# $NetBSD: cond-short.mk,v 1.23 2023/11/19 22:32:44 rillig Exp $ # # Demonstrates that in conditions, the right-hand side of an && or || # is only evaluated if it can actually influence the result. # This is called 'short-circuit evaluation' and is the usual evaluation # mode in most programming languages. A notable exception is Ada, which # distinguishes between the operators 'And', 'And Then', 'Or', 'Or Else'. # # Before 2020-06-28, the right-hand side of an && or || operator was always # evaluated, which was wrong. In cond.c 1.69 and var.c 1.197 on 2015-10-11, # Var_Parse got a new parameter named 'wantit'. Since then it would have been # possible to skip evaluation of irrelevant expressions and only # parse them. They were still evaluated though, the only difference to # relevant expressions was that in the irrelevant # expressions, undefined variables were allowed. This allowed for conditions # like 'defined(VAR) && ${VAR:S,from,to,} != ""', which no longer produced an # error message 'Malformed conditional', but the irrelevant expression was # still evaluated. # # Since the initial commit on 1993-03-21, the manual page has been saying that # make 'will only evaluate a conditional as far as is necessary to determine', # but that was wrong. The code in cond.c 1.1 from 1993-03-21 looks good since # it calls Var_Parse(condExpr, VAR_CMD, doEval,&varSpecLen,&doFree), but the # definition of Var_Parse did not call the third parameter 'doEval', as would # be expected, but instead 'err', accompanied by the comment 'TRUE if # undefined variables are an error'. This subtle difference between 'do not # evaluate at all' and 'allow undefined variables' led to the unexpected # evaluation. # # See also: # var-eval-short.mk, for short-circuited variable modifiers # The && operator: .if 0 && ${echo "unexpected and" 1>&2 :L:sh} .endif .if 1 && ${echo "expected and" 1>&2 :L:sh} .endif .if 0 && exists(nonexistent${echo "unexpected and exists" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 1 && exists(nonexistent${echo "expected and exists" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 0 && empty(${echo "unexpected and empty" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 1 && empty(${echo "expected and empty" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif # "VAR U11" is not evaluated; it was evaluated before 2020-07-02. # The whole !empty condition is only parsed and then discarded. VAR= ${VAR${:U11${echo "unexpected VAR U11" 1>&2 :L:sh}}} VAR13= ${VAR${:U12${echo "unexpected VAR13" 1>&2 :L:sh}}} .if 0 && !empty(VAR${:U13${echo "unexpected U13 condition" 1>&2 :L:sh}}) .endif VAR= ${VAR${:U21${echo "unexpected VAR U21" 1>&2 :L:sh}}} VAR23= ${VAR${:U22${echo "expected VAR23" 1>&2 :L:sh}}} .if 1 && !empty(VAR${:U23${echo "expected U23 condition" 1>&2 :L:sh}}) .endif VAR= # empty again, for the following tests # The :M modifier is only parsed, not evaluated. # Before 2020-07-02, it was wrongly evaluated. .if 0 && !empty(VAR:M${:U${echo "unexpected M pattern" 1>&2 :L:sh}}) .endif .if 1 && !empty(VAR:M${:U${echo "expected M pattern" 1>&2 :L:sh}}) .endif .if 0 && !empty(VAR:S,from,${:U${echo "unexpected S modifier" 1>&2 :L:sh}},) .endif .if 0 && !empty(VAR:C,from,${:U${echo "unexpected C modifier" 1>&2 :L:sh}},) .endif .if 0 && !empty("" == "" :? ${:U${echo "unexpected ? modifier" 1>&2 :L:sh}} :) .endif .if 0 && !empty(VAR:old=${:U${echo "unexpected = modifier" 1>&2 :L:sh}}) .endif .if 0 && !empty(1 2 3:L:@var@${:U${echo "unexpected @ modifier" 1>&2 :L:sh}}@) .endif .if 0 && !empty(:U${:!echo "unexpected exclam modifier" 1>&2 !}) .endif # Irrelevant assignment modifiers are skipped as well. .if 0 && ${1 2 3:L:@i@${FIRST::?=$i}@} .endif .if 0 && ${1 2 3:L:@i@${LAST::=$i}@} .endif .if 0 && ${1 2 3:L:@i@${APPENDED::+=$i}@} .endif .if 0 && ${echo.1 echo.2 echo.3:L:@i@${RAN::!=${i:C,.*,&; & 1>\&2,:S,., ,g}}@} .endif .if defined(FIRST) || defined(LAST) || defined(APPENDED) || defined(RAN) . warning first=${FIRST} last=${LAST} appended=${APPENDED} ran=${RAN} .endif # The || operator: .if 1 || ${echo "unexpected or" 1>&2 :L:sh} .endif .if 0 || ${echo "expected or" 1>&2 :L:sh} .endif .if 1 || exists(nonexistent${echo "unexpected or exists" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 0 || exists(nonexistent${echo "expected or exists" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 1 || empty(${echo "unexpected or empty" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif .if 0 || empty(${echo "expected or empty" 1>&2 :L:sh}) .endif # Unreachable nested conditions are skipped completely as well. These skipped # lines may even contain syntax errors. This allows to skip syntactically # incompatible new features in older versions of make. .if 0 . if ${echo "unexpected nested and" 1>&2 :L:sh} . endif .endif .if 1 .elif ${echo "unexpected nested or" 1>&2 :L:sh} .endif NUMBER= 42 INDIR_NUMBER= ${NUMBER} INDIR_UNDEF= ${UNDEF} .if defined(NUMBER) && ${NUMBER} > 0 .else . error .endif # Starting with var.c 1.226 from from 2020-07-02, the following condition # triggered a warning: "String comparison operator should be either == or !