358 lines
15 KiB
C++
358 lines
15 KiB
C++
// Copyright 2023 The Abseil Authors.
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//
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// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
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// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
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// You may obtain a copy of the License at
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//
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// https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
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//
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// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
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// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
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// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
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// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
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// limitations under the License.
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//
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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// File: nullability.h
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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//
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// This header file defines a set of annotations for designating the expected
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// nullability of pointers. These annotations allow you to designate pointers in
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// one of three classification states:
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//
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// * "Non-null" (for pointers annotated `absl_nonnull`), indicating that it is
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// invalid for the given pointer to ever be null.
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// * "Nullable" (for pointers annotated `absl_nullable`), indicating that it is
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// valid for the given pointer to be null.
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// * "Unknown" (for pointers annotated `absl_nullability_unknown`), indicating
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// that the given pointer has not yet been classified as either nullable or
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// non-null. This is the default state of unannotated pointers.
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//
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// NOTE: Unannotated pointers implicitly bear the annotation
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// `absl_nullability_unknown`; you should rarely, if ever, see this annotation
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// used in the codebase explicitly.
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//
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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// Nullability and Contracts
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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//
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// These nullability annotations allow you to more clearly specify contracts on
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// software components by narrowing the *preconditions*, *postconditions*, and
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// *invariants* of pointer state(s) in any given interface. It then depends on
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// context who is responsible for fulfilling the annotation's requirements.
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//
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// For example, a function may receive a pointer argument. Designating that
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// pointer argument as "non-null" tightens the precondition of the contract of
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// that function. It is then the responsibility of anyone calling such a
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// function to ensure that the passed pointer is not null.
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//
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// Similarly, a function may have a pointer as a return value. Designating that
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// return value as "non-null" tightens the postcondition of the contract of that
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// function. In this case, however, it is the responsibility of the function
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// itself to ensure that the returned pointer is not null.
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//
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// Clearly defining these contracts allows providers (and consumers) of such
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// pointers to have more confidence in their null state. If a function declares
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// a return value as "non-null", for example, the caller should not need to
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// check whether the returned value is `nullptr`; it can simply assume the
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// pointer is valid.
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//
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// Of course most interfaces already have expectations on the nullability state
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// of pointers, and these expectations are, in effect, a contract; often,
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// however, those contracts are either poorly or partially specified, assumed,
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// or misunderstood. These nullability annotations are designed to allow you to
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// formalize those contracts within the codebase.
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//
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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// Annotation Syntax
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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//
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// The annotations should be positioned as a qualifier for the pointer type. For
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// example, the position of `const` when declaring a const pointer (not a
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// pointer to a const type) is the position you should also use for these
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// annotations.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// // A const non-null pointer to an `Employee`.
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// Employee* absl_nonnull const e;
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//
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// // A non-null pointer to a const `Employee`.
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// const Employee* absl_nonnull e;
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//
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// // A non-null pointer to a const nullable pointer to an `Employee`.
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// Employee* absl_nullable const* absl_nonnull e = nullptr;
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//
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// // A non-null function pointer.
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// void (*absl_nonnull func)(int, double);
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//
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// // A non-null std::unique_ptr to an `Employee`.
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// // As with `const`, it is possible to place the annotation on either side of
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// // a named type not ending in `*`, but placing it before the type it
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// // describes is preferred, unless inconsistent with surrounding code.
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// absl_nonnull std::unique_ptr<Employee> employee;
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//
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// // Invalid annotation usage – this attempts to declare a pointer to a
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// // nullable `Employee`, which is meaningless.
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// absl_nullable Employee* e;
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//
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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// Using Nullability Annotations
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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//
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// Each annotation acts as a form of documentation about the contract for the
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// given pointer. Each annotation requires providers or consumers of these
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// pointers across API boundaries to take appropriate steps when setting or
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// using these pointers:
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//
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// * "Non-null" pointers should never be null. It is the responsibility of the
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// provider of this pointer to ensure that the pointer may never be set to
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// null. Consumers of such pointers can treat such pointers as non-null.
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// * "Nullable" pointers may or may not be null. Consumers of such pointers
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// should precede any usage of that pointer (e.g. a dereference operation)
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// with a a `nullptr` check.
