Delphi: ^TNodeData incompatible with PNodeData – {$T+} versus {$T-}
Posted by jpluimers on 2017/11/14
In my Turbo Pascal days, I was fan of the {$T+} directive (now a.k.a TypedAddress on) as it would make the @ operator return typed pointers and the compiler would be more strict in forcing checks on pointer types to be compatible.
Not so much in Delphi any more, see the below comment on in a G+ thread on Delphi pointer type compatibility [WayBack] by David Millington from Embarcadero.
Basically we’re stuck with {$T-} which is a double edged sword:
- on the one hand it forces you to ensure your typed pointers are always the same actual type (so you need to define a type like
PNodeDataonce and use it everywhere) - on the other hand it still allows the generic Pointer type to be compatible with typed pointers which means people use that and will not have the benefit of typed pointer checking
So the question is why is
PNodeDatadifferent to^TNodeData? These two pages have the answer:
- “Two distinct types are compatible if they satisfy at least one of the following conditions:
… (snip)- One type is Pointer (an untyped pointer) and the other is any pointer type.
- Both types are (typed) pointers to the same type and the
{$T+}compiler directive is in effect.”[WayBack] http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Berlin/en/Type_Compatibility_and_Identity_(Delphi)#Type_Compatibility
That line about
$T+is key; it’s the “Typed@operator” compiler option which is off by default. “In the{$T-}state, distinct pointer types other than Pointer are incompatible (even if they are pointers to the same type)”. So with that off,PNodeDataand^TNodeDataare different.[WayBack] http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/en/Type-checked_pointers_(Delphi)
The best solution is to define
PNodeData, as you’ve done, and use it everywhere.
What David fails to mention there, and I added as a commen later is this:
The problem
$Tis that it’s a two-edged sword as it makes code that looks valid fail to compile because the compiler in the$T+state (a.k.a.$TypedAddresson state) never got updated to:
- handle
@to anarraycreates a pointer to the element of that array- handle
@toresourcestringsto becomePResStringRec(and likely more examples)Which means the below programs fail to compile.
The alternative (adding way more
{$T+}compatible overloads to the RTL/VCL/FMX) was never done either, so now we’re stuck with{$T-}
Array of char example:
program TypedAddressDirectiveWithCharArrays;
{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}
{$TypedAddress on}
uses
Winapi.Windows;
var
TimeZone: string;
TZ: TTimeZoneInformation;
begin
TimeZone := 'Coordinated Universal Time';
StringToWideChar(TimeZone, @(TZ.StandardName), SizeOf(TZ.StandardName) div SizeOf(WideChar));
end.
(*
[dcc32 Error] TypedAddressDirectiveWithCharArrays.dpr(16): E2010 Incompatible types: 'PWideChar' and 'Pointer'
In the System unit:
implicit types:
PWideChar = WideChar;
PChar = PWideChar
explicit:
function StringToWideChar(const Source: UnicodeString; Dest: PWideChar; DestSize: Integer): PWideChar;
In the Winapi.Windows unit:
type
WCHAR = WideChar;
PTimeZoneInformation = ^TTimeZoneInformation;
_TIME_ZONE_INFORMATION = record
Bias: Longint;
StandardName: array[0..31] of WCHAR;
StandardDate: TSystemTime;
StandardBias: Longint;
DaylightName: array[0..31] of WCHAR;
DaylightDate: TSystemTime;
DaylightBias: Longint;
end;
TTimeZoneInformation = _TIME_ZONE_INFORMATION;
TIME_ZONE_INFORMATION = _TIME_ZONE_INFORMATION;
*)
ResourceString example:
program TypedAddressDirectiveWithResourceStrings;
{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}
{$TypedAddress on}
uses
System.SysConst,
System.SysUtils;
procedure RangeError;
begin
raise ERangeError.CreateRes(@SRangeError);
end;
begin
end.
(*
[dcc32 Error] TypedAddressDirectiveWithResourceStrings.dpr(13): E2250 There is no overloaded version of 'CreateRes' that can be called with these arguments
System unit:
type
PResStringRec = ^TResStringRec;
{$IF defined(EXTERNALLINKER)}
TResStringRec = record
Key: MarshaledAString;
end;
{$ELSE}
TResStringRec = packed record
// 32bit = 8 bytes
// 64bit = 16 bytes
Module: ^HMODULE;
Identifier: NativeUint;
end;
{$ENDIF}
System.SysConst unit:
resourcestring
SRangeError = 'Range check error';
SysUtils unit:
constructor Exception.CreateRes(ResStringRec: PResStringRec);
begin
FMessage := LoadResString(ResStringRec);
end;
*)
Source: [WayBack] On Friday I had a brain fade moment (which I don’t seems to have recovered…
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
rvelthuis said
Well, your first example is wrong indeed. It expects a PWideChar, so it should be
StringToWideChar(TimeZone, TZ.StandardName, SizeOf(TZ.StandardName) div SizeOf(WideChar));and that compiles fine. I am pretty sure that the other problems can be solved similarly.rvelthuis said
Or actually even something as simple as:
StringToWideChar(TimeZone, TZ.StandardName, Length(TZ.StandardName));. So don’t blame it on{$T+}, just on bad assumptions.