dev-2023-03

New Language Features

• BREAKING CHANGE: Brand New Default context.temp_allocator Implementation
  • New version is a growing arena based approach
    • Old version used an unsafe ring buffer
  • IMPORTANT free_all(context.temp_allocator) must be called to clear the contents of the internal arena (unlike the previous ring buffer)
    • It is recommended that this is done per frame/cycle/etc
• expand_values()
  • Built-in procedure which expands a struct or fixed-length array into multiple values

Foo :: struct {x: f32, y: i32}
f := Foo{1, 2}
a, b := expand_values(f)
assert(a == 1 && b == 2)

• Allow comparisons between empty struct{} and union{}
• Allow for assigning to fields through using in a compound literal

Foo :: struct {
	using x: struct { // named `using` fields
		y: int,
	},
	z: f32
	using _: struct { // anonymous `using` fields
		w: bool,
	},
}

f := Foo{
	y = 123, // equivalent to `x = {y = 123},`
	z = 456,
	w = true,
}

• Verbose error messages by default with optional ANSI colouring too:
  • Previous behaviour is available with -terse-errors
  • Automatic detection of ANSI colours is currently only supported for Windows
  • set ODIN_TERMINAL=ansi to force ANSI colouring
  • Line printing with indication of the error location below
    

Compiler Improvements

• @(fini) to complement its opposite @(init)
• Fix to byval parameters on Darwin SysV ABI which in turn fixes #by_ptr
• Rename to runtime.Type_Info_Parameters for procedures inputs and outputs
• Fix issue that conflicts with constant parapoly procedure literals and @(deferred_*)
• Numerous improvements to error messages

New Packages

Package Improvements

• Introduction of time.tsc_frequency()
• Improvements to core:mem/virtual's Arena
  • On free_all free all memory blocks except for the first one
  • virtual.arena_destroy will free all memory blocks including the first one (assuming Growing or Static)
• Add #optional_allocator_error to make_map
• Numerous improvements to the vendor:directx packages