GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) Internals: Option properties

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### 8.2 Option properties

The second field of an option record can specify any of the following properties. When an option takes an argument, it is enclosed in parentheses following the option property name. The parser that handles option files is quite simplistic, and will be tricked by any nested parentheses within the argument text itself; in this case, the entire option argument can be wrapped in curly braces within the parentheses to demarcate it, e.g.:

    Condition({defined (USE_CYGWIN_LIBSTDCXX_WRAPPERS)})

`Common`

  The option is available for all languages and targets.

`Target`

  The option is available for all languages but is target-specific.

`Driver`

  The option is handled by the compiler driver using code not shared with the compilers proper (`cc1` etc.).

`language`

  The option is available when compiling for the given language.

  It is possible to specify several different languages for the same option. Each language must have been declared by an earlier `Language` record. See Option file format.

`RejectDriver`

  The option is only handled by the compilers proper (`cc1` etc.) and should not be accepted by the driver.

`RejectNegative`

  The option does not have a “no-” form. All options beginning with “f”, “W” or “m” are assumed to have a “no-” form unless this property is used.

`Negative(othername)`

  The option will turn off another option othername, which is the option name with the leading “-” removed. This chain action will propagate through the `Negative` property of the option to be turned off. The driver will prune options, removing those that are turned off by some later option. This pruning is not done for options with `Joined` or `JoinedOrMissing` properties, unless the options have both the `RejectNegative` property and the `Negative` property mentions itself.

  As a consequence, if you have a group of mutually-exclusive options, their `Negative` properties should form a circular chain. For example, if options `-a`, `-b` and `-c` are mutually exclusive, their respective `Negative` properties should be ‘`Negative(b)`’, ‘`Negative(c)`’ and ‘`Negative(a)`’.

`Joined`
`Separate`

  The option takes a mandatory argument. `Joined` indicates that the option and argument can be included in the same `argv` entry (as with `-mflush-func=name`, for example). `Separate` indicates that the option and argument can be separate `argv` entries (as with `-o`). An option is allowed to have both of these properties.

`JoinedOrMissing`

  The option takes an optional argument. If the argument is given, it will be part of the same `argv` entry as the option itself.

  This property cannot be used alongside `Joined` or `Separate`.

`MissingArgError(message)`

  For an option marked `Joined` or `Separate`, the message message will be used as an error message if the mandatory argument is missing; for options without `MissingArgError`, a generic error message is used. message should contain a single ‘`%qs`’ format, which will be used to format the name of the option passed.

`Args(n)`

  For an option marked `Separate`, indicate that it takes n arguments. The default is 1.

`UInteger`

  The option’s argument is a non-negative integer consisting of either decimal or hexadecimal digits interpreted as `int`. Hexadecimal integers may optionally start with the `0x` or `0X` prefix. The option parser validates and converts the argument before passing it to the relevant option handler. `UInteger` should also be used with options like `-falign-loops` where both `-falign-loops` and `-falign-loops`=n are supported to make sure the saved options are given a full integer. Positive values of the argument in excess of `INT_MAX` wrap around zero.

`Host_Wide_Int`

  The option’s argument is a non-negative integer consisting of either decimal or hexadecimal digits interpreted as the widest integer type on the host. As with an `UInteger` argument, hexadecimal integers may optionally start with the `0x` or `0X` prefix. The option parser validates and converts the argument before passing it to the relevant option handler. `Host_Wide_Int` should be used with options that need to accept very large values. Positive values of the argument in excess of `HOST_WIDE_INT_M1U` are assigned `HOST_WIDE_INT_M1U`.

`IntegerRange(n, m)`

  The options’s arguments are integers of type `int`. The option’s parser validates that the value of an option integer argument is within the closed range [n, m].

`ByteSize`

  A property applicable only to `UInteger` or `Host_Wide_Int` arguments. The option’s integer argument is interpreted as if in infinite precision using saturation arithmetic in the corresponding type. The argument may be followed by a ‘`byte-size`’ suffix designating a multiple of bytes such as `kB` and `KiB` for kilobyte and kibibyte, respectively, `MB` and `MiB` for megabyte and mebibyte, `GB` and `GiB` for gigabyte and gigibyte, and so on. `ByteSize` should be used for with options that take a very large argument representing a size in bytes, such as `-Wlarger-than=`.

