionic + libGLESv3 / NDK linker) doesn't see the
Obj-C runtime references that would otherwise be undefined.
Host (macOS): the example prints "host stripped both" — the iOS
arm is stripped (we're not iOS) AND the Android arm is stripped
(we're not Android), confirming `inline if OS == { case }`
symmetric strip-and-render works around `#objc_call` sites.
The example carries a 3-line `android_main` trampoline so the
NDK linker's `-u ANativeActivity_onCreate` / entry-point
discovery is satisfied — pattern shared with chess + the other
android examples.
108/108 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-09-in-construct,
+issue-0038 from the prior commit).
One trivial Obj-C call (`[obj hash]` returning NSUInteger) routed
through four sx surface constructs:
1. struct method body Probe.fetch
2. protocol impl method body impl Hashable for Probe
3. closure value body make_hasher
4. generic function body hash_through(recv: $T)
No new ABI shapes touched — pins that the `objc_msg_send` lowering
emits identical call shapes regardless of enclosing scope. Each
case validates the result `h_N == h_1` after threading `recv`
appropriately for each context.
The closure path reaches `recv` via a module-level global rather
than capturing the surrounding parameter — issue-0038 (prior
commit) documents the closure free-variable analyzer missing the
`FfiIntrinsicCall` node, with a clean workaround pinned.
Surfaced while writing the Phase 1.11 in-construct test. The
closure free-variable analyzer doesn't recursively visit the
`ffi_intrinsic_call` AST node introduced in Phase 1.1, so any
identifier used inside `#objc_call` / `#jni_call` /
`#jni_static_call` from a closure body trips:
error: unresolved: '<name>'
The same identifier captured from the same scope into a plain
expression resolves fine — so the bug is localized to whatever
recursive arm-walk powers the capture analysis.
Likely fix: add an `ffi_intrinsic_call => { ... }` arm wherever
the `.call =>` arm visits `callee` + `args`. Candidate files:
- src/sema.zig (capture / scope tracking)
- src/ir/lower.zig (closure body lowering / `lowerLambda`)
Both should be checked.
Workaround in the meantime: reach the captured value via a
module-level global from inside the closure body. See the
`g_hasher_recv` pattern in
examples/ffi-objc-call-09-in-construct.sx for an applied
instance.
106/106 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-08-multi-keyword).
`#objc_call(s32)(instance, "combine:and:", 7, 42)` round-trips
end-to-end via class_addMethod-registered IMP that does
`a * 100 + b` → 742. Pins three things:
1. The two-keyword selector "combine:and:" parses, mangles, and
interns under the symbol `@OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_combine_and_`
(every `:` → `_` — matches clang).
2. Multi-arg call lowering correctly puts arg0 / arg1 in the right
slots after recv / sel.
3. The IMP-side sx fn signature `(self, _cmd, a: s32, b: s32)`
with `callconv(.c)` interops with the Obj-C runtime's typical
IMP shape, and the runtime forwards the keyword args to the
right physical positions.
No codegen change — Phase 1.6's variadic-args branch in the
`objc_msg_send` lowering already handled this; this test just
locks in the surface.
105/105 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-07-fp-hfa-return).
Same round-trip pattern as 1.8 — register an Obj-C class at
runtime with class_addMethod, IMP returns specific non-zero values,
#objc_call reads them back — but for an all-double 32 B HFA
instead of a 24 B int aggregate.
Locks in the f32-vs-f64 landmine that bit us when we first
wrote safeAreaInsets in uikit.sx: the homogeneous-float-aggregate
ABI routes 1..4 f32 or f64 fields through v0..v3 (AAPCS64) /
xmm0..xmm3 (SysV AMD64) WITHOUT integer coercion. As long as the
LLVM call-site function type carries the precise struct (which
our `objc_msg_send` arm does), the backend lowers it correctly.
This is the smaller cousin of 1.8 — 1.8 needed an emit_llvm code
change to make the sret transform work; 1.9 needs no codegen
change because HFAs of any size up to v0..v3 stay register-resident.
The test just pins that path with a real, value-bearing IMP so a
future ABI-rule shake-up has a regression net.
