CWG3018 [cpp.cond] Ambiguous validity of `defined` in `__has_embed`

[hubert-reinterpretcast]

Full name of submitter (unless configured in github; will be published with the issue): Hubert Tong

Reference (section label): cpp.cond

Link to reflector thread (if any): N/A

Issue description:
Consider (with the proposed offset parameter for a more plausible use case):

#if __has_embed(__FILE__ offset(\
  defined(WANT_4K_SOURCE) ? 4095 : 0\
)) == __STDC_EMBED_EMPTY__
#error Desired source not found
#endif

It is unclear whether the above is ill-formed due to https://wg21.link/cpp.embed.param.limit#1 because https://wg21.link/cpp.cond#12 can be read as saying that the evaluation of the defined-macro-expression has occurred prior to the evaluation of the has-embed-expression.

Suggested resolution:
Add a restriction that

A defined-macro-expression shall not appear within a has-embed-expression.

"Editor's" note: This is for consistency with the restriction in the context of #embed, which is (in turn) motivated by the special macro expansion logic associated with defined only in the [cpp.cond] context. Since we are already in the [cpp.cond] context for __has_embed, there is no major design barrier for specifying that the defined-macro-expression‌s are evaluated first.

[jensmaurer]

I notice that the phrasing in [cpp.embed.param.limit] p1 is bad regardless:

The token defined shall not appear in the constant-expression.

There is no constant-expression at that point; it is formed later in p2.

[jensmaurer]

there is no major design barrier for specifying that the defined-macro-expression‌s are evaluated first.

I'm confused. This sounds like it's fine to have defined(X) anywhere in #if, including inside __has_embed (we're in a special context anyway), yet you want to add a rule that prohibits defined(X) inside __has_embed.

Should we just specify for #embed that defined is bad anywhere (now that we macro-expand everywhere), and have a parallel top-level restriction for within __has_embed(...) ?

[jensmaurer]

Or do you want to simply allow defined also in #embed parameters, because it's obviously the right way given how the delegation to #if works?

[hubert-reinterpretcast]

Or do you want to simply allow defined also in #embed parameters, because it's obviously the right way given how the delegation to #if works?

This alternative was why we disallowed defined in #embed in the first place. If we allowed it, then the "natural expectation" is that you are supposed to expand any potential macro name after defined in a prefix parameter but not in a limit parameter.

[hubert-reinterpretcast]

I'm confused. This sounds like it's fine to have defined(X) anywhere in #if, including inside __has_embed (we're in a special context anyway), yet you want to add a rule that prohibits defined(X) inside __has_embed.

Yes, it can be fine. If we want it to be fine, I said that we should specify that the evaluation of defined happens first.

Should we just specify for #embed that defined is bad anywhere (now that we macro-expand everywhere), and have a parallel top-level restriction for within __has_embed(...) ?

I don't think so. defined not having any special macro non-expansion behaviour in the context of a prefix parameter is fine.
The only mechanism needed for __has_embed if we want a diagnostic for defined is to defer to #embed except that we need to avoid prior evaluation of defined.

[jensmaurer]

I'm sure I'm being stupid here, but let's start at the beginning, please.

For #embed, we (nowadays) macro-expand the entire thing without protecting macro names after "defined". For the limit parameter, we branch off to the #if rules for the constant-expression evaluation, and we say

The token defined shall not appear in the constant-expression.

So, we make sure we get a deterministic error message in such a case. Example:

#define X Z
#embed "somefile.h" limit(defined(X) + 10)

yields

#embed "somefile.h" limit(defined(Z) + 10)

which would work after applying the #if rules, and surprisingly yields "limit(10)". But we make it a syntax error because we pass "defined" to the #if rules.

Now, on to __has_embed.

#define X Z
#if __has_embed("somefile.h" limit(defined(X))) == 42

There, we are in an #if context, thus we don't macro-expand X right away, and the recursive invocation of the #if evaluation rules would see defined(X), which is not what happens for the equivalent #embed.

So, we want your original suggestion:

A defined-macro-expression shall not appear within a has-embed-expression.

Alternatively, we could say we don't evaluate defined(something) inside a __has_embed early, but instead pass it to #embed, at which point it would become ill-formed there. This latter approach seems more complicated to word.

[hubert-reinterpretcast]

So, we want your original suggestion

Sounds good to me.

[jensmaurer]

CWG3018

I've also disallowed

#define EMPTY
#if __has_include(EMPTY <defined(X)blah.h>)

for symmetry.

But #if __has_include(<defined(X)blah.h>) is allowed, because of header-name lexing the defined into hiding.