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Update FAQ on initialization order #3017

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@lrytz lrytz commented May 7, 2024

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@lrytz lrytz requested a review from sjrd May 7, 2024 17:28
@SethTisue SethTisue self-requested a review May 20, 2024 20:48
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very nice improvements. I've picked a few nits


**-Xcheckinit**: Add runtime check to field accessors.
The [`-Ysafe-init` compiler flag](https://docs.scala-lang.org/scala3/reference/other-new-features/safe-initialization.html) in Scala 3 enables compiler warnings for accesses to uninitialized fields:
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suggest mentioning here that the flag is experimental, like all -Y flags

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That's like saying use it, but don't like use it. How about instead of experimental, we start saying "cutting-edge". Also, experimental has the narrow meaning for dotty that you need a flag and an experimental compiler to use the feature.

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it will also be -Wsafe-init from 3.5

In Scala 2, the `-Xcheckinit` flag adds runtime checks in the generated bytecode to identify accesses of uninitialized fields.
The code then throws an exception rather than allowing a `null` (or `0` / `false` in the case of primitive types) to silently appear.
Note that these runtime checks only test code that is actually exectued at runtime.
The flag can be helpful to find accesses to uninitialized fields, but it should never be used in production due to its performance overhead.
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Suggested change
The flag can be helpful to find accesses to uninitialized fields, but it should never be used in production due to its performance overhead.
The flag can be helpful to find accesses to uninitialized fields, but it should not be used in production due to its performance overhead.

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"must never", and spoken with Germanic authority. People run debug in production all the time just in case there's a crash, which there always is.

Using it on the opening example:
In Scala 2, the `-Xcheckinit` flag adds runtime checks in the generated bytecode to identify accesses of uninitialized fields.
The code then throws an exception rather than allowing a `null` (or `0` / `false` in the case of primitive types) to silently appear.
Note that these runtime checks only test code that is actually exectued at runtime.
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Suggested change
Note that these runtime checks only test code that is actually exectued at runtime.
Note that these runtime checks only test code that is actually executed at runtime.

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@SethTisue I suggest we don't wait for Lukas and definitely don't wait for Seb, who would incur more rounds of nits even pickier than previously surfaced.


Constant values are stricter than strict and earlier than early definitions and have even more limitations,
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Omitting compile-time mechanisms to work around runtime issues seems important. Probably more is available in Scala 3 besides final vals.

Let's also respect that this was the original one-question FAQ. Maybe a minute of silence?

abstract class A {
val x1: String
val x2: String = "mom"
Note that using multiple lazy vals creates a new risk: cycles among lazy vals can result in a stack overflow on first access.
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Or dead lock in Scala 3 for thread-safe lazy vals.

class B extends A {
val x1: String = "hello"
final val x3 = "goodbye"
### Use a nested object
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Isn't that basically the same solution as a lazy val?

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@lrytz care to return to this? you can self-merge if you think the review feedback has been addressed

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5 participants