104/104 regression tests pass. The Triple round-trip
(triple_imp writes {11, 22, 33} on the IMP side → #objc_call(Triple)
reads them back) is the test of record.
emit_llvm.zig changes:
1. `objc_msg_send` arm — when `needsByval(ret_ty)` (same predicate
the plain-foreign-call path uses), apply the sret transform:
- ret type collapses to void
- prepend a `ptr` param at index 0 (call site provides an
alloca slot)
- mirror `sret(<RetType>)` on the call site so the AArch64 x8
/ SysV-AMD64 hidden-ptr ABI lowers correctly
- load the result from the slot post-call
The IR shape now matches clang exactly:
call void @objc_msgSend(ptr sret({...}) %slot, ptr %recv, ptr %sel)
2. `.ret` arm — the body-side counterpart for sx fns whose declared
return type is sret-shaped (sx-defined IMPs registered via
`class_addMethod` produce these). When the current function's
`needsByval(func.ret)` predicate holds, store the IR ret value
through the prepended sret slot (param 0) and emit `ret void`.
Previously the unconditional coerceArg path turned the struct
value into `undef` and emitted `ret void undef` — illegal LLVM.
Test mechanics: registers `SxTripleProbe : NSObject` at runtime via
`objc_allocateClassPair` + `class_addMethod`, IMP returns
Triple{11, 22, 33}. `#objc_call(Triple)(instance, "tripleValue")`
gets them back, round-trip pinned in the .txt snapshot and the
IR-shape snapshot.
103/103 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-06-sret-return).
The runtime output is misleadingly clean — `[nil tripleValue]`
zeros all three fields because libobjc's nil-stub clears the
return registers. But the IR snapshot reveals the actual ABI
mismatch:
%objc.msg = call { i64, i64, i64 } @objc_msgSend(ptr null, ptr %load)
A live receiver returning a non-zero `Triple` would surface
garbage in the third field — the AArch64 backend lowers
{ i64, i64, i64 } returns to x0/x1 pair + a third register that
the runtime's sret-shaped stub doesn't populate.
Next commit (1.8b): emit_llvm's `objc_msg_send` arm gains the
same sret transform we did for plain `#foreign` calls in Phase
0.3 — ret type collapses to void, prepend a ptr sret param,
alloca the result slot at the call site, mirror the
`sret(<T>)` attribute on the call, load result from the slot
post-call. IR snapshot will flip to:
%slot = alloca <Triple>
call void @objc_msgSend(ptr sret(<Triple>) %slot, ptr null, ptr %load)
%objc.msg = load <Triple>, ptr %slot
103/103 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-05-struct-returns).
Three return shapes all round-trip cleanly with the existing Phase
1.6 `objc_msg_send` lowering — no codegen change needed because
emit_llvm.zig hands the IR struct type straight to LLVMBuildCall2
and the AArch64 / SysV AMD64 backends already know how to lower:
NSPoint — 16 B HFA (2×f64) → v0, v1 (AAPCS64) / xmm0, xmm1 (SysV)
NSRange — 16 B 2×u64 → x0, x1 register pair via [2 x i64]
NSRect — 32 B HFA (4×f64) → v0..v3 (AAPCS64) / xmm0..xmm3 (SysV)
Verified against the Obj-C runtime's `[nil structMethod]`-returns-
zero contract — no real-object setup needed, but the wider ABI
path runs exactly as it would for live receivers (the registers
the runtime stub uses come back through the same lowering).
>16 B non-HFA aggregates (e.g. {3×s64}) trip a sret cliff and
land in Phase 1.8. Verified locally that they return garbage in
the trailing field today — register pair / quad won't carry the
extra storage, and emit_llvm's `objc_msg_send` arm doesn't apply
the sret transform yet.
102/102 regression tests pass; chess Android + iOS-sim still build
clean. `ffi-objc-call-04-primitive-returns` flips from xfail to
passing with both nil-recv and real-recv flavors of *void / s64
returns exercised.
Key change: a new `objc_msg_send` IR opcode bundles (recv, sel,
extra args) and carries the return type via the `Inst.ty` field.
emit_llvm.zig builds a per-call-site LLVM function type from the
argument Refs' IR types (recv/sel as ptr; extra args through
abiCoerceParamType) and dispatches with LLVMBuildCall2. One
declared `@objc_msgSend` symbol is reused across every return
type — opaque pointers make the function value type-erased, so
each call site picks its own ABI.
before: one (recv, sel) -> ptr LLVM declaration, hard-coded
per call site; only void return wired in 1.3.
after: same declaration, each call site provides a fresh
LLVMBuildCall2 fn-type → s64 / *void / bool / f64
returns all dispatch correctly without separate FuncIds.
