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# Adding a new lint
You are probably here because you want to add a new lint to Clippy. If this is
the first time you're contributing to Clippy, this document guides you through
creating an example lint from scratch.
To get started, we will create a lint that detects functions called `foo`,
because that's clearly a non-descriptive name.
- [Adding a new lint](#adding-a-new-lint)
- [Setup](#setup)
- [Getting Started](#getting-started)
- [Testing](#testing)
- [Rustfix tests](#rustfix-tests)
- [Edition 2018 tests](#edition-2018-tests)
- [Testing manually](#testing-manually)
- [Lint declaration](#lint-declaration)
- [Lint passes](#lint-passes)
- [Emitting a lint](#emitting-a-lint)
- [Adding the lint logic](#adding-the-lint-logic)
- [Author lint](#author-lint)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Running rustfmt](#running-rustfmt)
- [Debugging](#debugging)
- [PR Checklist](#pr-checklist)
- [Cheatsheet](#cheatsheet)
## Setup
See the [Basics](basics.md#get-the-code) documentation.
## Getting Started
There is a bit of boilerplate code that needs to be set up when creating a new
lint. Fortunately, you can use the clippy dev tools to handle this for you. We
are naming our new lint `foo_functions` (lints are generally written in snake
case), and we don't need type information so it will have an early pass type
(more on this later on). If you're not sure if the name you chose fits the lint,
take a look at our [lint naming guidelines][lint_naming]. To get started on this
lint you can run `cargo dev new_lint --name=foo_functions --pass=early
--category=pedantic` (category will default to nursery if not provided). This
command will create two files: `tests/ui/foo_functions.rs` and
`clippy_lints/src/foo_functions.rs`, as well as run `cargo dev update_lints` to
register the new lint. For cargo lints, two project hierarchies (fail/pass) will
be created by default under `tests/ui-cargo`.
Next, we'll open up these files and add our lint!
## Testing
Let's write some tests first that we can execute while we iterate on our lint.
Clippy uses UI tests for testing. UI tests check that the output of Clippy is
exactly as expected. Each test is just a plain Rust file that contains the code
we want to check. The output of Clippy is compared against a `.stderr` file.
Note that you don't have to create this file yourself, we'll get to
generating the `.stderr` files further down.
We start by opening the test file created at `tests/ui/foo_functions.rs`.
Update the file with some examples to get started:
```rust
#![warn(clippy::foo_functions)]
// Impl methods
struct A;
impl A {
pub fn fo(&self) {}
pub fn foo(&self) {}
pub fn food(&self) {}
}
// Default trait methods
trait B {
fn fo(&self) {}
fn foo(&self) {}
fn food(&self) {}
}
// Plain functions
fn fo() {}
fn foo() {}
fn food() {}
fn main() {
// We also don't want to lint method calls
foo();
let a = A;
a.foo();
}
```
Now we can run the test with `TESTNAME=foo_functions cargo uitest`,
currently this test is meaningless though.
While we are working on implementing our lint, we can keep running the UI
test. That allows us to check if the output is turning into what we want.
Once we are satisfied with the output, we need to run
`tests/ui/update-all-references.sh` to update the `.stderr` file for our lint.
Please note that, we should run `TESTNAME=foo_functions cargo uitest`
every time before running `tests/ui/update-all-references.sh`.
Running `TESTNAME=foo_functions cargo uitest` should pass then. When we commit
our lint, we need to commit the generated `.stderr` files, too. In general, you
should only commit files changed by `tests/ui/update-all-references.sh` for the
specific lint you are creating/editing. Note that if the generated files are
empty, they should be removed.
### Cargo lints
For cargo lints, the process of testing differs in that we are interested in
the `Cargo.toml` manifest file. We also need a minimal crate associated
with that manifest.
If our new lint is named e.g. `foo_categories`, after running `cargo dev new_lint`
we will find by default two new crates, each with its manifest file:
* `tests/ui-cargo/foo_categories/fail/Cargo.toml`: this file should cause the new lint to raise an error.
* `tests/ui-cargo/foo_categories/pass/Cargo.toml`: this file should not trigger the lint.
If you need more cases, you can copy one of those crates (under `foo_categories`) and rename it.
The process of generating the `.stderr` file is the same, and prepending the `TESTNAME`
variable to `cargo uitest` works too, but the script to update the references
is in another path: `tests/ui-cargo/update-all-references.sh`.
## Rustfix tests
If the lint you are working on is making use of structured suggestions, the
test file should include a `// run-rustfix` comment at the top. This will
additionally run [rustfix] for that test. Rustfix will apply the suggestions
from the lint to the code of the test file and compare that to the contents of
a `.fixed` file.
