groovy

Compiler flag for type checking most classes, and TypeUnchecked annotation override

Details

  • Type: New Feature New Feature
  • Status: Closed Closed
  • Priority: Major Major
  • Resolution: Fixed
  • Affects Version/s: None
  • Fix Version/s: 2.1.0-beta-1
  • Component/s: Compiler
  • Labels:
    None
  • Number of attachments :
    0

Description

Allow use of a Groovy compiler flag to enable type checking for all classes and methods except for the classes and methods annotated with a @TypeUnchecked annotation (or another antonym of @TypeChecked such as @NotTypeChecked or @RuntimeTypeChecked or @TestInProduction or @YouNeedExtraUnitTestsForThis)

For large projects with hundreds of classes, where we want type checking on 99% of the code, it would be too much boilerplate to remember to put @TypeChecked annotations on every class. It would also require us to refactor methods containing dynamic code into separate non-type-checked classes just to satisfy the @TypeChecked contract. It would be better to have a compiler flag to reverse the type checking contract so everything is type checked except for the classes and methods that are explicitly marked for allowing dynamic code.

Discussed with Guillaume Laforge after his talk about Groovy 2.0 at GR8Conf 2012 in Copenhagen. He agreed it would be a good addition for Groovy 2.1, and that I should open a Jira ticket. Another audience member had the same request as well.

Issue Links

depends upon

Improvement - An improvement or enhancement to an existing feature or task. GROOVY-5553 Provide a builder for compilation customizers

  • Major - Major loss of function.
  • Closed - The issue is considered finished, the resolution is correct. Issues which are not closed can be reopened.

Improvement - An improvement or enhancement to an existing feature or task. GROOVY-5554 AST customizer working as a guard for another

  • Major - Major loss of function.
  • Closed - The issue is considered finished, the resolution is correct. Issues which are not closed can be reopened.
is duplicated by

Improvement - An improvement or enhancement to an existing feature or task. GROOVY-5563 Option to default to Static Compilation

  • Minor - Minor loss of function, or other problem where easy workaround is present.
  • Closed - The issue is considered finished, the resolution is correct. Issues which are not closed can be reopened.

Activity

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Cedric Champeau added a comment -

Note that currently, you can skip some classes or methods from being type checked using an annotation parameter. Regarding that particular feature, it would be interesting to have, but I think we should better have a generic way of applying AST transforms transparently using the groovy compiler, just like we have an option to do it using the GroovyShell. This has the advantage of being independent from the type checker features.

But basically, +1

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Cedric Champeau added a comment - Note that currently, you can skip some classes or methods from being type checked using an annotation parameter. Regarding that particular feature, it would be interesting to have, but I think we should better have a generic way of applying AST transforms transparently using the groovy compiler, just like we have an option to do it using the GroovyShell . This has the advantage of being independent from the type checker features. But basically, +1
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Joe Sondow added a comment - - edited

Cedric, agreed, that would be good too. Then we could also do things like put a compiler flag to make all classes have @EqualsAndHashCode except the ones with a @DisableAstTransform(EqualsAndHashCode) annotation.

The important detail is the ability to mark only specific methods with an annotation like @TypeUnchecked or @DisableAstTransform(TypeChecked) without disabling the transform for the rest of the methods in that class.

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Joe Sondow added a comment - - edited Cedric, agreed, that would be good too. Then we could also do things like put a compiler flag to make all classes have @EqualsAndHashCode except the ones with a @DisableAstTransform(EqualsAndHashCode) annotation. The important detail is the ability to mark only specific methods with an annotation like @TypeUnchecked or @DisableAstTransform(TypeChecked) without disabling the transform for the rest of the methods in that class.
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Lari Hotari added a comment -

+1

One more wish: could groovy compiler import groovy.transform.* by default? (a bit like import java.util.* is default in groovy)
It would make using these annotations more DRY.

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Lari Hotari added a comment - +1 One more wish: could groovy compiler import groovy.transform.* by default? (a bit like import java.util.* is default in groovy) It would make using these annotations more DRY.
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Paul King added a comment -

Just on the "groovy.transform.*" request. We used to put many of the early AST transforms in the groovy.lang package (which is imported by default) but as the number of these grew, the risk of clashes, e.g. within a Grails or Griffon application, between a transform and for instance a domain class increased. So we were asked to not make them automatically imported - hence their current home. But that still leaves some room to be able to switch on features like that optionally.

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Paul King added a comment - Just on the "groovy.transform.*" request. We used to put many of the early AST transforms in the groovy.lang package (which is imported by default) but as the number of these grew, the risk of clashes, e.g. within a Grails or Griffon application, between a transform and for instance a domain class increased. So we were asked to not make them automatically imported - hence their current home. But that still leaves some room to be able to switch on features like that optionally.
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Tomasz Przybysz added a comment - - edited

This is the exact feature I've been wondering about, +1.

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Tomasz Przybysz added a comment - - edited This is the exact feature I've been wondering about, +1.
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Juraj Misur added a comment -

If I understand it correctly, @TypeChecked does only compile time checking, but code will run as normal dynamic groovy (http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GroovyJSR/GEP+8+-+Static+type+checking). @CompileStatic will check at compile time and also runtime code will not be dynamic (http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GroovyJSR/GEP+10+-+Static+compilation).
So I guess I would want to have compiler flag for implicit @CompileStatic behavior, and for methods with dynamic code I would use @CompileDynamic.

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Juraj Misur added a comment - If I understand it correctly, @TypeChecked does only compile time checking, but code will run as normal dynamic groovy ( http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GroovyJSR/GEP+8+-+Static+type+checking ). @CompileStatic will check at compile time and also runtime code will not be dynamic ( http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GroovyJSR/GEP+10+-+Static+compilation ). So I guess I would want to have compiler flag for implicit @CompileStatic behavior, and for methods with dynamic code I would use @CompileDynamic.
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Cedric Champeau added a comment -

Current idea is to use the new compiler configuration script.

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Cedric Champeau added a comment - Current idea is to use the new compiler configuration script.

People

  • Assignee:
    Cedric Champeau
    Reporter:
    Joe Sondow
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Dates

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    Updated:
    Resolved: