The code that handles negative array indexes and out-of-bounds
negative indices used to require:
2 conditions for a +ve index
3 conditions for a -ve index
After this commit, for the common case where the index is in bounds,
it requires a single condition regardless of sign. For the less common
case of out-of-bounds, it requires 2 conditions.
Also, the one condition is more branch-predict friendly - it's whether
the index is in bounds or not. Previously the first test was whether
key < 0, and in code that does mixed signs, such as $a[0] + $a[-1],
branch prediction could be tricky.
It achieves this at the expense of a more complex expression for the key.
SV**
Perl_av_fetch(pTHX_ AV *av, SSize_t key, I32 lval)
{
+ SSize_t neg;
+ SSize_t size;
+
PERL_ARGS_ASSERT_AV_FETCH;
assert(SvTYPE(av) == SVt_PVAV);
}
}
- if (key < 0) {
- key += AvFILLp(av) + 1;
- if (UNLIKELY(key < 0))
+ neg = (key < 0);
+ size = AvFILLp(av) + 1;
+ key += neg * size; /* handle negative index without using branch */
+
+ /* the cast from SSize_t to Size_t allows both (key < 0) and (key >= size)
+ * to be tested as a single condition */
+ if ((Size_t)key >= (Size_t)size) {
+ if (UNLIKELY(neg))
return NULL;
- assert(key <= AvFILLp(av));
- if (!AvARRAY(av)[key])
- goto emptyness;
+ goto emptyness;
}
- else if (key > AvFILLp(av) || !AvARRAY(av)[key]) {
+
+ if (!AvARRAY(av)[key]) {
emptyness:
return lval ? av_store(av,key,newSV(0)) : NULL;
}