add some comments explaining how the required_consts stuff fits together

Author: RalfJung

compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/constant.rs

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx, Bx: BuilderMethods<'a, 'tcx>> FunctionCx<'a, 'tcx, Bx> {
     }
 
     pub fn eval_mir_constant(&self, constant: &mir::ConstOperand<'tcx>) -> mir::ConstValue<'tcx> {
+        // `MirUsedCollector` visited all constants before codegen began, so if we got here there
+        // can be no more constants that fail to evaluate.
         self.monomorphize(constant.const_)
             .eval(self.cx.tcx(), ty::ParamEnv::reveal_all(), Some(constant.span))
             .expect("erroneous constant not captured by required_consts")

compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/mod.rs

@@ -209,6 +209,10 @@ pub fn codegen_mir<'a, 'tcx, Bx: BuilderMethods<'a, 'tcx>>(
         caller_location: None,
     };
 
+    // It may seem like we should iterate over `required_consts` to ensure they all successfully
+    // evaluate; however, the `MirUsedCollector` already did that during the collection phase of
+    // monomorphization so we don't have to do it again.
+
     fx.per_local_var_debug_info = fx.compute_per_local_var_debug_info(&mut start_bx);
 
     let memory_locals = analyze::non_ssa_locals(&fx);

compiler/rustc_middle/src/mir/visit.rs

@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@ macro_rules! make_mir_visitor {
 
             visit_place_fns!($($mutability)?);
 
+            /// This is called for every constant in the MIR body and every `required_consts`
+            /// (i.e., including consts that have been dead-code-eliminated).
             fn visit_constant(
                 &mut self,
                 constant: & $($mutability)? ConstOperand<'tcx>,

compiler/rustc_monomorphize/src/collector.rs

@@ -1426,6 +1426,8 @@ fn collect_used_items<'tcx>(
         );
     }
 
+    // Here we rely on the visitor also visiting `required_consts`, so that we evaluate them
+    // and abort compilation if any of them errors.
     MirUsedCollector {
         tcx,
         body: &body,