google
convert wuffs asserts into back-end asserts
Can there be an option to convert wuffs-side asserts into asserts in the generated code?
This could be a macro which lets the user code pick which behavior to have for them.
So the assert can translate into nothing (like it is now), or a full error like if not cond {return "#internal error: failed assert";}, or an actual assert(cond);, or even an assume(cond);.
Theoretically the compiler should be able to optimize out all these checks but there will be cases where it cannot make the assumptions necessary like across a yield. This in turn could help the optimizer figure out better options based on the invariants that are present in wuffs but not present in the backend.
Do you have an actual example (with benchmark numbers) where this helps the compiler / optimizer or is it hypothetical at this stage?
If we do do this, one subtlety is that Wuffs-side asserts work in ideal numbers but compilers work in fixed-sized integers. assert (x + 1) > x is valid for mathematical integers but isn't always true for uint32_t integers (and for signed fixed-size integers, this might even be "undefined behavior").
It's hypothetical at this stage.
and yeah that does complicate matters