Add some useful comments.

Describing some things that took me a long time to understand.

Author: nnethercote

compiler/rustc_mir_dataflow/src/framework/cursor.rs

@@ -8,12 +8,16 @@ use rustc_middle::mir::{self, BasicBlock, Location};
 
 use super::{Analysis, Direction, Effect, EffectIndex, Results};
 
-/// Allows random access inspection of the results of a dataflow analysis.
+/// Allows random access inspection of the results of a dataflow analysis. Use this when you want
+/// to inspect domain values only in certain locations; use `ResultsVisitor` if you want to inspect
+/// domain values in many or all locations.
 ///
-/// This cursor only has linear performance within a basic block when its statements are visited in
-/// the same order as the `DIRECTION` of the analysis. In the worst case—when statements are
-/// visited in *reverse* order—performance will be quadratic in the number of statements in the
-/// block. The order in which basic blocks are inspected has no impact on performance.
+/// Because `Results` only has domain values for the entry of each basic block, these inspections
+/// involve some amount of domain value recomputations. This cursor only has linear performance
+/// within a basic block when its statements are visited in the same order as the `DIRECTION` of
+/// the analysis. In the worst case—when statements are visited in *reverse* order—performance will
+/// be quadratic in the number of statements in the block. The order in which basic blocks are
+/// inspected has no impact on performance.
 pub struct ResultsCursor<'mir, 'tcx, A>
 where
     A: Analysis<'tcx>,

compiler/rustc_mir_dataflow/src/framework/direction.rs

@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ use super::{Analysis, Effect, EffectIndex, Results, SwitchIntTarget};
 
 pub trait Direction {
     const IS_FORWARD: bool;
-
     const IS_BACKWARD: bool = !Self::IS_FORWARD;
 
+    /// Called by `iterate_to_fixpoint` during initial analysis computation.
     fn apply_effects_in_block<'mir, 'tcx, A>(
         analysis: &mut A,
         body: &mir::Body<'tcx>,
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ pub trait Direction {
     ) where
         A: Analysis<'tcx>;
 
-    /// Applies all effects between the given `EffectIndex`s.
+    /// Called by `ResultsCursor` to recompute the domain value for a location
+    /// in a basic block. Applies all effects between the given `EffectIndex`s.
     ///
     /// `effects.start()` must precede or equal `effects.end()` in this direction.
     fn apply_effects_in_range<'tcx, A>(
@@ -34,6 +35,9 @@ pub trait Direction {
     ) where
         A: Analysis<'tcx>;
 
+    /// Called by `ResultsVisitor` to recompute the analysis domain values for
+    /// all locations in a basic block (starting from the entry value stored
+    /// in `Results`) and to visit them with `vis`.
     fn visit_results_in_block<'mir, 'tcx, A>(
         state: &mut A::Domain,
         block: BasicBlock,
@@ -222,7 +226,6 @@ impl Direction for Backward {
 
         vis.visit_block_end(state);
 
-        // Terminator
         let loc = Location { block, statement_index: block_data.statements.len() };
         let term = block_data.terminator();
         results.analysis.apply_before_terminator_effect(state, term, loc);

compiler/rustc_mir_dataflow/src/framework/mod.rs

@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@
 //! The `impls` module contains several examples of dataflow analyses.
 //!
 //! Then call `iterate_to_fixpoint` on your type that impls `Analysis` to get a `Results`. From
-//! there, you can use a `ResultsCursor` to inspect the fixpoint solution to your dataflow problem,
-//! or implement the `ResultsVisitor` interface and use `visit_results`. The following example uses
+//! there, you can use a `ResultsCursor` to inspect the fixpoint solution to your dataflow problem
+//! (good for inspecting a small number of locations), or implement the `ResultsVisitor` interface
+//! and use `visit_results` (good for inspecting many or all locations). The following example uses
 //! the `ResultsCursor` approach.
 //!
 //! ```ignore (cross-crate-imports)

compiler/rustc_mir_dataflow/src/framework/results.rs

@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ use crate::errors::{
 
 pub type EntrySets<'tcx, A> = IndexVec<BasicBlock, <A as Analysis<'tcx>>::Domain>;
 
-/// A dataflow analysis that has converged to fixpoint.
+/// A dataflow analysis that has converged to fixpoint. It only holds the domain values at the
+/// entry of each basic block. Domain values in other parts of the block are recomputed on the fly
+/// by visitors (i.e. `ResultsCursor`, or `ResultsVisitor` impls).
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Results<'tcx, A>
 where

compiler/rustc_mir_dataflow/src/framework/visitor.rs

@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@ pub fn visit_results<'mir, 'tcx, A>(
     }
 }
 
-/// A visitor over the results of an `Analysis`.
+/// A visitor over the results of an `Analysis`. Use this when you want to inspect domain values in
+/// many or all locations; use `ResultsCursor` if you want to inspect domain values only in certain
+/// locations.
 pub trait ResultsVisitor<'mir, 'tcx, A>
 where
     A: Analysis<'tcx>,