Compiler Attributes: Add __always_used macro

In some cases like performance benchmarking, we need to call a
function, but don't need to read the returned value. If compiler
recognizes the function as pure or const, it can remove the function
invocation, which is not what we want.

To prevent that, the common practice is assigning the return value to
a temporary static volatile variable. From compiler's point of view,
the variable is unused because never read back after been assigned.
To make sure the variable is always emitted, we provide a __used
attribute. This works with GCC, but clang still emits
Wunused-but-set-variable. To suppress that warning, we need to teach
clang to do that with the 'unused' attribute.

Nathan Chancellor explained that in details:

  While having used and unused attributes together might look unusual,
  reading the GCC attribute manual makes it seem like these attributes
  fulfill similar yet different roles, __unused__ prevents any unused
  warnings while __used__ forces the variable to be emitted. A strict
  reading of that does not make it seem like __used__ implies disabling
  unused warnings

The compiler documentation makes it clear what happens behind the 'used'
and 'unused' attributes, but the chosen names may confuse readers if
such combination catches an eye in a random code.

This patch adds __always_used macro, which combines both attributes
and comments on what happens for those interested in details.

Suggested-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>
Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202405030808.UsoMKFNP-lkp@intel.com/
Acked-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Yury Norov <yury.norov@gmail.com>

1 files changed, 13 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h b/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
index 8bdf6e0918c1..32284cd26d52 100644
--- a/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
+++ b/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
@@ -362,6 +362,19 @@
 #define __used                          __attribute__((__used__))
 
 /*
+ * The __used attribute guarantees that the attributed variable will be
+ * always emitted by a compiler. It doesn't prevent the compiler from
+ * throwing 'unused' warnings when it can't detect how the variable is
+ * actually used. It's a compiler implementation details either emit
+ * the warning in that case or not.
+ *
+ * The combination of both 'used' and 'unused' attributes ensures that
+ * the variable would be emitted, and will not trigger 'unused' warnings.
+ * The attribute is applicable for functions, static and global variables.
+ */
+#define __always_used			__used __maybe_unused
+
+/*
  *   gcc: https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Common-Function-Attributes.html#index-warn_005funused_005fresult-function-attribute
  * clang: https://clang.llvm.org/docs/AttributeReference.html#nodiscard-warn-unused-result
  */