cannot compile c++ generated code

[Eddie-cz]

Version: 3.15.8
Language: C++
Windows 10, MSVC 16.9.3 with clang-cl compiler (LLVM 11.1)

Message definition:
syntax = "proto3";
message StringMsg
{
string value = 1;
}

Compilation of generated pb.cc fails for this message with "error : variable does not have a constant initializer".
Compiles with repeated modifier.

Variable is:
PROTOBUF_ATTRIBUTE_NO_DESTROY PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT StringMsgDefaultTypeInternal StringMsg_default_instance;

[TeBoring]

Do you see if there is a constexpr constructor for StringMsgDefaultTypeInternal in .pb.cc?

[TeBoring]

Could you also paste the full error log?

[Eddie-cz]

There is constexpr constructor, code compiles fine with msvc compiler, only clang-cl (both 11.1 or 12.0) thinks this message variable doesn't satisfy constinit restrictions introduced by PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT (guess it has problems with string type).
Should I put repeated modifier for that string param, or manualy remove PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT from pb.cc, it compiles fine.
Log:
etherCATMessages.pb.cc(114,79): error : variable does not have a constant initializer
etherCATMessages.pb.cc(114,31): message : required by 'require_constant_initialization' attribute here
protobuf\3.15.8\include\google/protobuf/port_def.inc(571,30): message : expanded from macro 'PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT'

[TeBoring]

https://godbolt.org/z/75rfhqY4E
I cannot reproduce it in the godbolt. Could you help advice a reproduce?

[TeBoring]

https://godbolt.org/z/j9nv47n5P
Still no error

[Eddie-cz]

Issue is isolated to
PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT google::protobuf::internal::ArenaStringPtr sptr(&google::protobuf::internal::fixed_address_empty_string);
Same error as described above. To reproduce, you must define your ExplicitlyConstructed<std::string> empty_string variable; in different compilation unit, in this case in different dll, same as it's for protobuf variables. When I test your code in one compilation unit, it's ok, problem is with protobuf dll usage.

[ngg]

We ran into the same problem.
If I try to compile libprotobuf into a dll, and compile the protoc executable that uses this dll with clang-cl, then I get an error like this from plugin.pb.cc:

error: variable does not have a constant initializer
PROTOBUF_ATTRIBUTE_NO_DESTROY PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT VersionDefaultTypeInternal _Version_default_instance_;

I tried using protobuf 3.15.2 and 3.17.1

[sbenzaquen]

It seems to be an interaction between __declspec(dllimport) and constant initialization.
I can't test with clang-cl, so my tests below are with MSVC.

If I write:

__declspec(dllimport) extern int x;
auto& p = x;

then p is dynamically initialized (at least in the latest MSVC)
If the symbol is not dllimport, then p is constant initialized as expected.

I think what's happening is that clang is following this behavior but since it also supports the [[clang::require_constant_initialization]] attribute it is failing there because it is indeed not constant initialized.

We might want to disable the attribute in clang-for-windows.
The attribute is not required for correctness. It is there mostly to make sure we really are constant initialized in the platforms that support it for code size efficiency.

[ngg]

I also checked that if I compile with clang in C++20 mode, then constinit is used, and the same error still appears.
I did not check what happens with MSVC, but if C++20 is enabled (using /std:c++latest) and constinit is used then I think it wouldn't compile either. (clang seems to be right, this is not supposed to work as constantly initialized on Windows)

[sbenzaquen]

I don't know about that.

This works fine:

__declspec(dllimport) extern int x;
constexpr auto& p = x;

So it can do constant initialization for it, but it just chooses not to when constexpr is not there.
tbh, I don't know enough about the semantics of dllexport/dllimport.

[kelteseth]

I can confirm this issue with clang 12 on Windows.

manualy remove PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT from pb.cc, it compiles fine.

This fixes the problem for me

[mmurrian]

We might want to disable the attribute in clang-for-windows.

That was my solution. I changed line 571 of port_def.inc to:
#if !defined(_MSC_VER) && __has_cpp_attribute(clang::require_constant_initialization)

Same problem on Visual Studio 2019, clang-cl, Windows.

[Eddie-cz]

Will make pull request as suggested by mmurrian, kinda suprised multiple versions were released in last 6 month and nobody was concerned with fact that library is producing not compilable code under msvc clang-cl environment.

[acozzette]

This should be fixed now with #8993.

[martenrichter]

I am currently trying to build libquiche for windows with a cmake build and clang as compiler.
The patch seems to be removed from the repository.
And I am getting:
....webtransport\third_party\quiche\quiche\quic\core\proto\cached_network_parameters.pb.cc(40,127): error : variable does not have a constant initializer [...webtransport\build\gquiche.vcxproj] ....third_party\quiche\quiche\quic\core\proto\cached_network_parameters.pb.cc(40,31): message : required by 'require_constant_initialization' attribute here [...webtransport\build\gquiche.vcxproj] C:\vcpkg\installed\x64-windows\include\google/protobuf/port_def.inc(651,30): message : expanded from macro 'PROTOBUF_CONSTINIT' [...webtransport\build\gquiche.vcxproj]
If I patch port_def.inc analog to the previous patch:
#elif !defined(_MSC_VER) && __has_cpp_attribute(clang::require_constant_initialization) && \ ((defined(__APPLE__) && __clang_major__ >= 13) || \ (!defined(__APPLE__) && __clang_major__ >= 12))
it is fixed again.
Can you consider adding this check again?

[Eddie-cz]

Yey, this is getting ridiculous more and more. I made another pull request, it is not approved yet. #10232

[martenrichter]

@Eddie-cz: Thanks for making the new PR, it much better then mine, and yes using protocol buffers on windows is pretty complicated.