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// * "Unknown" pointers may be either "non-null" or "nullable" but have not been
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// definitively determined to be in either classification state. Providers of
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// such pointers across API boundaries should determine -- over time -- to
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// annotate the pointer in either of the above two states. Consumers of such
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// pointers across an API boundary should continue to treat such pointers as
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// they currently do.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// // PaySalary() requires the passed pointer to an `Employee` to be non-null.
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// void PaySalary(Employee* absl_nonnull e) {
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// pay(e->salary); // OK to dereference
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// }
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//
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// // CompleteTransaction() guarantees the returned pointer to an `Account` to
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// // be non-null.
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// Account* absl_nonnull balance CompleteTransaction(double fee) {
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// ...
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// }
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//
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// // Note that specifying a nullability annotation does not prevent someone
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// // from violating the contract:
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//
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// Employee* absl_nullable find(Map& employees, std::string_view name);
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//
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// void g(Map& employees) {
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// Employee *e = find(employees, "Pat");
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// // `e` can now be null.
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// PaySalary(e); // Violates contract, but compiles!
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// }
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//
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// Nullability annotations, in other words, are useful for defining and
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// narrowing contracts; *enforcement* of those contracts depends on use and any
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// additional (static or dynamic analysis) tooling.
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//
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// NOTE: The "unknown" annotation state indicates that a pointer's contract has
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// not yet been positively identified. The unknown state therefore acts as a
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// form of documentation of your technical debt, and a codebase that adopts
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// nullability annotations should aspire to annotate every pointer as either
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// "non-null" or "nullable".
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//
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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// Applicability of Nullability Annotations
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// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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//
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// By default, nullability annotations are applicable to raw and smart
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// pointers. User-defined types can indicate compatibility with nullability
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// annotations by adding the ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE attribute.
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//
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// // Example:
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// struct ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE MyPtr {
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// ...
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// };
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//
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// Note: Compilers that don't support the `nullability_on_classes` feature will
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// allow nullability annotations to be applied to any type, not just ones
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// marked with `ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE`.
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//
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// DISCLAIMER:
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// ===========================================================================
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// These nullability annotations are primarily a human readable signal about the
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// intended contract of the pointer. They are not *types* and do not currently
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// provide any correctness guarantees. For example, a pointer annotated as
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// `absl_nonnull` is *not guaranteed* to be non-null, and the compiler won't
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// alert or prevent assignment of a `T* absl_nullable` to a `T* absl_nonnull`.
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// ===========================================================================
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#ifndef ABSL_BASE_NULLABILITY_H_
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#define ABSL_BASE_NULLABILITY_H_
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#include "absl/base/config.h"
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#include "absl/base/internal/nullability_impl.h"
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// ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL
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//
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// This macro specifies that all unannotated pointer types within the given
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// file are designated as nonnull (instead of the default "unknown"). This macro
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// exists as a standalone statement and applies default nonnull behavior to all
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// subsequent pointers; as a result, place this macro as the first non-comment,
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// non-`#include` line in a file.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// #include "absl/base/nullability.h"
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//
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// ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL
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//
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// void FillMessage(Message *m); // implicitly non-null
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// T* absl_nullable GetNullablePtr(); // explicitly nullable
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// T* absl_nullability_unknown GetUnknownPtr(); // explicitly unknown
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//
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// The macro can be safely used in header files – it will not affect any files
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// that include it.
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//
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// In files with the macro, plain `T*` syntax means `T* absl_nonnull`, and the
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// exceptions (`absl_nullable` and `absl_nullability_unknown`) must be marked
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// explicitly. The same holds, correspondingly, for smart pointer types.
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//
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// For comparison, without the macro, all unannotated pointers would default to
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// unknown, and otherwise require explicit annotations to change this behavior:
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//
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// #include "absl/base/nullability.h"
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//
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// void FillMessage(Message* absl_nonnull m); // explicitly non-null
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// T* absl_nullable GetNullablePtr(); // explicitly nullable
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// T* GetUnknownPtr(); // implicitly unknown
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//
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// No-op except for being a human readable signal.
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#define ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL
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#if defined(__clang__) && !defined(__OBJC__) && \
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ABSL_HAVE_FEATURE(nullability_on_classes)
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// absl_nonnull (default with `ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL`)
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//
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// The indicated pointer is never null. It is the responsibility of the provider
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// of this pointer across an API boundary to ensure that the pointer is never
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// set to null. Consumers of this pointer across an API boundary may safely
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// dereference the pointer.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// // `employee` is designated as not null.
