Re: [RFC PATCH 1/2] Preserve datatype information when parsing dts

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On Mon, Jul 09, 2018 at 04:43:27PM -0600, Rob Herring wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 11:21 AM Rob Herring <robh@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 5, 2018 at 7:18 PM David Gibson <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jul 05, 2018 at 08:43:49AM -0600, Rob Herring wrote:
> > > > On Wed, Jul 4, 2018 at 9:26 PM David Gibson <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 11:20:38AM +0000, Grant Likely wrote:
> > > > > > On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 4:34 AM, David Gibson
> > > > > > <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 12:48:10PM +0000, Grant Likely wrote:
> > > > > > >> On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 6:14 AM, David Gibson
> > > > > > >> <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > > > >> > On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 11:57:09AM +0000, Grant Likely wrote:
> > > > > > >> >> The current code throws away all the data type and grouping information
> > > > > > >> >> when parsing the DTS source file, which makes it difficult to
> > > > > > >> >> reconstruct the data format when emitting a format that can express data
> > > > > > >> >> types (ie. dts and yaml). Use the marker list to mark the beginning and
> > > > > > >> >> end of each integer array block (<> and []), the datatype contained in
> > > > > > >> >> each (8, 16, 32 & 64 bit widths), and the start of each string.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> At the same time, factor out the heuristic code used to guess a property
> > > > > > >> >> type at emit time. It is a pretty well defined standalone block that
> > > > > > >> >> could be used elsewhere, for instance, when emitting YAML source. Factor
> > > > > > >> >> it out into a separate function so that it can be reused, and also to
> > > > > > >> >> simplify the write_propval() function.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> When emitting, group integer output back into the same groups as the
> > > > > > >> >> original source and use the REF_PATH and REF_PHANDLE markers to emit the
> > > > > > >> >> the node reference instead of a raw path or phandle.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> Signed-off-by: Grant Likely <grant.likely@xxxxxxx>
> > > > > > >> >
> > > > > > >> > I'm a bit dubious how well forcing the marker mechanism to do all this
> > > > > > >> > stuff it was never intended for can work in the long term.  Still,
> > > > > > >> > it's an interesting experiment.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> As long as the actual data is stored as flat buffer, the markers
> > > > > > >> mechanism works quite well for this. I tried doing something entirely
> > > > > > >> separate, and it turned out to be awful. Another alternative is to
> > > > > > >> break up the flat buffer into a chain of data blocks with attached
> > > > > > >> type information, but that is a very invasive change.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> This approach has the advantage of being robust on accepting both
> > > > > > >> typed and anonymous data. If the markers are not there then the
> > > > > > >> existing behaviour can be maintained, but otherwise it can emit a
> > > > > > >> higher fidelity of source language.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Hm, true.  The approach is growing on me.  I guess what I'm still
> > > > > > > dubious about is how much this type annotation can get us to approach
> > > > > > > the YAML model.  For example, YAML can distinguish between [ [1, 2],
> > > > > > > [3, 4] ] and [1, 2, 3, 4] which isn't really feasible in dtc.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > To start with I'm constraining what is permissible in the YAML
> > > > > > encoding. So, even though YAML can encode multiple nested lists, I'm
> > > > > > not permitting that in this iteration. To take an example:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > in dts: reg = <0x1000 0x100> <0x4000 0x300>;
> > > > > > In YAML I'm encoding as:   reg: [ [0x1000, 0x100], [0x4000, 0x300] ]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > in dts: compatible = "acme,uart9000", "ns16550"
> > > > > > is in YAML: compatible: [ "acme,uart9000", "ns16550"]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > in dts: #size-cells = <1>;
> > > > > > in YAML: "#size-cells": [ [ 1 ] ]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > in dts: uint16-prop = /bits/ 16 <31>;
> > > > > > in YAML: uint16-prop: [ !uint16 [31] ]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I'm not allowing anything outside that pattern. So, the following are
> > > > > > all disallowed currently:
> > > > > > reg: [0x1000, 0x100, 0x4000, 0x300] /* integers need to be in a list -
> > > > > > maps to <...> in dts */
> > > > > > compatible: "ns16550" /* not encoded into list */
> > > > > > reg: [ [ [0x4, 0xffff0000], 0x80000], [ [0x4, 0xfffe0000], 0x40000] ]
> > > > > > /* Triple nesting not allowed*/
> > > > >
> > > > > Sorry, I meant to make a comment on this months ago, but never got
> > > > > around to it.  In terms of the immediate problem here, this seems like
> > > > > a reasonable approach.  However, it kind of underscores the lingering
> > > > > worries I have about using YAML as a DT encoding format.  In the
> > > > > JSON/YAML world, 1 and [ [ 1 ] ] are different things, and using the
> > > > > later as a way of encoding what's essentially a plain integer would be
> > > > > pretty perverse.
> > > >
> > > > For the schema, I've taken the approach of converting single values to
> > > > arrays/matrices within the validation tools. Otherwise, we end up with
> > > > a lot of boilerplate in schema docs.
> > >
> > > Right, I'm not surprised you needed that.
> > >
> > > > > So, I'm concerned that if we have YAML front-and-centre to the user,
> > > > > it will be pretty misleading as to what is and isn't possible.
> > > >
> > > > I would like to make the YAML encoding just an intermediate format to
> > > > use for validation purposes.
> > >
> > > Yeah, I think that's a safer approach.
> > >
> > > > This would give us some flexibility
> > > > versus having a fixed format that's set in stone. And we wouldn't need
> > > > to figure out support such as includes, /directives/, etc. or support
> > > > YAML input. So how do we support YAML in dtc and not make it
> > > > front-and-centre?
> > >
> > > Right, which I think amounts to not encouraging its use as an actual
> > > source format.
> >
> > Lack of input support in dtc will do that. I'm using it as a source
> > format currently for test cases, but those could easily be converted
> > to dts.

Fair enough.

> > > A few things to consider:
> > >    * Maybe use plain JSON instead of YAML as our intermediate
> > >      validation format - it's intended more for machines than humans
> >
> > It's an easy switch on the validation side since the python
> > representations are the same. It will be more work switching dtc as C
> > libraries don't have a common representation.
> >
> > If the output was completely hidden, then it really wouldn't matter.
> > But for debugging purposes, a human may be looking at the output, so I
> > think it would be better to use YAML everywhere than a mixture. It's
> > not exactly hard to understand JSON, but it is potentially one more
> > thing for people.

Hm, if it's just for using during debugging, I'm not convinced that's
a big deal.

> > I've thought some about using JSON already because I also output the
> > processed schema docs to speed up the validation. I thought using JSON
> > may have been a little faster, but I did some tests and didn't find
> > any significant difference.
> >
> > >    * Don't put much effort into pretty printing the JSON / YAML, as
> > >      long as it's parseable by the validation chain
> >
> > JSON can't have comments. So we wouldn't be able to add source
> > annotations. Though, I don't think libyaml gives us a way to add
> > comments anyways. So, I guess we're not putting any effort into
> > prettying printing.

Yeah, the lack of comments is pretty annoying.

> Another issue with using JSON is only YAML supports tags (!u8, !u16,
> etc.). Though currently for validation that information is just
> stripped and I'm not exactly sure how we'd use and check it. The
> schema would need to specify the type and we'd need to somehow
> maintain the size info in Python. Maybe Grant had some idea...

Ah, true.

-- 
David Gibson			| I'll have my music baroque, and my code
david AT gibson.dropbear.id.au	| minimalist, thank you.  NOT _the_ _other_
				| _way_ _around_!
http://www.ozlabs.org/~dgibson

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