=". # # The left-hand side of the '&&' evaluated to false, which should have made # the right-hand side irrelevant. # # On the right-hand side of the '&&', the expression ${INDIR_UNDEF} was # defined and had the value '${UNDEF}', but the nested variable UNDEF was # undefined. The right hand side "${INDIR_UNDEF}" still needed to be parsed, # and in parse-only mode, the "value" of the parsed expression was the # uninterpreted variable value, in this case '${UNDEF}'. And even though the # right hand side of the '&&' should have been irrelevant, the two sides of # the comparison were still parsed and evaluated. Comparing these two values # numerically was not possible since the string '${UNDEF}' is not a number, # so the comparison fell back to string comparison, which then complained # about the '>' operator. # # This was fixed in cond.c 1.79 from 2020-07-09 by not evaluating irrelevant # comparisons. Instead, they are only parsed and then discarded. # # At that time, there was not enough debug logging to see the details in the # -dA log. To actually see it, add debug logging at the beginning and end of # Var_Parse. .if defined(UNDEF) && ${INDIR_UNDEF} < ${NUMBER} . error .endif # Adding a ':U' modifier to the irrelevant expression didn't help, as that # expression was only parsed, not evaluated. The resulting literal string # '${INDIR_UNDEF:U2}' was not numeric either, for the same reason as above. .if defined(UNDEF) && ${INDIR_UNDEF:U2} < ${NUMBER} . error .endif # Since cond.c 1.76 from 2020.06.28 and before var.c 1.225 from 2020.07.01, # the following snippet resulted in the error message 'Variable VAR is # recursive'. The condition '0' evaluated to false, which made the right-hand # side of the '&&' irrelevant. Back then, irrelevant condition parts were # still evaluated, but in "irrelevant mode", which allowed undefined variables # to occur in expressions. In this mode, the variable name 'VAR' was # unnecessarily evaluated, resulting in the expression '${VAR${:U1}}'. In # this expression, the variable name was 'VAR${:U1}', and of this variable # name, only the fixed part 'VAR' was evaluated, without the part '${:U1}'. # This partial evaluation led to the wrong error message about 'VAR' being # recursive. VAR= ${VAR${:U1}} .if 0 && !empty(VAR) .endif # Enclosing the expression in double quotes changes how that expression is # evaluated. In irrelevant expressions that are enclosed in double quotes, # expressions based on undefined variables are allowed and evaluate to an # empty string. # # The manual page stated from at least 1993 on that irrelevant conditions were # not evaluated, but that was wrong. These conditions were evaluated, the # only difference was that undefined variables in them didn't trigger an # error. Since numeric conditions are quite rare, this subtle difference # didn't catch much attention, as most other conditions such as pattern # matches or equality comparisons worked fine and never produced error # messages. .if defined(UNDEF) && "${INDIR_UNDEF}" < ${NUMBER} . error .endif # Since the condition is relevant, the indirect undefined variable is # evaluated as usual, resolving nested undefined expressions to an empty # string. # # Comparing an empty string numerically is not possible, however, make has an # ugly hack in TryParseNumber that treats an empty string as a valid numerical # value, thus hiding bugs in the makefile. .if ${INDIR_UNDEF} < ${NUMBER} # only due to the ugly hack .else . error .endif # Due to the quotes around the left-hand side of the '<', the operand is # marked as a string, thus preventing a numerical comparison. # # expect+1: Comparison with '<' requires both operands '' and '42' to be numeric .if "${INDIR_UNDEF}" < ${NUMBER} . info yes .else . info no .endif # The right-hand side of '||' is irrelevant and thus not evaluated. .if 1 || ${INDIR_NUMBER} < ${NUMBER} .else . error .endif # The right-hand side of '||' is relevant and thus evaluated normally. .if 0 || ${INDIR_NUMBER} < ${NUMBER} . error .endif # The right-hand side of '||' evaluates to an empty string, as the variable # 'INDIR_UNDEF' is defined, therefore the modifier ':U2' has no effect. # Comparing an empty string numerically is not possible, however, make has an # ugly hack in TryParseNumber that treats an empty string as a valid numerical # value, thus hiding bugs in the makefile. .if 0 || ${INDIR_UNDEF:U2} < ${NUMBER} # only due to the ugly hack .else . error .endif # The right-hand side of the '&&' is irrelevant since the left-hand side # already evaluates to false. Before cond.c 1.79 from 2020-07-09, it was # expanded nevertheless, although with a small modification: undefined # variables may be used in these expressions without generating an error. .if defined(UNDEF) && ${UNDEF} != "undefined" . error .endif # Ensure that irrelevant conditions do not influence the result of the whole # condition. As of cond.c 1.302 from 2021-12-11, an irrelevant function call # evaluated to true (see CondParser_FuncCall and CondParser_FuncCallEmpty), an # irrelevant comparison evaluated to false (see CondParser_Comparison). # # An irrelevant true bubbles up to the outermost CondParser_And, where it is # ignored. An irrelevant false bubbles up to the outermost CondParser_Or, # where it is ignored. # # If the condition parser should ever be restructured, the bubbling up of the # irrelevant evaluation results might show up accidentally. Prevent this. DEF= defined .undef UNDEF .if 0 && defined(DEF) . error .endif .if 1 && defined(DEF) .else . error .endif .if 0 && defined(UNDEF) . error .endif .if 1 && defined(UNDEF) . error .endif .if 0 || defined(DEF) .else . error .endif .if 1 || defined(DEF) .else . error .endif .if 0 || defined(UNDEF) . error .endif .if 1 || defined(UNDEF) .else . error .endif all: