Shallow copy and long long double on gcc 3.4.5

From:
"Francesco S. Carta" <entuland@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:44:25 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID:
<ff1553a3-f156-4e05-9302-2c9985108b39@g23g2000vbr.googlegroups.com>
Hi there,
after the posts about dumping objects' raw memory I've played with it
a bit and I've come to discover that the compiler-created shallow copy
does some kind of memcopy on the two objects, starting from [object's
base address] up to [last member address + last member size].

Meanwhile, I've discovered that the compiler accepts the "long long
double" type declaration but treats it as "long long int".

The compiler is my usual MinGW release: gcc 3.4.5.

Well, this thread is just to show this new snippet of mine (that I
used to study the disposition in memory of differently sized members)
and to take the chance of receiving further good advices from the
community, which are welcome as always.

Code:

-------
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <sstream>
#include <iomanip>

using namespace std;

/*
  matches type id against default ones,
  returns id's full name
*/
template<class T> string type_of() {
  string id = typeid(T).name();

  if (id == typeid(bool).name())
    id = "bool";
  else if (id == typeid(unsigned char).name())
    id = "unsigned char";
  else if (id == typeid(char).name())
    id = "char";
  else if (id == typeid(signed char).name())
    id = "signed char";
  else if (id == typeid(short).name())
    id = "short";
  else if (id == typeid(unsigned short).name())
    id = "unsigned short";
  else if (id == typeid(int).name())
    id = "int";
  else if (id == typeid(unsigned int).name())
    id = "unsigned int";
  else if (id == typeid(long).name())
    id = "long";
  else if (id == typeid(unsigned long).name())
    id = "unsigned long";
  else if (id == typeid(long long).name())
    id = "long long";
  else if (id == typeid(unsigned long long).name())
    id = "unsigned long long";
  else if (id == typeid(float).name())
    id = "float";
  else if (id == typeid(double).name())
    id = "double";
  else if (id == typeid(long double).name())
    id = "long double";

  /*
    your compiler may choke on the following "long long double" type,
    comment out the following "else if" block, in such case
  */

  else if (id == typeid(long long double).name()) {
    id = "long long double";
  }

  return id;
}

/*
  helper function used by six_types::print(),
  prints info about an object
  into the passed stream
*/
template<class T> void detail_obj(ostream& os,
                                  const string& name,
                                  const T& obj,
                                  size_t wasted,
                                  size_t parent_addr = 0) {
  const size_t obj_addr = size_t(&obj);
  os << name << ", " << showbase << hex << obj_addr;

  if (parent_addr <= obj_addr) {
    os << dec << " (p." << obj_addr - parent_addr << ")";
  }

  os << ", " << dec << sizeof(T) << "B, " << type_of<T>();

  if (wasted) {
    os << ", " << wasted << "B wasted";
  }

  os << endl;
}

/*
  helper function, used below by six_types::print()
*/
void hexbytes_w_chars(ostream& os,
                      char ch,
                      int used,
                      int empty) {
  os << string(used * 2, ch) << string(empty * 2, ' ');
}

/*
  helper function, used below by six_types::print()
*/
void hexbytes_w_brackets(ostream& os,
                         int used,
                         int empty) {
  os << "[" << string((used-1)*2, ' ') << "]";
  os << string(empty * 2, ' ');
}

/*
  the syx_types class - "Oh, really?" ;-)
*/
template<class M0, class M1, class M2, class M3, class M4, class M5>

class six_types {

    M0 m0;
    M1 m1;
    M2 m2;
    M3 m3;
    M4 m4;
    M5 m5;

    template<class T, class U>
    static size_t addr_diff(const T& t, const U& u) {
      size_t st = size_t(&t);
      size_t su = size_t(&u);
      return max(st, su) - min(st, su);
    }

  public:

    six_types() : m0(0), m1(0), m2(0), m3(0), m4(0), m5(0) {}

    size_t used_size() const {
      return sizeof(M0)
             + sizeof(M1)
             + sizeof(M2)
             + sizeof(M3)
             + sizeof(M4)
             + sizeof(M5);
    }

    template<class T>
    void set_to(const T& k) {
      m0 = M0(k);
      m1 = M1(k);
      m2 = M2(k);
      m3 = M3(k);
      m4 = M4(k);
      m5 = M5(k);
    }

