------- Comment #10 from mark at codesourcery dot com 2009-02-19 16:41 ------- Subject: Re: [4.4 Regression] Inconsistent reject / accept of code
rguenth at gcc dot gnu dot org wrote: > The ultimate question is of course if the standard allows (or even requires) > an error here. The (someone old) C++ WP I have is pretty clear: "An explicit instantiation declaration that names a class template specialization has no effect on the class template specialization itself (except for perhaps resulting in its implicit instantiation). Except for inline functions, other explicit instantiation declarations have the effect of suppressing the implicit instantiation of the entity to which they refer. [ Note: The intent is that an inline function that is the subject of an explicit instantiation declaration will still be implicitly instantiated when used so that the body can be considered for inlining, but that no out-of-line copy of the inline function would be generated in the translation unit. âend note ]" Here, "inline function" is of course the C++ definition thereof, i.e., functions declared "inline" or defined in the body of a class definition, rather than outside the class. What that means is that we *must not* implicitly instantiate things declared "extern template" unless they are DECL_DECLARED_INLINE_P. As a consequence, at -O3, we cannot implicitly instantiate non-inline "extern template" functions. So, I think first hunk in the patch is correct. It needs a comment, though, right above DECL_DECLARED_INLINE to point out that this is a restriction coming from the standard: /* An explicit instantiation declaration prohibits implicit instantiation of non-inline functions. With high levels of optimization, we would normally inline non-inline functions -- but we're not allowed to do that for "extern template" functions. Therefore, we check DECL_DECLARED_INLINE_P, rather than possibly_inlined_p. */ OK with that change. I don't yet understand why the second hunk is required. -- http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=39242