Selector init mechanism: stayed with the @llvm.global_ctors
constructor. Investigated clang's
`__DATA,__objc_selrefs` + `externally_initialized` shape — works
for fully-linked binaries (dyld substitutes the SEL at load
time) but **LLVM ORC JIT** (the engine behind `sx run`) doesn't
process Mach-O Obj-C metadata sections, so the slot keeps its
initial value (the method-name string pointer) and dispatch
crashes with "<null selector>". The portable choice: keep the
constructor AND inject a direct call to it at `main`'s entry —
idempotent under dyld (sel_registerName returns the same SEL on
re-registration), required for ORC JIT.
Files touched:
src/ir/inst.zig | new ObjcMsgSend struct + opcode
src/ir/lower.zig | drop the void-only restriction; emit the
new opcode; remove the orphaned
getObjcMsgSendFid path (objc_msgSend
declaration moved to emit_llvm)
src/ir/emit_llvm.zig | objc_msg_send arm (per-call-site
LLVMBuildCall2); lazy `@objc_msgSend`
declaration via getObjcMsgSendValue;
emitObjcSelectorInit refactored to inject
the ctor call at main's entry
src/ir/{print,interp}.zig | switch arms for the new opcode
`ffi-objc-call-03-selector-sharing.ir` snapshot updates to
reflect the new shape (the `call ... @objc_msgSend` call sites
no longer mention a typed wrapper).
102/102 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-04-primitive-returns
with xfail snapshot capturing today's diagnostic).
Pinned scenario: `[NSObject class]` — `#objc_call(*void)(null, "class")`.
Should return a non-null Class pointer once the lowering supports
non-void returns. Today the Phase 1.3 restriction trips with:
#objc_call: only `void` return + (recv, selector) is lowered today;
non-void / arg-bearing arities land in later phase-1 steps
The next commit (1.6b) introduces an `objc_msg_send` IR opcode that
bundles (recv, sel, args, ret_ty) and emit_llvm builds a per-call-
site LLVM function type, sharing one declared `@objc_msgSend`
symbol across return-type variants. Five primitive returns
(*void / bool / s32 / s64 / f64) get folded in across 1.6b–c.
101/101 regression tests pass; the IR snapshot for the selector-
sharing test diff flips from four per-call `sel_registerName` calls
to two (one per unique selector) routed through a module-init
constructor — matching what clang emits for `@selector(...)`.
Hot-path cost collapses from a libobjc hashtable lookup per call to
a single load of a static `SEL*` slot:
Before (Phase 1.3):
%sel = call ptr @sel_registerName(<"init">)
call ptr @objc_msgSend(<recv>, %sel)
After (Phase 1.5):
%sel = load ptr, ptr @OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_init
call ptr @objc_msgSend(<recv>, %sel)
+ @OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_init = internal global ptr null
+ @OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_release = internal global ptr null
+ define internal void @__sx_objc_selector_init() {
+ %sel = call ptr @sel_registerName(ptr @OBJC_METH_VAR_NAME_)
+ store ptr %sel, ptr @OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_init
+ %sel1 = call ptr @sel_registerName(ptr @OBJC_METH_VAR_NAME_.2)
+ store ptr %sel1, ptr @OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_release
+ ret void
+ }
+ @llvm.global_ctors = appending global [1 x { i32, ptr, ptr }]
+ [{ ..., ptr @__sx_objc_selector_init, ptr null }]
Implementation:
module.zig | new `objc_selector_cache: ArrayList(ObjcSelectorEntry)`
with `lookupObjcSelector` / `appendObjcSelector`. List
(not hashmap) keeps emit order stable across builds so
the IR snapshot doesn't flicker on rehash.
lower.zig | `internObjcSelector(sel)` creates the slot on first
use, returns the same `GlobalId` on every subsequent
call to the same selector. lowerFfiIntrinsicCall now
emits `global_addr + load` for literal selectors.
