DO NOT MERGE: Compiling Eliom with the new compiler #459

Drup · 2017-01-01T23:10:55Z

Happy new year everyone, I come bearing eliom gifts! 🎅

This is my WIP branch for attempting to compile eliom (the framework) with eliom (the compiler, aka eliomlang).

This needs:

The forked compiler: https://github.com/ocsigen/ocaml-eliom (branch eliom+modlift)
eliomlang (which contains a syntax extension for %shared and a minimal runtime for eliom): https://github.com/ocsigen/eliomlang
the dev version of js_of_ocaml
A forked ocamlfind: https://gitlab.camlcity.org/Drup/lib-findlib

New features:

Proper typechecking of injections and fragments. No dirty tricks.
Typechecking is mindful of sides, and will give good errors when using identifiers on the wrong side and various other kind of errors.
The default side in eliom modules is, like OCaml modules, "sideless": Code written here can be used everywhere (but cannot use special eliom features and can not use any code that has a side).
To enter a side, like currently, use %client/server
Types can be given a sideness annotations. Here is a very contrived example:
```
type%server ('a[@client], 'b) t = ('b, ('a * string) Eliom_client_value.t) Hashtbl.t
```
The typechecker will ensure that annotations are correct (and will force you to annotate your datatypes).
The module language is now aware of sides, and most things you can think of should work.
In particular, sections can be used inside flat modules (not functors):
```
module M = struct
  let%server x = ...
  let%client y = ...
end
```
(See the testsuite for a set of contrived examples)
Only one compiler invocation needed per module.

For now, only bytecode compilation works (no blocker, just haven't taken the time to patch the opt frontend yet).

Current situation

All the syntax extensions have been removed
The tools have not been removed yet, but are useless.
All the Eliom_shared related things have been disabled for now. The API need to change a bit.
The ocamlbuild plugin has been reworked significantly, but it's still pretty much broken right now.

Currently, the main problem is the build system. ocamlbuild is very extensible ... except in the various ways that would help us, so the predefined rules don't work well. I might attempt to use solvuu (cc @agarwal) (but I'm getting a bit burned out on build systems right now).

Here is how building eliom libraries with the new compiler should work:

Building foo.eliomi produces one cmi: foo.cmi
Building foo.eliom produces two cmo: foo.client.cmo and foo.server.cmo
A new option, -mode client|server is available for compiling regular OCaml files, and marks the produced cmi as being client/server
When loading a cmi files, the compiler will detect .client.cmi and .server.cmi files (or marked files) and consider them as client/server for the purpose of typechecking.
When searching for dependencies, the build system should be mindful of *.client|server.* files (this is extremely badly handled by ocamlbuild).
When bar.eliom depends on the module Foo and there exists both a foo.client.cmi and foo.server.cmi, the eliom files should depends on both (this cause issues with ocamlbuild dependency discovering).

If anyone want to try this, bug reports related to the new compiler should be made here.

Eliom_runtime -> Eliom_serial (shared) Eliom_syntax -> Eliom_runtime (server) Eliom_client_core.Syntax_helper -> Eliom_runtime (client) Eliom_syntax.client_value -> Eliom_runtime.fragment (server)

Drup · 2017-01-02T00:08:08Z

Note: the new compiler is 4.03.0 only for now. Will port to 4.04 when I have time.

agarwal · 2017-01-02T22:14:25Z

I might attempt to use solvuu (cc @agarwal)

Let me know if I can help somehow.

agarwal · 2017-01-02T22:17:02Z

Building foo.eliomi produces one cmi: foo.cmi

Can you clarify? You do need separate cmis for client and server side, as several of your subsequent points refer to.

Drup · 2017-01-02T22:27:30Z

Can you clarify? You do need separate cmis for client and server side, as several of your subsequent points refer to.

No. eliom cmi contains more information (encoded in ppx attributes) that specificy sides of the various declarations.

The presence of .server|client.cmi comes when you have .client.ml and/or .server.ml (which happens a lot in eliom itself). Maybe we should get rid of that, that would certainly simplify things, but I was a bit wary of doing that ...

dannywillems · 2017-01-03T10:41:11Z

The presence of .server|client.cmi comes when you have .client.ml and/or .server.ml (which happens a lot in eliom itself). Maybe we should get rid of that, that would certainly simplify things, but I was a bit wary of doing that ...