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// void PaySalary(Employee* absl_nonnull employee) {
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// pay(*employee); // OK to dereference
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// }
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#define absl_nonnull _Nonnull
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// absl_nullable
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//
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// The indicated pointer may, by design, be either null or non-null. Consumers
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// of this pointer across an API boundary should perform a `nullptr` check
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// before performing any operation using the pointer.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// // `employee` may be null.
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// void PaySalary(Employee* absl_nullable employee) {
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// if (employee != nullptr) {
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// Pay(*employee); // OK to dereference
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// }
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// }
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#define absl_nullable _Nullable
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// absl_nullability_unknown (default without `ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL`)
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//
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// The indicated pointer has not yet been determined to be definitively
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// "non-null" or "nullable." Providers of such pointers across API boundaries
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// should, over time, annotate such pointers as either "non-null" or "nullable."
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// Consumers of these pointers across an API boundary should treat such pointers
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// with the same caution they treat currently unannotated pointers. Most
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// existing code will have "unknown" pointers, which should eventually be
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// migrated into one of the above two nullability states: `absl_nonnull` or
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// `absl_nullable`.
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//
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// NOTE: For files that do not specify `ABSL_POINTERS_DEFAULT_NONNULL`,
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// because this annotation is the global default state, unannotated pointers are
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// are assumed to have "unknown" semantics. This assumption is designed to
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// minimize churn and reduce clutter within the codebase.
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//
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// Example:
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//
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// // `employee`s nullability state is unknown.
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// void PaySalary(Employee* absl_nullability_unknown employee) {
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// Pay(*employee); // Potentially dangerous. API provider should investigate.
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// }
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//
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// Note that a pointer without an annotation, by default, is assumed to have the
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// annotation `NullabilityUnknown`.
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//
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// // `employee`s nullability state is unknown.
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// void PaySalary(Employee* employee) {
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// Pay(*employee); // Potentially dangerous. API provider should investigate.
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// }
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#define absl_nullability_unknown _Null_unspecified
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#else
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// No-op for non-Clang compilers or Objective-C.
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#define absl_nonnull
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// No-op for non-Clang compilers or Objective-C.
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#define absl_nullable
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// No-op for non-Clang compilers or Objective-C.
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#define absl_nullability_unknown
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#endif
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// ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE
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//
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// Indicates that a class is compatible with nullability annotations.
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//
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// For example:
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//
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// struct ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE MyPtr {
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// ...
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// };
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//
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// Note: Compilers that don't support the `nullability_on_classes` feature will
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// allow nullability annotations to be applied to any type, not just ones marked
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// with `ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE`.
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#if ABSL_HAVE_FEATURE(nullability_on_classes)
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#define ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE _Nullable
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#else
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#define ABSL_NULLABILITY_COMPATIBLE
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#endif
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namespace absl {
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ABSL_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
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// The following template aliases are alternate forms of the macro annotations
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// above. They have some limitations, for example, an incompatibility with
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// `auto*` pointers, as `auto` cannot be used in a template argument.
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//
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// It is important to note that these annotations are not distinct strong
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// *types*. They are alias templates defined to be equal to the underlying
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// pointer type. A pointer annotated `Nonnull<T*>`, for example, is simply a
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// pointer of type `T*`.
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// absl::Nonnull, analogous to absl_nonnull
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//
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// Example:
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// absl::Nonnull<int*> foo;
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// Is equivalent to:
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// int* absl_nonnull foo;
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template <typename T>
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using Nonnull = nullability_internal::NonnullImpl<T>;
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// absl::Nullable, analogous to absl_nullable
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//
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// Example:
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// absl::Nullable<int*> foo;
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// Is equivalent to:
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// int* absl_nullable foo;
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template <typename T>
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using Nullable = nullability_internal::NullableImpl<T>;
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// absl::NullabilityUnknown, analogous to absl_nullability_unknown
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//
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// Example:
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// absl::NullabilityUnknown<int*> foo;
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// Is equivalent to:
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// int* absl_nullability_unknown foo;
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template <typename T>
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using NullabilityUnknown = nullability_internal::NullabilityUnknownImpl<T>;
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ABSL_NAMESPACE_END
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} // namespace absl
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#endif // ABSL_BASE_NULLABILITY_H_
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