Non-literal selectors keep the `sel_registerName`
fallback. Declaring `sel_registerName` lazily on
first intern so emit_llvm finds it for the
constructor body.
emit_llvm.zig | new `emitObjcSelectorInit` pass synthesizes a void
constructor that loops over the cache, calls
`sel_registerName` for each unique selector string,
stores the result in the slot. Constructor is
registered in `@llvm.global_ctors` with default
priority (65535) so dyld runs it before main.
The `@OBJC_METH_VAR_NAME_` private string globals and unnamed-addr
flag match clang's exact emission shape — picked up by the system
linker into the right Mach-O sections on macOS / iOS. Chess
Android + iOS-sim still build clean (no `#objc_call` in chess yet —
phase-3 migration will start exercising this).
run_examples.sh now supports an optional `tests/expected/<name>.ir`
sibling to `.txt`/`.exit`. When present, the runner also captures
`sx ir <file>` output, normalizes target-/host-specific noise
(module ID, target triple/datalayout, attribute groups, LLVM's
auto-suffixed %temp numbering), and diffs against the snapshot.
`--update` regenerates it alongside the runtime output.
Catches lowering changes that don't affect what the program prints
— exactly the shape Phase 1.5's selector interning will produce
(same runtime output, very different IR).
First snapshot: `ffi-objc-call-03-selector-sharing.ir`. Today the
test emits four `call ptr @sel_registerName(ptr @str.N)` lines for
its four call sites; after 1.5 we expect two static
`@OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_<sel>` globals + loads at each call
site. The diff between the two snapshots will be the visible
artifact of the optimization.
101/101 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-03-selector-sharing).
Test exercises four call sites — three sharing "init" and one
"release" — to pin the multi-site / multi-selector lowering before
1.5 changes how SEL lookups are cached.
Runtime behavior: identical before and after 1.5 (all call sites
hit nil receivers; libobjc returns 0 for void). The improvement is
visible only in the emitted IR — today:
$ ./zig-out/bin/sx ir examples/ffi-objc-call-03-selector-sharing.sx \\
| grep -c "call ptr @sel_registerName"
4
After 1.5 (planned): 2 — one `sel_registerName` per unique selector
string, materialized into a static `OBJC_SELECTOR_REFERENCES_<sel>`
global at module init, then loaded at each call site. Matches the
shape clang produces for `@selector(...)`. Worth re-running the
above grep after 1.5 lands as a manual sanity check.
The IR-shape snapshot harness (auto-diff of `sx ir` output) is
deferred; for now we verify by eye.
100/100 regression tests pass; ffi-objc-call-02-void-return flips
from xfail (codegen rejection) to passing ("ok").
Lowering for `#objc_call(void)(recv, "selector:")` lands in
lower.zig as `lowerFfiIntrinsicCall`:
%sel = call ptr @sel_registerName(<"selector:">)
%call = call ptr @objc_msgSend(<recv>, %sel)
Two extern decls (`sel_registerName(*u8) -> *void` and
`objc_msgSend(*void, *void) -> *void`) are declared lazily and
cached on the Lowering instance via `objc_msg_send_fid` /
`sel_register_name_fid`, so multiple call sites share one
declaration each.
Phase 1.3 deliberately keeps scope tight: only `void` return + just
(recv, selector) arity is wired. Non-void returns + variadic arity
fall through with a diagnostic and are owned by subsequent phase-1
steps (1.6 primitive returns; 1.7..1.9 struct shapes; 1.10 multi-
keyword selectors).
Selector resolution is still per-call-site `sel_registerName` —
the planned 1.5 interning turns the per-call hashtable lookup into
a single static-global load. Chess Android + iOS-sim builds clean
— no regression on the existing typed-`objc_msgSend`-cast pattern.
100/100 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-02-void-return xfail
snapshot).
The intrinsic with no `inline if false` guard reaches sema/codegen
and trips an "unresolved: 'unknown_expr'" — the FfiIntrinsicCall
AST node from Phase 1.1 has no lowering rules in lower.zig /
emit_llvm.zig yet.
nil receiver was chosen so the test doesn't need a real Obj-C
object graph: the runtime guarantees `[nil msg]` is a no-op with
zero result for void returns. macOS-gated via `inline if OS == .macos`
so the runner stays portable.
Next commit: emit_llvm.zig produces the per-call-site
%sel = call ptr @sel_registerName(ptr "init.0")
call void @objc_msgSend(ptr null, ptr %sel)
lowering. Snapshot flips to "ok". Selector interning (one shared
global per unique selector string) lands as a separate step (1.5).
