Merge 2025-06 CWG Motion 5

P3394R4 Annotations for Reflection

Author: tkoeppe

source/basic.tex

@@ -5590,6 +5590,7 @@
 \item a structured binding\iref{dcl.struct.bind},
 \item a function\iref{dcl.fct},
 \item an enumerator\iref{dcl.enum},
+\item an annotation\iref{dcl.attr.grammar},
 \item a type alias\iref{dcl.typedef},
 \item a type\iref{basic.types},
 \item a class member\iref{class.mem},

source/declarations.tex

@@ -9360,7 +9360,7 @@
 
 \pnum
 \indextext{attribute!syntax and semantics}%
-Attributes specify additional information for various source constructs
+Attributes and annotations specify additional information for various source constructs
 such as types, variables, names, contract assertions, blocks, or translation units.
 
 \begin{bnf}
@@ -9371,6 +9371,7 @@
 \begin{bnf}
 \nontermdef{attribute-specifier}\br
   \terminal{[} \terminal{[} \opt{attribute-using-prefix} attribute-list \terminal{]} \terminal{]}\br
+  \terminal{[} \terminal{[} annotation-list \terminal{]} \terminal{]}\br
   alignment-specifier
 \end{bnf}
 
@@ -9393,11 +9394,22 @@
   attribute-list \terminal{,} attribute \terminal{...}
 \end{bnf}
 
+\begin{bnf}
+\nontermdef{annotation-list}\br
+  annotation \opt{\terminal{...}}\br
+  annotation-list \terminal{,} annotation \opt{\terminal{...}}
+\end{bnf}
+
 \begin{bnf}
 \nontermdef{attribute}\br
     attribute-token \opt{attribute-argument-clause}
 \end{bnf}
 
+\begin{bnf}
+\nontermdef{annotation}\br
+    \terminal{=} constant-expression
+\end{bnf}
+
 \begin{bnf}
 \nontermdef{attribute-token}\br
     identifier\br
@@ -9470,10 +9482,11 @@
 In an \grammarterm{attribute-list}, an ellipsis may appear only if that
 \grammarterm{attribute}'s specification permits it. An \grammarterm{attribute} followed
 by an ellipsis is a pack expansion\iref{temp.variadic}.
-An \grammarterm{attribute-specifier}
-that contains no \grammarterm{attribute}{s} and no \grammarterm{alignment-specifier}
-has no
-effect. The order in which the \grammarterm{attribute-token}{s} appear in an
+An \grammarterm{attribute-specifier} that contains
+an \grammarterm{attribute-list} with no \grammarterm{attribute}s
+and no \grammarterm{alignment-specifier}
+has no effect.
+The order in which the \grammarterm{attribute-token}{s} appear in an
 \grammarterm{attribute-list} is not significant. If a
 keyword\iref{lex.key}
 or an alternative token\iref{lex.digraph} that satisfies the syntactic requirements
@@ -9484,6 +9497,10 @@
 \grammarterm{attribute-token}. The \grammarterm{attribute-token} determines additional
 requirements on the \grammarterm{attribute-argument-clause} (if any).
 
+\pnum
+An \grammarterm{annotation} followed by an ellipsis
+is a pack expansion\iref{temp.variadic}.
+
 \pnum
 Each \grammarterm{attribute-specifier-seq} is said to \defn{appertain} to some entity or
 statement, identified by the syntactic context
@@ -10181,5 +10198,56 @@
 if their respective types are all empty.
 \end{example}
 
+\rSec2[dcl.attr.annotation]{Annotations}%
+\indextext{attribute!annotations}
+
+\pnum
+An annotation may be applied to any declaration of a
+type,
+type alias,
+variable,
+function,
+namespace,
+enumerator,
+\grammarterm{base-specifier}, or
+non-static data member.
+
+\pnum
+Let $E$ be the expression
+\tcode{std::meta::reflect_constant(\grammarterm{constant-expression})}.
+$E$ shall be a constant expression;
+the result of $E$ is the \defnadj{underlying}{constant} of the annotation.
+
+\pnum
+Each \grammarterm{annotation} produces a unique annotation.
+
+\pnum
+Substituting into an \grammarterm{annotation}
+is not in the immediate context.
+\begin{example}
+\begin{codeblock}
+[[=1]] void f();
+[[=2, =3, =2]] void g();
+void g [[=4, =2]] ();
+\end{codeblock}
+\tcode{f} has one annotation
+and \tcode{g} has five annotations.
+These can be queried with metafunctions
+such as \tcode{std::\brk{}meta::\brk{}anno\-tations_of}\iref{meta.reflection.annotation}.
+\end{example}
+\begin{example}
+\begin{codeblock}
+template<class T>
+  [[=T::type()]] void f(T t);
+
+void f(int);
+
+void g() {
+  f(0);         // OK
+  f('0');       // error, substituting into the annotation results in an invalid expression
+}
+\end{codeblock}
+\end{example}
+
 \indextext{attribute|)}%
 \indextext{declaration|)}