    /*
      prints class members' data to passed stream,
      returns members' disposition in memory as
      - pair.first: named hexbytes
      - pair.second: bracketed hexbytes
    */
    pair<string, string> print(ostream& os) const {
      size_t sot = sizeof(*this);
      size_t s0 = sizeof(M0);
      size_t s1 = sizeof(M1);
      size_t s2 = sizeof(M2);
      size_t s3 = sizeof(M3);
      size_t s4 = sizeof(M4);
      size_t s5 = sizeof(M5);

      /* wasted space */
      size_t w0 = addr_diff(m0, m1) - s0;
      size_t w1 = addr_diff(m1, m2) - s1;
      size_t w2 = addr_diff(m2, m3) - s2;
      size_t w3 = addr_diff(m3, m4) - s3;
      size_t w4 = addr_diff(m4, m5) - s4;
      size_t w5 = sot - addr_diff(m5, *this) - s5;

      os << "TypeName: " << typeid(this).name() << endl;

      size_t this_addr = size_t(this);
      detail_obj(os, "A", m0, w0, this_addr);
      detail_obj(os, "B", m1, w1, this_addr);
      detail_obj(os, "C", m2, w2, this_addr);
      detail_obj(os, "D", m3, w3, this_addr);
      detail_obj(os, "E", m4, w4, this_addr);
      detail_obj(os, "F", m5, w5, this_addr);
      os << "---" << endl;

      size_t w = sot - used_size();

      if (w) {
        os << "Total " << sot;
        os << "B, wasted " << w << "B (";
        os << setprecision(2);
        os << 100.0 * w / sot << "%)" << endl;
      } else {
        os << "All " << sot << "B used, no space wasted" << endl;
      }

      os << "---" << endl;

      ostringstream oss1;
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'A', s0, w0);
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'B', s1, w1);
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'C', s2, w2);
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'D', s3, w3);
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'E', s4, w4);
      hexbytes_w_chars(oss1, 'F', s5, w5);

      ostringstream oss2;
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s0, w0);
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s1, w1);
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s2, w2);
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s3, w3);
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s4, w4);
      hexbytes_w_brackets(oss2, s5, w5);

      return make_pair(oss1.str(), oss2.str());
    }
}; // end of six_types class

/*
  dumps passed object's raw memory
  into passed stream as a sequence of hexbytes
*/
template<class T>
void dump_obj_memory(ostream& os, const T& obj) {
  const uint8_t* p = reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t*>(&obj);
  os << noshowbase << nouppercase << hex << setfill('0');

  for (size_t i = 0, e = sizeof(T); i < e; ++i) {
    os << setw(2) << uint16_t(*(p + i));
  }
}

/*
  returns passed object's raw memory as a string of hexbytes
*/
template<class T> string dump_obj_memory(const T& obj) {
  ostringstream oss;
  dump_obj_memory(oss, obj);
  return oss.str();
}

/**
  crunches object's raw memory
  WARNING! overwrites _ALL_ object's data!
  WARNING! invalidates any pointer into the object!
*/
template<class T> void crunch(T* obj,
                              bool usepattern = true,
                              uint8_t c = 0) {
/// careful with that axe, Eugene...
  uint8_t* p = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t*>(obj);

  if (usepattern) {
    for (size_t i = 0, e = sizeof(T); i < e; ++i) {
      switch (i % 4) {
      case 0: *(p + i) = 0xDE; break;
      case 1: *(p + i) = 0xAD; break;
      case 2: *(p + i) = 0xBE; break;
      case 3: *(p + i) = 0xEF; break;
      }
    }
  } else {
    for (size_t i = 0, e = sizeof(T); i < e; ++i) {
      *(p + i) = c;
    }
  }
}

/*
  returns a string of markers (to visually index memory dumps)
*/
string hexbyte_markers(size_t from, size_t to, size_t step = 4) {
  ostringstream oss;
  oss << to;
  size_t backs = oss.str().size();
  oss.str("");
  oss << left << setfill('\'');

  for (size_t i = from; i < to; i+=step) {
    oss << setw(step*2) << i;
  }

  string s = oss.str();

  oss.str("");
  oss << to;
  s.replace(s.size() - backs, backs, oss.str());
  return s;
}

