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<!-- toc -->
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In the previous chapters, we saw how the AST is built with all macros expanded.
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We saw how doing that requires doing some name resolution to resolve imports
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and macro names. In this chapter, we show how this is actually done and more.
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In the previous chapters, we saw how the [*Abstract Syntax Tree* (`AST`)][ast]
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is built with all `macros` expanded. We saw how doing that requires doing some
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name resolution to resolve imports and `macro` names. In this chapter, we show
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how this is actually done and more.
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In fact, we don't do full name resolution during macro expansion -- we only
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resolve imports and macros at that time. This is required to know what to even
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expand. Later, after we have the whole AST, we do full name resolution to
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[ast]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_syntax_tree
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In fact, we don't do full name resolution during `macro` expansion -- we only
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resolve imports and `macros` at that time. This is required to know what to even
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expand. Later, after we have the whole `AST`, we do full name resolution to
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resolve all names in the crate. This happens in [`rustc_resolve::late`][late].
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Unlike during macro expansion, in this late expansion, we only need to try to
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Unlike during `macro` expansion, in this late expansion, we only need to try to
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resolve a name once, since no new names can be added. If we fail to resolve a
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name now, then it is a compiler error.
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Name resolution can be complex. There are a few different namespaces (e.g.
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macros, values, types, lifetimes), and names may be valid at different (nested)
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scopes. Also, different types of names can fail to be resolved differently, and
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failures can happen differently at different scopes. For example, for a module
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scope, failure means no unexpanded macros and no unresolved glob imports in
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that module. On the other hand, in a function body, failure requires that a
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name, then it is a compiler error.
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Name resolution can be complex. There are different namespaces (e.g.
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`macros`, values, types, lifetimes), and names may be valid at different (nested)
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scopes. Also, different types of names can fail resolution differently, and
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failures can happen differently at different scopes. For example, in a module
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scope, failure means no unexpanded `macros` and no unresolved glob imports in
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that module. On the other hand, in a function body scope, failure requires that a
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name be absent from the block we are in, all outer scopes, and the global
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scope.
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[late]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/late/index.html
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## Basics
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In our programs we can refer to variables, types, functions, etc, by giving them
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In our programs we refer to variables, types, functions, etc, by giving them
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a name. These names are not always unique. For example, take this valid Rust
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program:
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let y: x = 2;
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```
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How do we know on line 3 whether `x` is a type (u32) or a value (1)? These
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How do we know on line 3 whether `x` is a type (`u32`) or a value (1)? These
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conflicts are resolved during name resolution. In this specific case, name
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resolution defines that type names and variable names live in separate
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namespaces and therefore can co-exist.
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The name resolution in Rust is a two-phase process. In the first phase, which runs
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during macro expansion, we build a tree of modules and resolve imports. Macro
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during `macro` expansion, we build a tree of modules and resolve imports. Macro
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expansion and name resolution communicate with each other via the
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[`ResolverAstLoweringExt`] trait.
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The input to the second phase is the syntax tree, produced by parsing input
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files and expanding macros. This phase produces links from all the names in the
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files and expanding `macros`. This phase produces links from all the names in the
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source to relevant places where the name was introduced. It also generates
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helpful error messages, like typo suggestions, traits to import or lints about
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helpful error messages, like typo suggestions, `trait`s to import or lints about
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unused items.
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A successful run of the second phase ([`Resolver::resolve_crate`]) creates kind
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of an index the rest of the compilation may use to ask about the present names
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(through the `hir::lowering::Resolver` interface).
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The name resolution lives in the `rustc_resolve` crate, with the meat in
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The name resolution lives in the [`rustc_resolve`] crate, with the bulk in
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`lib.rs` and some helpers or symbol-type specific logic in the other modules.
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[`Resolver::resolve_crate`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/struct.Resolver.html#method.resolve_crate
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[`ResolverAstLoweringExt`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_ast_lowering/trait.ResolverAstLoweringExt.html
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[`rustc_resolve`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/index.html
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## Namespaces
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Different kind of symbols live in different namespaces ‒ e.g. types don't
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clash with variables. This usually doesn't happen, because variables start with
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lower-case letter while types with upper case one, but this is only a
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convention. This is legal Rust code that'll compile (with warnings):
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lower-case letter while types with upper-case one, but this is only a
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convention. This is legal Rust code that will compile (with warnings):
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```rust
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type x = u32;
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them.
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In other words, when the code talks about namespaces, it doesn't mean the module
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hierarchy, it's types vs. values vs. macros.
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hierarchy, it's types vs. values vs. `macros`.
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## Scopes and ribs
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A name is visible only in certain area in the source code. This forms a
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hierarchical structure, but not necessarily a simple one ‒ if one scope is
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part of another, it doesn't mean the name visible in the outer one is also
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visible in the inner one, or that it refers to the same thing.
