P1072R2
basic_string::resize_default_init

Published Proposal,

This version:
http://wg21.link/P1072R2
Authors:
(Google)
(VMware)
Audience:
LEWG, LWG, SG16
Project:
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG21 14882: Programming Language — C++

Abstract

Allow access to default initialized elements of basic_string.

1. Motivation

Performance sensitive code is impacted by the cost of initializing and manipulating strings. When streaming data into a basic_string, a programmer is faced with an unhappy choice:

The effects of these unhappy choices can all be measured at scale, yet C++'s hallmark is to leave no room between the language (or in this case the library) and another language.

LEWGI polled on this at the [SAN] Meeting:

We should promise more committee time to [P1072R1], knowing that our time is scarce and this will leave less time for other work?
Unanimous consent

LEWG at the [SAN] Meeting:

We want to solve this problem
SF F N A SA
17 5 0 0 0

2. Proposal

This proposal addresses the problem by adding basic_string::resize_default_init:

void resize_default_init(size_type n);
  1. Effects: Alters the value of *this as follows:
    1. — If n <= size(), erases the last size() - n elements.
    2. — If n > size(), appends n - size() default initialized elements.

In order to enable resize_default_init, this proposal makes it implementation defined whether basic_string uses allocator_traits::construct and allocator_traits::destroy to construct and destroy the "char-like objects" that it controls. See §4.3 Allocator Interaction and §7 Wording below for more details.

3. Examples

3.1. Stamping a Pattern

Consider writing a pattern several times into a string:

std::string GeneratePattern(const std::string& pattern, size_t count) {
   std::string ret;

   ret.reserve(pattern.size() * count);
   for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     // SUB-OPTIMAL:
     // * Writes 'count' nulls
     // * Updates size and checks for potential resize 'count' times
     ret.append(pattern);
   }

   return ret;
}

Alternatively, we could adjust the output string’s size to its final size, avoiding the bookkeeping in append at the cost of extra initialization:

std::string GeneratePattern(const std::string& pattern, size_t count) {
   std::string ret;

   const auto step = pattern.size();
   // SUB-OPTIMAL: We memset step*count bytes only to overwrite them.
   ret.resize(step * count);
   for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     // GOOD: No bookkeeping
     memcpy(ret.data() + i * step, pattern.data(), step);
   }

   return ret;
}

With this proposal:

std::string GeneratePattern(const std::string& pattern, size_t count) {
   std::string ret;

   const auto step = pattern.size();
   // GOOD: No initialization
   ret.resize_default_init(step * count);
   for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     // GOOD: No bookkeeping
     memcpy(ret.data() + i * step, pattern.data(), step);
   }

   return ret;
}

3.2. Interacting with C

Consider wrapping a C API while working in terms of C++'s basic_string vocabulary. We anticipate over-allocating, as computation of the length of the data is done simultaneously with the computation of the contents.

extern "C" {
  int compress(void* out, size_t* out_size, const void* in, size_t in_size);
  size_t compressBound(size_t bound);
}

std::string CompressWrapper(std::string_view input) {
    std::string compressed;
    // Compute upper limit of compressed input.
    size_t size = compressBound(input.size());

    // SUB-OPTIMAL: Extra initialization
    compressed.resize(size);
    int ret = compress(compressed.begin(), &size, input.data(), input.size());
    if (ret != OK) {
      throw ...some error...
    }

    // Set actual size.
    compressed.resize(size);
    return compressed;
}

With this proposal:

extern "C" {
  int compress(void* out, size_t* out_size, const void* in, size_t in_size);
  size_t compressBound(size_t bound);
}

std::string CompressWrapper(std::string_view input) {
    std::string compressed;
    // Compute upper limit of compressed input.
    size_t size = compressBound(input.size());

    // GOOD: No initialization
    compressed.resize_default_init(size);
    int ret = compress(compressed.begin(), &size, input.data(), input.size());
    if (ret != OK) {
      throw ...some error...
    }

    // Set actual size.
    compressed.resize(size);
    return compressed;
}

4. Design Considerations

4.1. Method vs. Alternatives

resize_default_init exposes users to UB if they read indeterminate ([dcl.init] p12 (9.3.12)) values in the string. Despite this foot-gun, resize_default_init is appealing because:

During the [SAN] Meeting LEWG expressed a preference for implementing this functionality as a new method on basic_string (as proposed in [P1072R0]) rather than a standalone "storage buffer" type (one option in [P1072R1]):

Method on string vs storage_buffer type:
Strong Method Method Neutral Type Strong Type
9 2 3 2 2

Several other alternatives were discussed at [SAN] and on the reflector. Please see §5 Alternatives Considered below for more details.

4.2. Tag Type

At the [SAN] Meeting, LEWG showed some support for a tag argument type:

Approval (vote for as many as you find acceptable)
13 Go back to resize_uninitialized
15 Do tag type (default_initialize) for c’tor / resize()
12 Continue with storage_buffer (as per R2 of this paper)
7 Crack open with a lambda
7 RAII separate type

For example:

std::string GeneratePattern(const std::string& pattern, size_t count) {
   const auto step = pattern.size();

   // GOOD:  No initialization
   std::string ret(step * count, std::string::default_init);
   for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     // GOOD: No bookkeeping
     memcpy(ret.data() + i * step, pattern.data(), step);
   }

   return ret;
}

Benefits:

Drawbacks:

4.3. Allocator Interaction

Unlocking the desired optimizations requires some change to basic_string's interaction with allocators. This proposal does what we think is the simplest possible change: remove the requirement that basic_string call allocator_traits::construct or allocator_traits::destroy.

This restriction should be acceptable because basic_string is defined to only hold "non-array trivial standard-layout" types. [strings.general] p1:

This Clause describes components for manipulating sequences of any non-array trivial standard-layout (6.7) type. Such types are called char-like types, and objects of char-like types are called char-like objects or simply characters.

Removing calls to construct and destroy is compatible with pmr::basic_string as long as uses_allocator_v<charT> is false, which should be the case in practice.

Along the way, this proposal clarifies ambiguous language in [string.require] and [container.requirements.general] by:

libstdc++ and msvc allow strings of non-trivial type. That might force those libraries to continue to support construct and destroy as "extensions". On the other hand, libc++ disallows non-trivial charTs, so any such extensions are non-portable.. See godbolt.org.

4.4. Bikeshedding

What do we want to call this method?

5. Alternatives Considered

5.1. Standalone Type: storage_buffer

In [P1072R1], we considered storage_buffer, a standalone type providing a prepare method (similar to the resize_uninitialized method proposed here) and commit (to promise, under penalty of UB, that the buffer had been initialized).

At the [SAN] Meeting, this approach received support from LEWGI in light of the [post-Rapperswil] email review indicating support for a distinct type. This approach was rejected by the larger LEWG room in San Diego Meeting Diego.

The proposed type would be move-only.

std::string GeneratePattern(const std::string& pattern, size_t count) {
   std::storage_buffer<char> tmp;

   const auto step = pattern.size();
   // GOOD:  No initialization
   tmp.prepare(step * count + 1);
   for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     // GOOD: No bookkeeping
     memcpy(tmp.data() + i * step, pattern.data(), step);
   }

   tmp.commit(step * count);
   return std::string(std::move(tmp));
}

For purposes of the container API, size() corresponds to the committed portion of the buffer. This leads to more consistency when working with (and explicitly copying to) other containers via iterators, for example:

std::storage_buffer<char> buf;
buf.prepare(100);
*fill in data*
buf.commit(50);

std::string a(buf.begin(), buf.end());
std::string b(std::move(buf));

assert(a == b);

Benefits:

Drawbacks:

5.2. Externally-Allocated Buffer Injection

In [P1072R1], we considered that basic_string could "adopt" an externally allocator::allocate'd buffer. At the [SAN] Meeting, we concluded that this was:

6.1. Google

Google has a local extension to basic_string called resize_uninitialized which is wrapped as STLStringResizeUninitialized.

6.2. MongoDB

MongoDB has a string builder that could have been implemented in terms of basic_string as a return value. However, as explained by Mathias Stearn, zero initialization was measured and was too costly. Instead a custom string builder type is used:

E.g.: https://github.com/mongodb/mongo/blob/master/src/mongo/db/fts/unicode/string.h

/**
 * Strips diacritics and case-folds the utf8 input string, as needed to support
 * options.
 *
 * The options field specifies what operations to *skip*, so kCaseSensitive
 * means to skip case folding and kDiacriticSensitive means to skip diacritic
 * striping. If both flags are specified, the input utf8 StringData is returned
 * directly without any processing or copying.
 *
 * If processing is performed, the returned StringData will be placed in
 * buffer.  buffer’s contents (if any) will be replaced. Since we may return
 * the input unmodified the returned StringData’s lifetime is the shorter of
 * the input utf8 and the next modification to buffer. The input utf8 must not
 * point into buffer.
 */
static StringData caseFoldAndStripDiacritics(StackBufBuilder* buffer,
                                             StringData utf8,
                                             SubstrMatchOptions options,
                                             CaseFoldMode mode);

(Comments re-wrapped.)

6.3. VMware

VMware has an internal string builder implementation that avoids std::string due, in part, to reserve's zero-writing behavior. This is similar in spirit to the MongoDB example above.

6.4. Discussion on std-proposals

This topic was discussed in 2013 on std-proposals in a thread titled "Add basic_string::resize_uninitialized (or a similar mechanism)":
https://groups.google.com/a/isocpp.org/forum/#!topic/std-proposals/XIO4KbBTxl0

6.5. DynamicBuffer

The [N4734] (the Networking TS) has dynamic buffer types.

6.6. P1020R1

See also [P1020R1] "Smart pointer creation functions for default initialization". Adopted in San Diego.

6.7. Boost

Boost provides a related optimization for vector-like containers, introduced in [SVN r85964] by Ion Gaztañaga.

E.g.: boost/container/vector.hpp:

//! <b>Effects</b>: Constructs a vector that will use a copy of allocator a
//!   and inserts n default initialized values.
//!
//! <b>Throws</b>: If allocator_type’s allocation
//!   throws or T’s default initialization throws.
//!
//! <b>Complexity</b>: Linear to n.
//!
//! <b>Note</b>: Non-standard extension
vector(size_type n, default_init_t);
vector(size_type n, default_init_t, const allocator_type &a)
...
void resize(size_type new_size, default_init_t);
...

These optimizations are also supported in Boost Container’s small_vector, static_vector, deque, stable_vector, and string.

7. Wording

Wording is relative to [N4778] with [P1148R0] applied.

Motivation for some of these edits can be found in §4.3 Allocator Interaction.

7.1. [basic.string]

In [basic.string] [20.3.2], in the synopsis, add resize_default_init:

...
    // 23.3.2.4, capacity
    size_type size() const noexcept;
    size_type length() const noexcept;
    size_type max_size() const noexcept;
    void resize(size_type n, charT c);
    void resize(size_type n);
    void resize_default_init(size_type n);
    size_type capacity() const noexcept;
    void reserve(size_type res_arg);
    void shrink_to_fit();
    void clear() noexcept;
    [[nodiscard]] bool empty() const noexcept;

In [string.require] [20.3.2.1] clarify that basic_string is an allocator-aware container, and then add an exception for construct and destroy.

  1. In every specialization basic_string<charT, traits, Allocator>, the type allocator_traits<Allocator>::value_type shall name the same type as charT . Every object of type basic_string<charT, traits, Allocator> uses an object of type Allocator to allocate and free storage for the contained charT objects as needed. The Allocator object used is obtained as described in [container.requirements.general]. In every specialization basic_string<charT, traits, Allocator> , and the type traits shall satisfy the character traits requirements ([char.traits]). [Note: The program is ill-formed if traits::char_type is not the same type as charT. — end note]

  1. basic_string is an allocator-aware container as described in [container.requirements.general], except that it is implementation defined whether allocator_traits::construct and allocator_traits::destroy are used to construct and destroy the contained charT objects.