source/expressions.tex

@@ -7608,6 +7608,7 @@
 \item represent values that are template-argument-equivalent\iref{temp.type},
 \item represent the same object,
 \item represent the same entity,
+\item represent the same annotation\iref{dcl.attr.annotation},
 \item represent the same direct base class relationship, or
 \item represent equal data member descriptions\iref{class.mem.general},
 \end{itemize}

source/meta.tex

@@ -2625,6 +2625,7 @@
 
   consteval bool is_bit_field(info r);
   consteval bool is_enumerator(info r);
+  consteval bool is_annotation(info r);
 
   consteval bool is_const(info r);
   consteval bool is_volatile(info r);
@@ -2912,6 +2913,10 @@
   consteval info variant_alternative(size_t index, info type);
 
   consteval strong_ordering type_order(info type_a, info type_b);
+
+  // \ref{meta.reflection.annotation}, annotation reflection
+  consteval vector<info> annotations_of(info item);
+  consteval vector<info> annotations_of_with_type(info item, info type);
 }
 \end{codeblock}
 
@@ -3243,6 +3248,7 @@
 \returns
 \tcode{true} if \tcode{r} represents a
 value,
+annotation,
 object,
 variable,
 function whose type does not contain an undeduced placeholder type
@@ -3277,6 +3283,9 @@
   non-static data member, or
   unnamed bit-field,
   then the type of what is represented by \tcode{r}.
+\item
+  Otherwise, if \tcode{r} represents an annotation,
+  then \tcode{type_of(constant_of(r))}.
 \item
   Otherwise, if \tcode{r} represents
   an enumerator $N$ of an enumeration $E$, then:
@@ -3358,19 +3367,26 @@
 
 \begin{itemdescr}
 \pnum
-Let \tcode{\placeholder{R}} be a constant expression of type \tcode{info}
-such that \tcode{\placeholder{R} == r} is \tcode{true}.
+Let $R$ be a constant expression of type \tcode{info}
+such that \tcode{$R$ == r} is \tcode{true}.
+If \tcode{r} represents an annotation,
+then let $C$ be its underlying constant.
 
 \pnum
 \constantwhen
-\tcode{[: \placeholder{R} :]} is a valid
+Either \tcode{r} represents an annotation or
+\tcode{[: $R$ :]} is a valid
 \grammarterm{splice-expression}\iref{expr.prim.splice}.
 
 \pnum
 \effects
 Equivalent to:
 \begin{codeblock}
-return reflect_constant([: @\placeholder{R}@ :]);
+if constexpr (is_annotation(@$R$@)) {
+  return @$C$@;
+} else {
+  return reflect_constant([: @$R$@ :]);
+}
 \end{codeblock}
 \begin{example}
 \begin{codeblock}
@@ -3552,14 +3568,16 @@
 \end{itemdescr}
 
 \indexlibraryglobal{is_enumerator}%
+\indexlibraryglobal{is_annotation}%
 \begin{itemdecl}
 consteval bool is_enumerator(info r);
+consteval bool is_annotation(info r);
 \end{itemdecl}
 
 \begin{itemdescr}
 \pnum
 \returns
-\tcode{true} if \tcode{r} represents an enumerator.
+\tcode{true} if \tcode{r} represents an enumerator or annotation, respectively.
 Otherwise, \tcode{false}.
 \end{itemdescr}
 
@@ -5946,6 +5964,115 @@
 represented by \tcode{dealias(t1)} and \tcode{dealias(t2)}, respectively.
 \end{itemdescr}
 