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part of another, it doesn't mean a name visible in the outer scope is also
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visible in the inner scope, or that it refers to the same thing.
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To cope with that, the compiler introduces the concept of Ribs. This is
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To cope with that, the compiler introduces the concept of [`Rib`]s. This is
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an abstraction of a scope. Every time the set of visible names potentially changes,
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a new rib is pushed onto a stack. The places where this can happen include for
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a new [`Rib`] is pushed onto a stack. The places where this can happen include for
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example:
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[`Rib`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/late/struct.Rib.html
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* The obvious places ‒ curly braces enclosing a block, function boundaries,
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modules.
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* Introducing a let binding ‒ this can shadow another binding with the same
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* Introducing a `let` binding ‒ this can shadow another binding with the same
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name.
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* Macro expansion border ‒ to cope with macro hygiene.
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* Macro expansion border ‒ to cope with `macro` hygiene.
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When searching for a name, the stack of ribs is traversed from the innermost
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When searching for a name, the stack of [`ribs`] is traversed from the innermost
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outwards. This helps to find the closest meaning of the name (the one not
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shadowed by anything else). The transition to outer rib may also affect
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what names are usable ‒ if there are nested functions (not closures),
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shadowed by anything else). The transition to outer [`Rib`] may also affect
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what names are usable ‒ if there are nested functions (not `closure`s),
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the inner one can't access parameters and local bindings of the outer one,
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even though they should be visible by ordinary scoping rules. An example:
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[`ribs`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/late/struct.LateResolutionVisitor.html#structfield.ribs
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```rust
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fn do_something<T: Default>(val: T) { // <- New rib in both types and values (1)
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// `val` is accessible, as is the helper function
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```
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Because the rules for different namespaces are a bit different, each namespace
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has its own independent rib stack that is constructed in parallel to the others.
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In addition, there's also a rib stack for local labels (e.g. names of loops or
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has its own independent [`Rib`] stack that is constructed in parallel to the others.
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In addition, there's also a [`Rib`] stack for local labels (e.g. names of loops or
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blocks), which isn't a full namespace in its own right.
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## Overall strategy
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To perform the name resolution of the whole crate, the syntax tree is traversed
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top-down and every encountered name is resolved. This works for most kinds of
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names, because at the point of use of a name it is already introduced in the Rib
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names, because at the point of use of a name it is already introduced in the [`Rib`]
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hierarchy.
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There are some exceptions to this. Items are bit tricky, because they can be
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used even before encountered ‒ therefore every block needs to be first scanned
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for items to fill in its Rib.
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for items to fill in its [`Rib`].
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Other, even more problematic ones, are imports which need recursive fixed-point
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resolution and macros, that need to be resolved and expanded before the rest of
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resolution and `macros`, that need to be resolved and expanded before the rest of
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the code can be processed.
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Therefore, the resolution is performed in multiple stages.
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## Speculative crate loading
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To give useful errors, rustc suggests importing paths into scope if they're
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To give useful errors, `rustc` suggests importing paths into scope if they're
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not found. How does it do this? It looks through every module of every crate
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and looks for possible matches. This even includes crates that haven't yet
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been loaded!
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Loading crates for import suggestions that haven't yet been loaded is called
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_speculative crate loading_, because any errors it encounters shouldn't be
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reported: resolve decided to load them, not the user. The function that does
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this is `lookup_import_candidates` and lives in
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`rustc_resolve/src/diagnostics.rs`.
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Eagerly loading crates to include import suggestions that haven't yet been
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loaded is called _speculative crate loading_, because any errors it encounters
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shouldn't be reported: [`rustc_resolve`] decided to load them, not the user. The function
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that does this is [`lookup_import_candidates`] and lives in
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[`rustc_resolve::diagnostics`].
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[`rustc_resolve`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/index.html
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[`lookup_import_candidates`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/struct.Resolver.html#method.lookup_import_candidates
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[`rustc_resolve::diagnostics`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_resolve/diagnostics/index.html
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To tell the difference between speculative loads and loads initiated by the
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user, resolve passes around a `record_used` parameter, which is `false` when
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user, [`rustc_resolve`] passes around a `record_used` parameter, which is `false` when
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the load is speculative.
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## TODO: [#16](https://github.com/rust-lang/rustc-dev-guide/issues/16)
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<!-- ## TODO: [#16](https://github.com/rust-lang/rustc-dev-guide/issues/16)
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This is a result of the first pass of learning the code. It is definitely
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incomplete and not detailed enough. It also might be inaccurate in places.
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* The overall strategy description is a bit vague.
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* Where does the name `Rib` come from?
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* Does this thing have its own tests, or is it tested only as part of some e2e
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testing?
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testing? -->

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