  1. References, pointers, and iterators referring to the elements of a basic_string sequence may be invalidated by the following uses of that basic_string object:
    ...

In [basic.string.capacity] [20.3.2.4]:

void resize(size_type n, charT c);
  1. Effects: Alters the value of *this as follows:
    1. — If n <= size(), erases the last size() - n elements.
    2. — If n > size(), appends n - size() copies of c.
void resize(size_type n);
  1. Effects: Equivalent to resize(n, charT()).
void resize_default_init(size_type n);
  1. Effects: Alters the value of *this as follows:
    1. — If n <= size(), erases the last size() - n elements.
    2. — If n > size(), appends n - size() default initialized elements.
size_type capacity() const noexcept;

...

7.2. [container.requirements.general]

In [container.requirements.general] [21.2.1] clarify the ambiguous "components affected by this subclause" terminology in p3. Just say "allocator-aware containers".

  1. All of the containers defined in this Clause except array are allocator-aware containers. For the components affected by this subclause that declare an allocator_type Objects objects stored in these components allocator-aware containers, except as noted, shall be constructed using the function allocator_traits<allocator_type>::rebind_traits<U>::construct and destroyed using the function allocator_traits<allocator_type>::rebind_traits<U>::destroy (19.10.9.2).

We can then simplify p15:

  1. All of the containers defined in this Clause and in 20.3.2 except array meet the additional requirements of an allocator-aware container, as Allocator-aware containers meet the additional requirements described in Table 67.

8. Questions for LEWG

  1. Is LEWG satisfied with this approach?

9. History

9.1. R1 → R2

Applied feedback from [SAN] Meeting reviews.

9.2. R0 → R1

Applied feedback from LEWG [post-Rapperswil] Email Review:

10. Acknowledgments

Thanks go to Arthur O’Dwyer for help with wording and proof reading, to Jonathan Wakely for hunting down the language that makes basic_string allocator-aware, and to Glen Fernandes, Eric Fiselier, Corentin Jabot, Billy O’Neal, and Mathias Stearn for design discussion.

References

Informative References

[Abseil]
Abseil. 2018-09-22. URL: https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp
[MSan]
Memory Sanitizer. URL: https://clang.llvm.org/docs/MemorySanitizer.html
[N4734]
Jonathan Wakely. Working Draft, C ++ Extensions for Networking. 4 April 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/n4734
[N4778]
Richard Smith. Working Draft, Standard for Programming Language C+. 8 October 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/n4778
[P0593R2]
Richard Smith. Implicit creation of objects for low-level object manipulation. 11 February 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p0593r2
[P1010R1]
Mark Zeren, Chris Kennelly. Container support for implicit lifetime types. 8 October 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1010r1
[P1020R1]
Smart pointer creation with default initialization (Glen Fernandes). URL: https://wg21.link/p1020r1
[P1029R1]
Niall Douglas. [[move_relocates]]. 7 August 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1029r1
[P1072R0]
Chris Kennelly, Mark Zeren. Default Initialization for basic_string. 4 May 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1072r0
[P1072R1]
Chris Kennelly, Mark Zeren. Optimized Initialization for basic_string and vector. 7 October 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1072r1
[P1144R0]
Arthur O'Dwyer, Mingxin Wang. Object relocation in terms of move plus destroy. 4 October 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1144r0
[P1148R0]
Tim Song. Cleaning up Clause 20. 7 October 2018. URL: https://wg21.link/p1148r0
[post-Rapperswil]
LEWG Weekly - P1072. 2018-08-26. URL: http://lists.isocpp.org/lib-ext/2018/08/8299.php
[Protobuf]
Protocol Buffers. 2018-09-22. URL: https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
[SAN]
San Diego Meeting Minutes. 2018-11-07. URL: http://wiki.edg.com/bin/view/Wg21sandiego2018/P1072
[Snappy]
Snappy. 2018-09-21. URL: https://github.com/google/snappy
[Valgrind]
Valgrind. URL: http://www.valgrind.org
[Zero]
Listening to our customers: Zero-initialization issue. 2018-04-13. URL: http://lists.isocpp.org/lib-ext/2018/04/6712.php