`ToLower`

  The option’s argument should be converted to lowercase as part of putting it in canonical form, and before comparing with the strings indicated by any `Enum` property.

`NoDriverArg`

  For an option marked `Separate`, the option only takes an argument in the compiler proper, not in the driver. This is for compatibility with existing options that are used both directly and via `-Wp,`; new options should not have this property.

`Var(var)`

  The state of this option should be stored in variable var (actually a macro for `global_options.x_var`). The way that the state is stored depends on the type of option:

`WarnRemoved`

  The option is removed and every usage of such option will result in a warning. We use it option backward compatibility.

`Var(var, set)`

  The option controls an integer variable var and is active when var equals set. The option parser will set var to set when the positive form of the option is used and `!set` when the “no-” form is used.

  var is declared in the same way as for the single-argument form described above.

  - If the option uses the `Mask` or `InverseMask` properties, var is the integer variable that contains the mask.
  - If the option is a normal on/off switch, var is an integer variable that is nonzero when the option is enabled. The options parser will set the variable to 1 when the positive form of the option is used and 0 when the “no-” form is used.
  - If the option takes an argument and has the `UInteger` property, var is an integer variable that stores the value of the argument.
  - If the option takes an argument and has the `Enum` property, var is a variable (type given in the `Type` property of the ‘`Enum`’ record whose `Name` property has the same argument as the `Enum` property of this option) that stores the value of the argument.
  - If the option has the `Defer` property, var is a pointer to a `VEC(cl_deferred_option,heap)` that stores the option for later processing. (var is declared with type `void *` and needs to be cast to `VEC(cl_deferred_option,heap)` before use.)
  - Otherwise, if the option takes an argument, var is a pointer to the argument string. The pointer will be null if the argument is optional and wasn’t given.

  The option-processing script will usually zero-initialize var. You can modify this behavior using `Init`.

`Init(value)`

  The variable specified by the `Var` property should be statically initialized to value. If more than one option using the same variable specifies `Init`, all must specify the same initializer.

`Mask(name)`

  The option is associated with a bit in the `target_flags` variable (see Run-time Target) and is active when that bit is set. You may also specify `Var` to select a variable other than `target_flags`.

  The options-processing script will automatically allocate a unique bit for the option. If the option is attached to ‘`target_flags`’, the script will set the macro `MASK_name` to the appropriate bitmask. It will also declare a `TARGET_name` macro that has the value 1 when the option is active and 0 otherwise. If you use `Var` to attach the option to a different variable, the bitmask macro with be called `OPTION_MASK_name`.

`InverseMask(othername)`
`InverseMask(othername, thisname)`

  The option is the inverse of another option that has the `Mask(othername)` property. If thisname is given, the options-processing script will declare a `TARGET_thisname` macro that is 1 when the option is active and 0 otherwise.

`Enum(name)`

  The option’s argument is a string from the set of strings associated with the corresponding ‘`Enum`’ record. The string is checked and converted to the integer specified in the corresponding ‘`EnumValue`’ record before being passed to option handlers.

`EnumSet`

  Must be used together with the `Enum(name)` property. Corresponding ‘`Enum`’ record must use `Set` properties. The option’s argument is either a string from the set like for `Enum(name)`, but with a slightly different behavior that the whole `Var` isn’t overwritten, but only the bits in all the enumeration values with the same set bitwise ored together. Or option’s argument can be a comma separated list of strings where each string is from a different `Set(number)`.

`EnumBitSet`

  Must be used together with the `Enum(name)` property. Similar to ‘`EnumSet`’, but corresponding ‘`Enum`’ record must not use `Set` properties, each `EnumValue` should have `Value` that is a power of 2, each value is treated as its own set and its value as the set’s mask, so there are no mutually exclusive arguments.

`Defer`

  The option should be stored in a vector, specified with `Var`, for later processing.

`Alias(opt)`
`Alias(opt, arg)`
`Alias(opt, posarg, negarg)`

  The option is an alias for `-opt` (or the negative form of that option, depending on `NegativeAlias`). In the first form, any argument passed to the alias is considered to be passed to `-opt`, and `-opt` is considered to be negated if the alias is used in negated form. In the second form, the alias may not be negated or have an argument, and posarg is considered to be passed as an argument to `-opt`. In the third form, the alias may not have an argument, if the alias is used in the positive form then posarg is considered to be passed to `-opt`, and if the alias is used in the negative form then negarg is considered to be passed to `-opt`.