+\rSec2[meta.reflection.annotation]{Annotation reflection}
+
+\indexlibraryglobal{annotations_of}%
+\begin{itemdecl}
+consteval vector<info> annotations_of(info item);
+\end{itemdecl}
+
+\begin{itemdescr}
+\pnum
+\constantwhen
+\tcode{item} represents a
+type,
+type alias,
+variable,
+function,
+namespace,
+enumerator,
+direct base class relationship, or
+non-static data member.
+
+%FIXME: it is highly unusual for this subclause to put Let paragraphs after Constant When
+\pnum
+Let $E$ be
+\begin{itemize}
+\item
+  the corresponding \grammarterm{base-specifier}
+  if \tcode{item} represents a direct base class relationship,
+\item
+  otherwise, the entity represented by \tcode{item}.
+\end{itemize}
+
+\pnum
+\returns
+A \tcode{vector} containing all of the reflections $R$
+representing each annotation applying to each declaration of $E$ that precedes either
+some point in the evaluation context\iref{expr.const} or
+a point immediately following the \grammarterm{class-specifier}
+of the outermost class for which such a point is in a complete-class context.
+For any two reflections $R_1$ and $R_2$ in the returned \tcode{vector},
+if the annotation represented by $R_1$ precedes the annotation represented by $R_2$,
+then $R_1$ appears before $R_2$.
+If $R_1$ and $R_2$ represent annotations from the same translation unit $T$,
+any element in the returned \tcode{vector} between $R_1$ and $R_2$
+represents an annotation from $T$.
+\begin{note}
+The order in which two annotations appear is otherwise unspecified.
+\end{note}
+\begin{example}
+\begin{codeblock}
+[[=1]] void f();
+[[=2, =3]] void g();
+void g [[=4]] ();
+
+static_assert(annotations_of(^^f).size() == 1);
+static_assert(annotations_of(^^g).size() == 3);
+static_assert([: constant_of(annotations_of(^^g)[0]) :] == 2);
+static_assert(extract<int>(annotations_of(^^g)[1]) == 3);
+static_assert(extract<int>(annotations_of(^^g)[2]) == 4);
+
+struct Option { bool value; };
+
+struct C {
+  [[=Option{true}]] int a;
+  [[=Option{false}]] int b;
+};
+
+static_assert(extract<Option>(annotations_of(^^C::a)[0]).value);
+static_assert(!extract<Option>(annotations_of(^^C::b)[0]).value);
+
+template<class T>
+  struct [[=42]] D { };
+
+constexpr std::meta::info a1 = annotations_of(^^D<int>)[0];
+constexpr std::meta::info a2 = annotations_of(^^D<char>)[0];
+static_assert(a1 != a2);
+static_assert(constant_of(a1) == constant_of(a2));
+
+[[=1]] int x, y;
+static_assert(annotations_of(^^x)[0] == annotations_of(^^y)[0]);
+\end{codeblock}
+\end{example}
+\end{itemdescr}
+
+\indexlibraryglobal{annotations_of_with_type}%
+\begin{itemdecl}
+consteval vector<info> annotations_of_with_type(info item, info type);
+\end{itemdecl}
+
+\begin{itemdescr}
+\pnum
+\constantwhen
+\begin{itemize}
+\item
+  \tcode{annotations_of(item)} is a constant expression and
+\item
+  \tcode{dealias(type)} represents a type that is complete
+  from some point in the evaluation context.
+\end{itemize}
+
+\pnum
+\returns
+A \tcode{vector} containing each element \tcode{e} of \tcode{annotations_of(item)}
+where
+\begin{codeblock}
+remove_const(type_of(e)) == remove_const(type)
+\end{codeblock}
+is \tcode{true}, preserving their order.
+\end{itemdescr}
+
 \rSec1[ratio]{Compile-time rational arithmetic}
 
 \rSec2[ratio.general]{General}

source/templates.tex

@@ -3204,8 +3204,10 @@
 \item In a \grammarterm{template-argument-list}\iref{temp.arg};
 the pattern is a \grammarterm{template-argument}.
 
-\item In an \grammarterm{attribute-list}\iref{dcl.attr.grammar}; the pattern is
-an \grammarterm{attribute}.
+\item In an \grammarterm{attribute-list}\iref{dcl.attr.grammar};
+the pattern is an \grammarterm{attribute}.
+In an \grammarterm{annotation-list};
+the pattern is an \grammarterm{annotation}.
 
 \item In an \grammarterm{alignment-specifier}\iref{dcl.align}; the pattern is
 the \grammarterm{alignment-specifier} without the ellipsis.