99/99 regression tests pass (+ffi-jni-call-01-parse).
Locks in the same parse-surface contract for the JNI intrinsics
that ffi-objc-call-01-parse pins for the Obj-C side:
#jni_call(*void)(null, null, "getWindow", "()Landroid/view/Window;");
#jni_static_call(s32)(null, null, "max", "(II)I", 3, 7);
#jni_call(bool)(null, null, "isShown", "()Z");
All three lower through the shared `FfiIntrinsicCall` AST node
added in 1.1; only the kind tag distinguishes them. `inline if false`
keeps sema/codegen out of the picture until later phase-1 steps
wire those in.
98/98 regression tests pass; ffi-objc-call-01-parse flips from
parse-error xfail to passing.
Shape: `#<intrinsic>(ReturnT)(args...)`. The return-type generic
sits in the first parens, the actual call args in the second. All
three intrinsics share the same parse rule; only the kind tag and
the downstream lowering differ.
token.zig | three new hash_* tags
lexer.zig | matches the directive keywords with the same
isIdentContinue boundary check as the rest
ast.zig | FfiIntrinsicCall node with `kind`, `return_type`,
and `args` fields; FfiIntrinsicKind enum
parser.zig | parseFfiIntrinsicCall — same call-arg loop shape
as Call, with the leading return-type slot
sema.zig | analyzeNode + findNodeAtOffset arms walk the args
+ return-type child nodes
lsp/server.zig | classify the new tokens as ST.keyword
Codegen for the new intrinsic isn't wired yet — examples that
reach the body of a non-suppressed call would fail at lowering.
The current parse test uses `inline if false { ... }` to suppress
the dead branch, so sema/codegen don't see the node. Phase 1.3+
adds the lowering and the gate comes off.
Chess Android + iOS-sim builds clean — no regression on the
existing `objc_msgSend` cast pattern or the JNI helper.
98/98 regression tests pass (+ffi-objc-call-01-parse with xfail
snapshot capturing today's parse error).
Phase 1 of PLAN-FFI.md introduces three compiler intrinsics
(`#objc_call`, `#jni_call`, `#jni_static_call`) that lift the
ceremony off the existing typed-`objc_msgSend` and JNI dispatch
patterns. This is the first step of the cadence:
1.0 (this commit): test-add. Locks the current parse rejection.
1.1 (next): make-green. Parser accepts the new syntax;
this snapshot updates to whatever the next
pipeline stage produces (sema/codegen still
can't lower the intrinsic — that's later
phase-1 steps).
1.3+: codegen lands; the test eventually runs
cleanly against Foundation.
`inline if false` wraps the call site so the AST carries the node
but no codegen runs for it. Lets Phase 1.1's parse-only test pass
without dragging in the sema/codegen plumbing prematurely.
97/97 regression tests pass (94 expected updated; +issue-0037 from
the prior commit).
The companion `94-foreign-global-helper.sx` ALSO declares
`__stdinp : *void #foreign;`. Two sx files referencing the same
extern symbol must link cleanly — LLVM dedupes the named global at
the module level, and the C linker resolves both refs to the one
libSystem definition.
The full ergonomic story (helper computes the *same* address as the
main file's direct read) is blocked on issue-0037: lower.zig's
`address_of(global)` branch produces `undef` when the body is a
non-main function, even single-file. Once issue-0037 closes, fold
the helper's address back into an equality check here.
The cross-file link itself works today and is the lemma we're
locking in. This is also the closest thing today to the cross-file
extern-global ergonomic issue-0030 wants — `#foreign` already works
across files; the missing piece is sx-side `extern` decls for
sx-defined globals.
Repro found while writing PLAN-FFI step 0.10.
In a single file:
__stdinp : *void #foreign;
stdinp_addr :: () -> u64 { xx @__stdinp; }
main :: () -> s32 {
a : u64 = xx @__stdinp; // a = real symbol address
b := stdinp_addr(); // b = 0
...
}
The emitted IR for the helper is `ret i64 undef`, suggesting the
`address_of(identifier=__stdinp)` branch in lower.zig (~line 1719)
doesn't see `__stdinp` in `global_names` at the moment the helper's
body is being lowered — even though the same lookup succeeds inside
main's body in the same compilation unit.