/*
  writes to stream the passed strings,
  breaking them in chunks and
  interleaving chunks on different lines
*/
void interleave(ostream& os,
                const vector<string>& vs,
                size_t limit = 64,
                char delimiter = '|') {
  size_t maxpos = 0;

  for (size_t i = 0, e = vs.size(); i < e; ++i) {
    maxpos = max(maxpos, vs[i].size());
  }

  for (size_t pos = 0; pos < maxpos; pos += limit) {
    for (size_t i = 0, e = vs.size(); i < e; ++i) {
      os << delimiter << vs[i].substr(pos, limit);
      os << delimiter << endl;
    }

    os << endl;
  }
}

/*
  testing routine for the syx_types class
  WARNING! calls the "crunch" function on the passed types!
  read the warnings of the "crunch" function up above
*/

template<class M0, class M1, class M2, class M3, class M4, class M5>
void test(const string& s) {

  six_types<M0, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5> six;

  cout << endl << string(64, '*') << endl << endl;
  cout << "# test(\"" << s << "\")" << endl;

  pair<string, string> res;
  res = six.print(cout);

  crunch(&six);
  six.set_to(0);

  vector<string> v;
  v.push_back(res.first);
  v.push_back(res.second);
  v.push_back(dump_obj_memory(six));
  v.push_back(hexbyte_markers(0, sizeof(six)));

  cout << "\nMembers dislocation:\n" << endl;

  interleave(cout, v, 48);

  cout << endl << endl;
}

struct assign_copy {
  uint8_t a;
  uint64_t b;
  uint8_t c;
  assign_copy(uint8_t i = 0) : a(i), b(i), c(i) {}

  assign_copy& operator=(const assign_copy& obj) {
    a = obj.a;
    b = obj.b;
    c = obj.c;
    return *this;
  }
};

struct shallow_copy {
  uint8_t a;
  uint64_t b;
  uint8_t c;
  shallow_copy(uint8_t i = 0) : a(i), b(i), c(i) {}
};

int main() {

  test <shallow_copy,
        assign_copy,
        char,
        char,
        char,
        char> ("shallow copy");

  /*
    your compiler may choke on the following "long long double" type
  */

  cout << "type_of<long long double>() == ";
  cout << type_of<long long double>() << endl;

  return 0;
}
-------

Output:

-------

****************************************************************

# test("shallow copy")
TypeName: PK9six_typesI12shallow_copy11assign_copyccccE
A, 0x23fe60 (p.0), 24B, 12shallow_copy
B, 0x23fe78 (p.24), 24B, 11assign_copy
C, 0x23fe90 (p.48), 1B, char
D, 0x23fe91 (p.49), 1B, char
E, 0x23fe92 (p.50), 1B, char
F, 0x23fe93 (p.51), 1B, char, 4B wasted
---
Total 56B, wasted 4B (7.1%)
---

Members dislocation:

|AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA|
|[ ]|
|004a4500f04a4500000000000000000000adbeefdeadbeef|
|0'''''''4'''''''8'''''''12''''''16''''''20''''''|

|BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB|
|[ ]|
|00adbeefdeadbeef000000000000000000adbeefdeadbeef|
|24''''''28''''''32''''''36''''''40''''''44''''''|

|CCDDEEFF |
|[][][][] |
|00000000deadbeef|
|48''''''52''''56|

type_of<long long double>() == long long
-------

The memory dump of the A member (shallow_copy) shows a "f04a4500"
pattern in the first chunk of unused memory (range [1-7]) while the
second chunk (range [17-23]) shows the crunched "deadbeef" pattern.

The B member (assign_copy) instead shows the "deadbeef" pattern in
both chunks of unused memory.

This all seems to confirm that the compiler-generated shallow copy
does some kind of memcopy instead of performing a member to member
assignment.

Thanks a lot for your attention,
best regards,
Francesco
--
Francesco S. Carta, hobbyist
http://fscode.altervista.org

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