It would be great to get rid of these suffixes. Client (resp. server) codes must be in a client directory (resp. server). Same for shared sections.

Drup · 2017-01-03T12:01:46Z

It would be great to get rid of these suffixes. Client (resp. server) codes must be in a client directory (resp. server). Same for shared sections.

I disagree. With the new compiler, we should be able to get to the point where you can put your files in any directory you want, regardless of the fact that they are client, server or eliom. The separation in client and server directories is an artifact of the old compilation scheme and is pretty opposite to the point of eliom (which is to group things by what they do, not where they are executed).

If that's how you want to do things, you should be able to, but it should not be imposed.

And in particular, for eliom, I would really rather have it organized in: base/ runtime/ content/ services/ communication/. We mostly couldn't do that before, because of messiness of the build system.

dannywillems · 2017-01-03T17:16:47Z

@Drup I suppose [%%section.start] and [%%section expr] doesn't exist anymore?

Drup · 2017-01-03T17:19:15Z

@dannywillems They do. The first one is implemented in eliomlang.ppx, the second one is handled by the compiler directly.

FlorentBecker · 2017-12-22T12:50:33Z

Any news about this effort, anything one can do to help?

Drup · 2017-12-22T12:58:03Z

@FlorentBecker The first step would be to port my patches to the last version of the OCaml compiler. Then there are a few things to tweak/fix. Unfortunately, I don't work on Eliom anymore and the rest of the ocsigen crew doesn't have time to spare at the moment.

If you are motivated, Please go on. I will gladly answer questions.

FlorentBecker · 2017-12-22T13:02:38Z

If you are motivated, Please go on. I will gladly answer questions.

It's hard to see how much effort it's worth putting in it without knowing what the ocsigen team is up to.

Drup added 23 commits December 8, 2016 21:18

Remove is_global from the API.

89b2b30

Don't emit set_global in the ppx.

8d23f9d

Big renaming

11dc82a

Eliom_runtime -> Eliom_serial (shared) Eliom_syntax -> Eliom_runtime (server) Eliom_client_core.Syntax_helper -> Eliom_runtime (client) Eliom_syntax.client_value -> Eliom_runtime.fragment (server)

Remove set_global from the camlp4 syntax extension.

b5d9ee7

Start working on the ocamlbuild plugin.

5128db7

More modifications to the build system.

e905cdb

Progress on the build system front.

73944b4

Implement copy rules properly and remove old stuff.

04d89e6

Fix the family of I tags.

b82e0f8

be a lot more liberal in what is included where.

7e31fab

Remove the useless functor for the ocamlbuild plugins.

8701cd0

Remove the ppx and the camlp4 syntax extension.

26f04ed

Move eliommod_parameters to the main dir.

af90858

Add [@client] paremeters and avoid dep to the minimal runtime.

8343aaa

Add a special hook to build the runtime before any .eliom file.

4bf9171

Small cleanup of build stuff.

529df50

Add new rules for .client/server.cmi files alone.

87d7a90

Replace some .ml files by eliom files.

91249d0

Remove some unused sideness annotations.

5b01a27

TEMP: Comment out eliom_shared.

d8f1663

Add missing bit of runtime.

6d85f0c

TEMP: Comment out to_and_of

db76e44

fixup! Remove some unused sideness annotations.

30f458c

vasilisp mentioned this pull request Jan 5, 2017

Remove warnings while compiling. #457

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chrismamo1 mentioned this pull request Apr 16, 2019

Dunify #598

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DO NOT MERGE: Compiling Eliom with the new compiler #459

DO NOT MERGE: Compiling Eliom with the new compiler #459

Drup commented Jan 1, 2017 •

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FlorentBecker commented Dec 22, 2017

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FlorentBecker commented Dec 22, 2017

DO NOT MERGE: Compiling Eliom with the new compiler #459

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DO NOT MERGE: Compiling Eliom with the new compiler #459

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Drup commented Jan 1, 2017 • edited Loading

New features:

Current situation

Drup commented Jan 2, 2017

agarwal commented Jan 2, 2017

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