Likely cause: lazy-body lowering ordering vs. the pass that
registers extern global decls into `global_names`. Worth verifying
which before fixing — could also be per-function scoping of the
map. Phase 1 of the FFI plan doesn't depend on this, so it stays
filed as an open issue and gets addressed when convenient (or when
sx-side `extern` cross-file globals from issue-0030 land and need
the same lookup to work everywhere).
96/96 regression tests pass (+ffi-09-foreign-result-chain).
Opaque C-handle pattern that mirrors how real sx code threads
MTLBuffer*, AAssetManager*, file pointers, etc. through composite
sx values. C side has a trivial heap-int handle (`ffi_chain_make`
returning `void*`, `ffi_chain_bump` / `_peek` / `_dispose`). The sx
side exercises:
1. Chained calls — make -> bump -> bump -> peek; one handle
threaded through four FFI sites in sequence.
2. Struct field — `Counter { handle: *void; label: string; }`
hosts the handle; methods/accesses go through
`.handle` to feed back into C.
3. List(*void) — push N handles, iterate, peek each, iterate
again to bump each, iterate again to read
back. Catches any aliasing / lifetime breakage
when handles round-trip through the slice
backing of List.
95/95 regression tests pass (+ffi-08-foreign-in-method).
One trivial C helper (`ffi_method_helper`) called from each of the
major sx surface constructs that can host an FFI site:
1. struct method body Counter.next
2. protocol impl method body impl Doubler for Counter
3. closure value body make_adder's `closure(...)`
4. comptime-gated branch `inline if OS == .macos { ... }`
No new ABI shapes — the lowering route a `#foreign` call site takes
shouldn't depend on its enclosing construct, and the test pins that
lemma. A future lowering refactor that, say, breaks protocol-dispatch
fast-paths for FFI-calling impl methods will fail here directly
instead of being caught only by the chess Android regression.
The `inline if` branches for ios/linux compile down to nothing on
macOS, so only the macOS arm fires at runtime — useful smoke test
that the comptime gate works around FFI sites too.
94/94 regression tests pass (+ffi-07-c-import-block).
Companion C helper lives only at
`library/vendors/sx_ffi_resolve_test/`. Critically NOT in
`sx/vendors/` (the sx repo root) and NOT in the importing
example's directory — so the `vendors/...` paths in this
example are findable solely via the stdlib search branch
(`<exe>/../../library`, `<exe>/../library`, `<exe>/library`).
That branch is the one the JNI insets bridge needs to reach
`library/vendors/sx_android_jni/sx_android_jni.c` without
forcing chess (or any consumer) to vendor an identically-named
copy. The test pins the resolution end-to-end:
- #include resolves; clang parses the .h; c_import.zig
synthesizes #foreign fn decls for `sx_ffi_resolve_test_add` /
`_mul`.
- #source resolves; the .c is compiled into the build's
object list.
- sx calls the synthesized decls and prints results.
93/93 regression tests pass (+ffi-06-callback).
Mirrors the `app->onInputEvent` install pattern from
library/modules/platform/android.sx:
1. (s32) -> s32 — single primitive arg/return
2. (*void, s32) -> s32 — opaque ctx pointer + value
(the onInputEvent shape)
Side effects via two file-level globals so the test observes both
the return value AND state mutation across multiple calls:
- g_callback_hits = N proves the callback fired N times.
- g_callback_sum = sum of args proves each individual call landed
with the correct value.
The ctx-pointer variant casts `*void` back to `*s32` inside the
callback and reads through it (`p.*`), proving the pointer survives
the round-trip with no aliasing weirdness.
92/92 regression tests pass (+ffi-05-string-args).
Covers the four shapes that actually appear at the sx ↔ C boundary
today:
1. [:0]u8 string literal -> const char* (ffi_strlen, ffi_first_byte)
2. sx `string` value via .ptr (slice-decay branch in
coerceArg pulls the pointer)
3. [*]u8 raw buffer + length (ffi_sum_bytes, mutated via
ffi_write_byte and read back)
4. C-returned const char* (round-trips back as [*]u8)
The mutate-via-C path catches any pointer-aliasing regression — sx
allocates the fixed array `bytes : [4]u8`, passes `.ptr` to C which
writes index 1, and the sx side reads `bytes[1]` to confirm the
mutation took effect through the same memory.
