llvm-mirror/docs/MIRLangRef.rst

========================================
Machine IR (MIR) Format Reference Manual
========================================

.. contents::
   :local:

.. warning::
  This is a work in progress.

Introduction
============

This document is a reference manual for the Machine IR (MIR) serialization
format. MIR is a human readable serialization format that is used to represent
LLVM's :ref:`machine specific intermediate representation
<machine code representation>`.

The MIR serialization format is designed to be used for testing the code
generation passes in LLVM.

Overview
========

The MIR serialization format uses a YAML container. YAML is a standard
data serialization language, and the full YAML language spec can be read at
`yaml.org
<http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#Introduction>`_.

A MIR file is split up into a series of `YAML documents`_. The first document
can contain an optional embedded LLVM IR module, and the rest of the documents
contain the serialized machine functions.

.. _YAML documents: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2800132

High Level Structure
====================

Embedded Module
---------------

When the first YAML document contains a `YAML block literal string`_, the MIR
parser will treat this string as an LLVM assembly language string that
represents an embedded LLVM IR module.
Here is an example of a YAML document that contains an LLVM module:

.. code-block:: llvm

     --- |
       define i32 @inc(i32* %x) {
       entry:
         %0 = load i32, i32* %x
         %1 = add i32 %0, 1
         store i32 %1, i32* %x
         ret i32 %1
       }
     ...

.. _YAML block literal string: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2795688

Machine Functions
-----------------

The remaining YAML documents contain the machine functions. This is an example
of such YAML document:

.. code-block:: llvm

     ---
     name:            inc
     tracksRegLiveness: true
     liveins:
       - { reg: '%rdi' }
     body: |
       bb.0.entry:
         liveins: %rdi

         %eax = MOV32rm %rdi, 1, _, 0, _
         %eax = INC32r killed %eax, implicit-def dead %eflags
         MOV32mr killed %rdi, 1, _, 0, _, %eax
         RETQ %eax
     ...

The document above consists of attributes that represent the various
properties and data structures in a machine function.

The attribute ``name`` is required, and its value should be identical to the
name of a function that this machine function is based on.

The attribute ``body`` is a `YAML block literal string`_. Its value represents
the function's machine basic blocks and their machine instructions.

Machine Instructions Format Reference
=====================================

The machine basic blocks and their instructions are represented using a custom,
human readable serialization language. This language is used in the
`YAML block literal string`_ that corresponds to the machine function's body.

A source string that uses this language contains a list of machine basic
blocks, which are described in the section below.

Machine Basic Blocks
--------------------

A machine basic block is defined in a single block definition source construct
that contains the block's ID.
The example below defines two blocks that have an ID of zero and one:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0:
      <instructions>
    bb.1:
      <instructions>

A machine basic block can also have a name. It should be specified after the ID
in the block's definition:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0.entry:       ; This block's name is "entry"
       <instructions>

The block's name should be identical to the name of the IR block that this
machine block is based on.

Block References
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The machine basic blocks are identified by their ID numbers. Individual
blocks are referenced using the following syntax:

.. code-block:: llvm

    %bb.<id>[.<name>]

Examples:

.. code-block:: llvm

    %bb.0
    %bb.1.then

Successors
^^^^^^^^^^

The machine basic block's successors have to be specified before any of the
instructions:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0.entry:
      successors: %bb.1.then, %bb.2.else
      <instructions>
    bb.1.then:
      <instructions>
    bb.2.else:
      <instructions>

The branch weights can be specified in brackets after the successor blocks.
The example below defines a block that has two successors with branch weights
of 32 and 16:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0.entry:
      successors: %bb.1.then(32), %bb.2.else(16)

Live In Registers
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The machine basic block's live in registers have to be specified before any of
the instructions:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0.entry:
      liveins: %edi, %esi

The list of live in registers and successors can be empty. The language also
allows multiple live in register and successor lists - they are combined into
one list by the parser.

Miscellaneous Attributes
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The attributes ``IsAddressTaken``, ``IsLandingPad`` and ``Alignment`` can be
specified in brackets after the block's definition:

.. code-block:: llvm

    bb.0.entry (address-taken):
      <instructions>
    bb.2.else (align 4):
      <instructions>
    bb.3(landing-pad, align 4):
      <instructions>

.. TODO: Describe the way the reference to an unnamed LLVM IR block can be
   preserved.

Machine Instructions
--------------------

A machine instruction is composed of a name, machine operands,
:ref:`instruction flags <instruction-flags>`, and machine memory operands.

The instruction's name is usually specified before the operands. The example
below shows an instance of the X86 ``RETQ`` instruction with a single machine
operand:

.. code-block:: llvm

    RETQ %eax

However, if the machine instruction has one or more explicitly defined register
operands, the instruction's name has to be specified after them. The example
below shows an instance of the AArch64 ``LDPXpost`` instruction with three
defined register operands:

.. code-block:: llvm

    %sp, %fp, %lr = LDPXpost %sp, 2

The instruction names are serialized using the exact definitions from the
target's ``*InstrInfo.td`` files, and they are case sensitive. This means that
similar instruction names like ``TSTri`` and ``tSTRi`` represent different
machine instructions.

.. _instruction-flags:

Instruction Flags
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The flag ``frame-setup`` can be specified before the instruction's name:

.. code-block:: llvm

    %fp = frame-setup ADDXri %sp, 0, 0


.. TODO: Describe the parsers default behaviour when optional YAML attributes
   are missing.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax for the bundled instructions.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the immediate machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the register machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the virtual register operands and their YAML
   definitions.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the register operand flags and the subregisters.
.. TODO: Describe the machine function's YAML flag attributes.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax for the global value, external symbol and register
   mask machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the frame information YAML mapping.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the stack object machine operands and their
   YAML definitions.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the constant pool machine operands and their
   YAML definitions.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the jump table machine operands and their
   YAML definitions.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the block address machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the CFI index machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the metadata machine operands, and the
   instructions debug location attribute.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the target index machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the register live out machine operands.
.. TODO: Describe the syntax of the machine memory operands.