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Re: 7.17.7.5 The atomic_fetch and modify generic functions and "address types"

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Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> writes:

> 7.17.7.5 says (https://port70.net/~nsz/c/c11/n1570.html#7.17.7.5)
>
>> 1 The following operations perform arithmetic and bitwise
>> computations.  All of these operations are applicable to an object of
>> any atomic integer type.  None of these operations is applicable to
>> atomic_bool.
>
> If I understand it correctly, this wording is intended to restrict
> these operations to integers types only.  I.e. they shall not be
> applied to atomic pointer types.  Is that correct?

I believe the intent is that the atomic_fetch_key() family of
functions may be called with either atomic integer types or atomic
pointer types (with the possible exception of atomic boolean types).

If the committee had meant to rule out atomic pointer types, the
standard could have given an explicit statement to that effect, like
what was done for atomic boolean types.  The standard does not
include any explicit statement ruling out the use of atomic pointer
types;  if anything atomic pointer types are implicitly included by
the parameter type name A, which is described in 7.17.1 paragraph 5
(paragraph 6 in some later versions of the standard).

Similarly, if the committee had meant to rule out atomic pointer
types, there is no reason for the last sentence in paragraph 3,
talking about what behaviors are allowed when address types are
used.  Presumably the phrase "address types" is meant to be the same
as "pointer types" (see also below), which seems like the only
plausible interpretation.

There is no reason to think the inclusion of the last sentence of
paragraph 3 is an oversight.  This sentence has survived unchanged
for more than 14 years, going back to at least 2010.  But other
parts of section 7.17 were changed significantly during that time;
hence it seems unlikely that such an important incongruity was
missed over all of that time.

Why then does the standard take the trouble to say that these
operations are applicable to atomic integer types?  I think the
confusion comes from reading "applicable" as "allowed".  A more
consistent reading is for "applicable" to mean "well-defined".  All
of the atomic_fetch_key() family of functions are well-defined for
all inputs of atomic integer type, even going so far as to stipulate
two's complement with wraparound for signed types (and this at a
time when the C standard did not require two's complement for signed
integer types generally).  Atomic pointer types do not have this
property of producing well-defined results.  Indeed, there is a
limited degree of undefined behavior that may result.  In that sense
the operations of atomic_fetch_key() are not fully applicable to
atomic pointer types.  But not applicable does not mean disallowed.


> Later 7.17.7.5 also says
>
>> 3 For address types, the result may be an undefined address, but the
>> operations otherwise have no undefined behavior.
>
> However, I was unable to find any mention of "address types" anywhere
> in the standard.  What types are "address types"?

The phrase "address types" is a holdover from earlier drafts of the
C standard.  It's instructive to compare N1547, a draft from
December 2010, to N1570, a draft from April 2011.  The phrase
"address types" is used in several places, including to describe a
type name "atomic_address" (a struct type).  I won't go through all
of the differences, which are fairly widespread.  But looking them
over is I think convincing that pointer types were left in
deliberately.

A point that needs clarifying is whether bitwise operations are
allowed for atomic pointer type.  The bitwise operations are allowed
by gcc, and disallowed by clang.  I think an argument can be made
either way.  Personally I think allowing bitwise operations is more
compelling than disallowing them, but I have to acknowledge the
possibility that the intent was place them off limits (meaning,
requiring a diagnostic).  That said, I don't see any explicit text
in the standard that forces that conclusion.

Minor point:  it is possible the gcc behavior a producing a '1'
difference in the example program posted in comp.lang.c is a
holdover from interpreting an earlier draft of the C standard, and
then not changing it after the actual standard was ratified.  I
continue to think that what gcc did was wrong and what clang did was
right.  If someone thinks otherwise I'd be interested to hear
whatever reasoning underlies their other position.

Disclaimer:  my research was confined to looking at several drafts
of the C standard.  I didn't make any effort to find or read DRs
that might be relevant, or any meeting notes or other official
documents that discuss or mention the issue.

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7.17.7.5 The atomic_fetch and modify generic functions and "address types" Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2024-12-27 14:06 -0800
  Re: 7.17.7.5 The atomic_fetch and modify generic functions and "address types" Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2024-12-27 17:24 -0800
  Re: 7.17.7.5 The atomic_fetch and modify generic functions and "address types" Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2025-01-01 20:31 -0800
    Re: 7.17.7.5 The atomic_fetch and modify generic functions and "address types" Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2025-01-01 21:32 -0800

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