Use `tests/ui/update-all-references.sh` to automatically generate the
`.fixed` file after running the tests.
[rustfix]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rustfix
## Edition 2018 tests
Some features require the 2018 edition to work (e.g. `async_await`), but
compile-test tests run on the 2015 edition by default. To change this behavior
add `// edition:2018` at the top of the test file (note that it's space-sensitive).
## Testing manually
Manually testing against an example file can be useful if you have added some
`println!`s and the test suite output becomes unreadable. To try Clippy with
your local modifications, run `env CLIPPY_TESTS=true cargo run --bin
clippy-driver -- -L ./target/debug input.rs` from the working copy root.
With tests in place, let's have a look at implementing our lint now.
## Lint declaration
Let's start by opening the new file created in the `clippy_lints` crate
at `clippy_lints/src/foo_functions.rs`. That's the crate where all the
lint code is. This file has already imported some initial things we will need:
```rust
use rustc_lint::{EarlyLintPass, EarlyContext};
use rustc_session::{declare_lint_pass, declare_tool_lint};
use rustc_ast::ast::*;
```
The next step is to update the lint declaration. Lints are declared using the
[`declare_clippy_lint!`][declare_clippy_lint] macro, and we just need to update
the auto-generated lint declaration to have a real description, something like this:
```rust
declare_clippy_lint! {
/// **What it does:**
///
/// **Why is this bad?**
///
/// **Known problems:** None.
///
/// **Example:**
///
/// ```rust
/// // example code
/// ```
pub FOO_FUNCTIONS,
pedantic,
"function named `foo`, which is not a descriptive name"
}
```
* The section of lines prefixed with `///` constitutes the lint documentation
section. This is the default documentation style and will be displayed
[like this][example_lint_page]. To render and open this documentation locally
in a browser, run `cargo dev serve`.
* `FOO_FUNCTIONS` is the name of our lint. Be sure to follow the
[lint naming guidelines][lint_naming] here when naming your lint.
In short, the name should state the thing that is being checked for and
read well when used with `allow`/`warn`/`deny`.
* `pedantic` sets the lint level to `Allow`.
The exact mapping can be found [here][category_level_mapping]
* The last part should be a text that explains what exactly is wrong with the
code
The rest of this file contains an empty implementation for our lint pass,
which in this case is `EarlyLintPass` and should look like this:
```rust
// clippy_lints/src/foo_functions.rs
// .. imports and lint declaration ..
declare_lint_pass!(FooFunctions => [FOO_FUNCTIONS]);
impl EarlyLintPass for FooFunctions {}
```
Normally after declaring the lint, we have to run `cargo dev update_lints`,
which updates some files, so Clippy knows about the new lint. Since we used
`cargo dev new_lint ...` to generate the lint declaration, this was done
automatically. While `update_lints` automates most of the things, it doesn't
automate everything. We will have to register our lint pass manually in the
`register_plugins` function in `clippy_lints/src/lib.rs`:
```rust
store.register_early_pass(|| box foo_functions::FooFunctions);
```
As one may expect, there is a corresponding `register_late_pass` method
available as well. Without a call to one of `register_early_pass` or
`register_late_pass`, the lint pass in question will not be run.
One reason that `cargo dev` does not automate this step is that multiple lints
can use the same lint pass, so registering the lint pass may already be done
when adding a new lint. Another reason that this step is not automated is that
the order that the passes are registered determines the order the passes
actually run, which in turn affects the order that any emitted lints are output
in.
[declare_clippy_lint]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-clippy/blob/557f6848bd5b7183f55c1e1522a326e9e1df6030/clippy_lints/src/lib.rs#L60
[example_lint_page]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#redundant_closure
[lint_naming]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rfcs/0344-conventions-galore.html#lints
[category_level_mapping]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-clippy/blob/557f6848bd5b7183f55c1e1522a326e9e1df6030/clippy_lints/src/lib.rs#L110
## Lint passes
Writing a lint that only checks for the name of a function means that we only
have to deal with the AST and don't have to deal with the type system at all.
This is good, because it makes writing this particular lint less complicated.
We have to make this decision with every new Clippy lint. It boils down to using
either [`EarlyLintPass`][early_lint_pass] or [`LateLintPass`][late_lint_pass].
In short, the `LateLintPass` has access to type information while the
`EarlyLintPass` doesn't. If you don't need access to type information, use the
`EarlyLintPass`. The `EarlyLintPass` is also faster. However linting speed
hasn't really been a concern with Clippy so far.
Since we don't need type information for checking the function name, we used
`--pass=early` when running the new lint automation and all the imports were
added accordingly.