91/91 regression tests pass (+ffi-04-fp-struct).
Single-file regression net for the all-float / all-double aggregate
ABI path:
FQuad — 16 B, 4×f32 (same slot as ffi-02's Vec4f)
DQuad — 32 B, 4×f64 (UIEdgeInsets-shape — the f32-vs-f64 landmine)
Already nominally covered by ffi-02's Vec4f, but pinning it as a
focused single-file test means a future ABI rule change that breaks
the HFA path fails *this* test directly without a noisy drag-in from
the multi-shape baseline.
DQuad at 32 B straddles the AAPCS64 HFA limit (≤4 floats of same
type, total ≤64 B); it stays as a struct value passed through
v0..v3 rather than going indirect. The snapshot confirms the values
arrive intact.
90/90 regression tests pass (+ffi-03-large-struct).
vendors/ffi_large_struct/{.h,.c} defines:
Big24 — 24 B, three s64 (byval params + sret return)
Big48 — 48 B, six s64 (same path, larger)
`make / rotate-or-reverse / sum` helpers per shape. The sx-side
example imports via `#source` only and declares matching structs +
hand-written #foreign decls.
Snapshot pins today's >16-byte aggregate ABI now that the
emit_llvm.zig sret-return transform is in place (previous commit).
That gives us a regression net for all four C-ABI aggregate slots
in one place:
≤8 B int — i64 coercion (ffi-01 vec-likes)
9..16 B int — [2 x i64] coercion (ffi-02 Pair64/Quad32, 101)
16 B HFA — struct, no coercion (ffi-02 Vec2/Vec4f)
>16 B — byval params + sret (this commit)
Now that emit_llvm.zig bridges the struct<->[2 x i64] ABI mismatch
(previous commit), the 9..16-byte integer-only shapes round-trip
cleanly. Extended `examples/ffi-02-small-struct.sx` to cover all
four aggregate ABI slots in one place:
Vec2 — 8 B, two f32 (register pair, float)
Vec4f — 16 B, four f32 (HFA — homogeneous float aggregate)
Pair64 — 16 B, two s64 (9..16 B int — [2 x i64] coercion slot)
Quad32 — 16 B, four s32 (same slot as Pair64)
Vendor helpers (`vendors/ffi_structs/{ffi_structs.h,ffi_structs.c}`)
grow `ffi_pair64_*` + `ffi_quad32_*` companions. Snapshot updated
to capture the full output. 89/89 regression tests pass.
`examples/101-ffi-medium-struct.sx` keeps a minimal focused repro
of the Pair64 case so the issue's emergence-and-fix history stays
greppable.
Resolves issue-0036 (LLVM verifier failure on 16-byte integer-only
struct by value through #foreign). The mismatch:
Call parameter type does not match function signature!
%load = load { i64, i64 }, ptr %alloca, align 8
[2 x i64] %call = call [2 x i64] @fn({ i64, i64 } %load)
`abiCoerceParamType` had already chosen `[2 x i64]` for 9..16-byte
non-HFA structs (the AAPCS64 / SysV AMD64 register-pair ABI slot for
that size class) on the foreign-decl side, but `coerceArg` only knew
how to bridge struct<->integer (the ≤8 B case) — not struct<->array.
LLVM's verifier rejects type-mismatched call args, so the call site
never landed.
Added the symmetric branches in coerceArg:
- Struct -> Array : alloca <array>; store <struct>; load <array>
- Array -> Struct : alloca <array>; store <array>; load <struct>
Both use the LLVM opaque-pointer memory-bitcast pattern already in
place for the integer case. They're paired with the existing
i64 <-> small-struct bridge so all four (≤8 B int, 9..16 B int,
16 B HFA, >16 B byval) ABI slots round-trip cleanly through
emit_llvm now.
File mechanics: promotes the issue-0036 repro to a focused feature
example per CLAUDE.md's issue-resolution workflow:
examples/issue-0036.sx -> examples/101-ffi-medium-struct.sx
tests/expected/issue-0036.{txt,exit} -> tests/expected/101-ffi-medium-struct.{txt,exit}
vendors/issue_0036/issue_0036.c -> vendors/ffi_medium_struct/ffi_medium_struct.c
Snapshot updated to the passing output. 89/89 regression tests pass;
chess Android build still clean.