  Aliases should not specify `Var` or `Mask` or `UInteger`. Aliases should normally specify the same languages as the target of the alias; the flags on the target will be used to determine any diagnostic for use of an option for the wrong language, while those on the alias will be used to identify what command-line text is the option and what text is any argument to that option.

  When an `Alias` definition is used for an option, driver specs do not need to handle it and no ‘`OPT_`’ enumeration value is defined for it; only the canonical form of the option will be seen in those places.

`NegativeAlias`

  For an option marked with `Alias(opt)`, the option is considered to be an alias for the positive form of `-opt` if negated and for the negative form of `-opt` if not negated. `NegativeAlias` may not be used with the forms of `Alias` taking more than one argument.

`Ignore`

  This option is ignored apart from printing any warning specified using `Warn`. The option will not be seen by specs and no ‘`OPT_`’ enumeration value is defined for it.

`SeparateAlias`

  For an option marked with `Joined`, `Separate` and `Alias`, the option only acts as an alias when passed a separate argument; with a joined argument it acts as a normal option, with an ‘`OPT_`’ enumeration value. This is for compatibility with the Java `-d` option and should not be used for new options.

`Warn(message)`

  If this option is used, output the warning message. message is a format string, either taking a single operand with a ‘`%qs`’ format which is the option name, or not taking any operands, which is passed to the ‘`warning`’ function. If an alias is marked `Warn`, the target of the alias must not also be marked `Warn`.

`Warning`

  This is a warning option and should be shown as such in `--help` output. This flag does not currently affect anything other than `--help`.

`Optimization`

  This is an optimization option. It should be shown as such in `--help` output, and any associated variable named using `Var` should be saved and restored when the optimization level is changed with `optimize` attributes.

`PerFunction`

  This is an option that can be overridden on a per-function basis. `Optimization` implies `PerFunction`, but options that do not affect executable code generation may use this flag instead, so that the option is not taken into account in ways that might affect executable code generation.

`Param`

  This is an option that is a parameter.

`Undocumented`

  The option is deliberately missing documentation and should not be included in the `--help` output.

`Condition(cond)`

  The option should only be accepted if preprocessor condition cond is true. Note that any C declarations associated with the option will be present even if cond is false; cond simply controls whether the option is accepted and whether it is printed in the `--help` output.

`Save`

  Build the `cl_target_option` structure to hold a copy of the option, add the functions `cl_target_option_save` and `cl_target_option_restore` to save and restore the options.

`SetByCombined`

  The option may also be set by a combined option such as `-ffast-math`. This causes the `gcc_options` struct to have a field `frontend_set_name`, where `name` is the name of the field holding the value of this option (without the leading `x_`). This gives the front end a way to indicate that the value has been set explicitly and should not be changed by the combined option. For example, some front ends use this to prevent `-ffast-math` and `-fno-fast-math` from changing the value of `-fmath-errno` for languages that do not use `errno`.

`EnabledBy(opt)`
`EnabledBy(opt || opt2)`
`EnabledBy(opt && opt2)`

  If not explicitly set, the option is set to the value of `-opt`; multiple options can be given, separated by `||`. The third form using `&&` specifies that the option is only set if both opt and opt2 are set. The options opt and opt2 must have the `Common` property; otherwise, use `LangEnabledBy`.

`LangEnabledBy(language, opt)`
`LangEnabledBy(language, opt, posarg, negarg)`

  When compiling for the given language, the option is set to the value of `-opt`, if not explicitly set. opt can be also a list of `||` separated options. In the second form, if opt is used in the positive form then posarg is considered to be passed to the option, and if opt is used in the negative form then negarg is considered to be passed to the option. It is possible to specify several different languages. Each language must have been declared by an earlier `Language` record. See Option file format.

`NoDWARFRecord`

  The option is omitted from the producer string written by `-grecord-gcc-switches`.

`PchIgnore`

  Even if this is a target option, this option will not be recorded / compared to determine if a precompiled header file matches.

`CPP(var)`

  The state of this option should be kept in sync with the preprocessor option var. If this property is set, then properties `Var` and `Init` must be set as well.

`CppReason(CPP_W_Enum)`

  This warning option corresponds to `cpplib.h` warning reason code CPP_W_Enum. This should only be used for warning options of the C-family front-ends.

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