Files
sx/issues/0083-named-const-array-dimension-miscompiled.md
agra 12552e125d fix(ir): resolve named-const array dims (0083) + materialize literal slice args (0084)
Two silent-miscompile codegen fixes:

0083 — named-const array dimension. `TypeResolver.resolveCompound`'s array
arm resolved the dimension with `if int_literal ... else 0`, so a named const
(`N :: 16; [N]T`) hit the silent `else 0`: the array became 0-length / 0-byte
and element access ran out of bounds (garbage for scalars, bus error for
slice/pointer/struct elements). The arm now delegates the dimension to
`inner.resolveArrayLen` (symmetric with `inner.resolveInner` for the element).
The stateful `Lowering.resolveArrayLen` evaluates it as a compile-time integer
across the comptime-constant / generic-value / module-global const tables and
emits a diagnostic — no fabricated length — when it isn't one.

0084 — `.[...]` literal passed directly as a call arg. `lowerArrayLiteral`
always yields an aggregate array value; the array→slice conversion is the
caller's job. The local-bound var-decl path did it, but the call-arg coercion
path had no array→slice arm, so `classify([N]T, []T)` returned `.none` and the
raw array was passed where a slice was expected (callee read its {ptr,len}
header off the wrong bytes → 0 / garbage / segfault). `classify` now returns a
new `.array_to_slice` plan for same-element `[N]T → []T`, and `coerceToType`
emits the existing `array_to_slice` op — identical to the local-bound path.

Regressions (fail-before/pass-after demonstrated on the pre-fix compiler):
  examples/0140-types-named-const-array-dim.sx (s64 + string + struct elems)
  examples/0141-types-slice-literal-direct-call-arg.sx (string + []s64)

Gate: zig build, zig build test, bash tests/run_examples.sh (387 passed).
Issues 0083 and 0084 marked RESOLVED.
2026-06-04 08:22:45 +03:00

2.4 KiB
Raw Blame History

0083 — fixed array with a named-constant dimension is miscompiled

RESOLVED. Root cause: TypeResolver.resolveCompound's array arm resolved the dimension with if (length.data == .int_literal) ... else 0 — a named const (N :: 16) hit the silent else 0, so [N]T became a 0-length / 0-byte array and element access ran out of bounds (garbage for scalars, bus error for slice/pointer/struct elements). Fix: the array arm now delegates the dimension to inner.resolveArrayLen (symmetric with inner.resolveInner for the element type). The stateful Lowering.resolveArrayLen evaluates the dimension as a compile-time integer across the comptime-constant, generic-value, and module-global const tables, and emits a diagnostic (no fabricated length) when it isn't one. Files: src/ir/type_resolver.zig, src/ir/lower.zig, src/ir/type_bridge.zig. Regression: examples/0140-types-named-const-array-dim.sx (s64 + string + struct element types).

Symptom

A fixed array whose dimension is a module-global integer constant (N :: 16; a : [N]T) miscompiles element access: reads/writes compute a wrong address. With s64 elements a[0] returns GARBAGE (silent); with slice/pointer element types ([N]string) it Bus-errors. The identical program with a LITERAL dimension (a : [16]T) is correct. Silent-miscompile class (cf. 00790082).

Reproduction

#import "modules/std.sx";
N :: 16;
main :: () { a : [N]s64 = ---; a[0] = 7; print("a0={}\n", a[0]); }

./zig-out/bin/sx run prints a0=8472789232 (garbage); want a0=7. Replacing [N] with [16] prints 7.

Investigation prompt

A fixed-array TYPE whose dimension is a named const (N :: 16; [N]T) resolves to a wrong element stride / array length in codegen — element address computation is wrong (garbage for scalars, bad pointer for slice/pointer elements). Literal dimensions are correct, so the defect is in resolving the array-type DIMENSION from a constant expression (vs a literal) — the dim likely resolves to 0/unknown or the element size is wrong. Look at array-type resolution where the length is a const-expr (type lowering / sizeof / element-stride computation). Fix so a named-const dimension yields the same layout as the literal. Verify with the repro (expect 7) + a [N]string/[N]struct case (no bus error, correct reads), and zig build && zig build test && bash tests/run_examples.sh green.