docs/clang.md

# Clang

[Clang](http://clang.llvm.org/) is a compiler with many desirable features
(outlined on their website).

Chrome can be built with Clang. It is now the default compiler on Mac and Linux
for building Chrome, and it is currently useful for its warning and error
messages on Android and Windows.

See
[the open bugs](http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/list?q=label:clang).

[TOC]

## Build instructions

Get clang (happens automatically during `gclient runhooks` on Mac and Linux):

    tools/clang/scripts/update.sh

(Only needs to be run once per checkout, and clang will be automatically updated
by `gclient runhooks`.)

### Reverting to gcc on linux

We don't have bots that test this, but building with gcc4.8+ should still work
on Linux. If your system gcc is new enough, use this to build with gcc if you
don't want to build with clang:

    GYP_DEFINES=clang=0 build/gyp_chromium

### Ninja

Regenerate the build files (`clang=1` is on by default on Mac and Linux):

If you use gyp: `GYP_DEFINES=clang=1 build/gyp_chromium`

If you use gn, run `gn args` and add `is_clang = true` to your args.gn file.

Build: `ninja -C out/Debug chrome`

## Mailing List

http://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/group/clang/topics

## Using plugins

The
[chromium style plugin](http://dev.chromium.org/developers/coding-style/chromium-style-checker-errors)
is used by default when clang is used.

If you're working on the plugin, you can build it locally like so:

1.  Run `./tools/clang/scripts/update.sh --force-local-build --without-android`
    to build the plugin.
1.  Build with clang like described above.

TODO: writing_clang_plugins does not exist.
To run [other plugins](writing_clang_plugins.md), add these to your
`GYP_DEFINES`:

*   `clang_load`: Absolute path to a dynamic library containing your plugin
*   `clang_add_plugin`: tells clang to run a specific PluginASTAction

So for example, you could use the plugin in this directory with:

*   `GYP_DEFINES='clang=1 clang_load=/path/to/libFindBadConstructs.so
    clang_add_plugin=find-bad-constructs' gclient runhooks`

## Using the clang static analyzer

See [clang_static_analyzer.md](clang_static_analyzer.md).

## Windows

**Experimental!**

clang can be used as compiler on Windows. Clang uses Visual Studio's linker and
SDK, so you still need to have Visual Studio installed.

Things should compile, and all tests should pass. You can check these bots for
how things are currently looking:
http://build.chromium.org/p/chromium.fyi/console?category=win%20clang

``` shell
python tools\clang\scripts\update.py
set GYP_DEFINES=clang=1
python build\gyp_chromium

# or, if you use gn, run `gn args` and add `is_clang = true` to your args.gn
ninja -C out\Debug chrome
```

Current brokenness:

*   Goma doesn't work.
*   Debug info is very limited.
*   To get colored diagnostics, you need to be running
    [ansicon](https://github.com/adoxa/ansicon/releases).

## Using a custom clang binary

If you want to try building Chromium with your own clang binary that you've
already built, set `make_clang_dir` to the directory containing `bin/clang`
(i.e. the directory you ran cmake in, or your `Release+Asserts` folder if you
use the configure/make build). You also need to disable chromium's clang plugin
by setting `clang_use_chrome_plugins=0`, as it likely won't load in your custom
clang binary.

Here's an example that also disables debug info and enables the component build
(both not strictly necessary, but they will speed up your build):

```shell
GYP_DEFINES="clang=1 fastbuild=1 component=shared_library \
clang_use_chrome_plugins=0 make_clang_dir=$HOME/src/llvm-build" \
build/gyp_chromium
```

You can then run `head out/Release/build.ninja` and check that the first to
lines set `cc` and `cxx` to your clang binary. If things look good, run `ninja
-C out/Release` to build.

If your clang revision is very different from the one currently used in chromium

*   Check `tools/clang/scripts/update.sh` to find chromium's clang revision
*   You might have to tweak warning flags. Or you could set `werror=` in the
    line above to disable warnings as errors (but this only works on Linux).