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authorVincent Ambo <mail@tazj.in>2023-01-03T19·30+0300
committertazjin <tazjin@tvl.su>2023-01-04T12·28+0000
commit3d238c350b4c0b4430d694b15e89319a150af889 (patch)
treed270df5efb67f8a1205353dffc41abd245d21d18 /tvix/README.md
parent6f993b8bde8201213fe2953ea663ac387de916e3 (diff)
refactor(tvix/eval): streamline construction of globals/builtins r/5581
Previously the construction of globals (a compiler-only concept) and
builtins (a (now) user-facing API) was intermingled between multiple
different modules, and kind of difficult to understand.

The complexity of this had grown in large part due to the
implementation of `builtins.import`, which required the notorious
"knot-tying" trick using Rc::new_cyclic (see cl/7097) for constructing
the set of globals.

As part of the new `Evaluation` API users should have the ability to
bring their own builtins, and control explicitly whether or not impure
builtins are available (regardless of whether they're compiled in or
not).

To streamline the construction and allow the new API features to work,
this commit restructures things by making these changes:

1. The `tvix_eval::builtins` module is now only responsible for
   exporting sets of builtins. It no longer has any knowledge of
   whether or not certain sets (e.g. only pure, or pure+impure) are
   enabled, and it has no control over which builtins are globally
   available (this is now handled in the compiler).

2. The compiler module is now responsible for both constructing the
   final attribute set of builtins from the set of builtins supplied
   by a user, as well as for populating its globals (that is
   identifiers which are available at the top-level scope).

3. The `Evaluation` API now carries a `builtins` field which is
   populated with the pure builtins by default, and can be extended by
   users.

4. The `import` feature has been moved into the compiler, as a
   special case. In general, builtins no longer have the ability to
   reference the "fix point" of the globals set.

This should not change any functionality, and in fact preserves minor
differences between Tvix/Nix that we already had (such as
`builtins.builtins` not existing).

Change-Id: Icdf5dd50eb81eb9260d89269d6e08b1e67811a2c
Reviewed-on: https://cl.tvl.fyi/c/depot/+/7738
Reviewed-by: sterni <sternenseemann@systemli.org>
Autosubmit: tazjin <tazjin@tvl.su>
Tested-by: BuildkiteCI
Reviewed-by: flokli <flokli@flokli.de>
Diffstat (limited to 'tvix/README.md')
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