[early_lint_pass]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_lint/trait.EarlyLintPass.html
[late_lint_pass]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_lint/trait.LateLintPass.html
## Emitting a lint
With UI tests and the lint declaration in place, we can start working on the
implementation of the lint logic.
Let's start by implementing the `EarlyLintPass` for our `FooFunctions`:
```rust
impl EarlyLintPass for FooFunctions {
fn check_fn(&mut self, cx: &EarlyContext<'_>, fn_kind: FnKind<'_>, span: Span, _: NodeId) {
// TODO: Emit lint here
}
}
```
We implement the [`check_fn`][check_fn] method from the
[`EarlyLintPass`][early_lint_pass] trait. This gives us access to various
information about the function that is currently being checked. More on that in
the next section. Let's worry about the details later and emit our lint for
*every* function definition first.
Depending on how complex we want our lint message to be, we can choose from a
variety of lint emission functions. They can all be found in
[`clippy_lints/src/utils/diagnostics.rs`][diagnostics].
`span_lint_and_help` seems most appropriate in this case. It allows us to
provide an extra help message and we can't really suggest a better name
automatically. This is how it looks:
```rust
impl EarlyLintPass for FooFunctions {
fn check_fn(&mut self, cx: &EarlyContext<'_>, fn_kind: FnKind<'_>, span: Span, _: NodeId) {
span_lint_and_help(
cx,
FOO_FUNCTIONS,
span,
"function named `foo`",
None,
"consider using a more meaningful name"
);
}
}
```
Running our UI test should now produce output that contains the lint message.
According to [the rustc-dev-guide], the text should be matter of fact and avoid
capitalization and periods, unless multiple sentences are needed.
When code or an identifier must appear in a message or label, it should be
surrounded with single grave accents \`.
[check_fn]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_lint/trait.EarlyLintPass.html#method.check_fn
[diagnostics]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-clippy/blob/master/clippy_lints/src/utils/diagnostics.rs
[the rustc-dev-guide]: https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/diagnostics.html
## Adding the lint logic
Writing the logic for your lint will most likely be different from our example,
so this section is kept rather short.
Using the [`check_fn`][check_fn] method gives us access to [`FnKind`][fn_kind]
that has the [`FnKind::Fn`] variant. It provides access to the name of the
function/method via an [`Ident`][ident].
With that we can expand our `check_fn` method to:
```rust
impl EarlyLintPass for FooFunctions {
fn check_fn(&mut self, cx: &EarlyContext<'_>, fn_kind: FnKind<'_>, span: Span, _: NodeId) {
if is_foo_fn(fn_kind) {
span_lint_and_help(
cx,
FOO_FUNCTIONS,
span,
"function named `foo`",
None,
"consider using a more meaningful name"
);
}
}
}
```
We separate the lint conditional from the lint emissions because it makes the
code a bit easier to read. In some cases this separation would also allow to
write some unit tests (as opposed to only UI tests) for the separate function.
In our example, `is_foo_fn` looks like:
```rust
// use statements, impl EarlyLintPass, check_fn, ..
fn is_foo_fn(fn_kind: FnKind<'_>) -> bool {
match fn_kind {
FnKind::Fn(_, ident, ..) => {
// check if `fn` name is `foo`
ident.name.as_str() == "foo"
}
// ignore closures
FnKind::Closure(..) => false
}
}
```
Now we should also run the full test suite with `cargo test`. At this point
running `cargo test` should produce the expected output. Remember to run
`tests/ui/update-all-references.sh` to update the `.stderr` file.
`cargo test` (as opposed to `cargo uitest`) will also ensure that our lint
implementation is not violating any Clippy lints itself.
That should be it for the lint implementation. Running `cargo test` should now
pass.
[fn_kind]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_ast/visit/enum.FnKind.html
[`FnKind::Fn`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_ast/visit/enum.FnKind.html#variant.Fn
[ident]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_span/symbol/struct.Ident.html
## Author lint
If you have trouble implementing your lint, there is also the internal `author`
lint to generate Clippy code that detects the offending pattern. It does not
work for all of the Rust syntax, but can give a good starting point.
The quickest way to use it, is the
[Rust playground: play.rust-lang.org][author_example].
Put the code you want to lint into the editor and add the `#[clippy::author]`
attribute above the item. Then run Clippy via `Tools -> Clippy` and you should
see the generated code in the output below.
[Here][author_example] is an example on the playground.
If the command was executed successfully, you can copy the code over to where
you are implementing your lint.
[author_example]: https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=nightly&mode=debug&edition=2018&gist=9a12cb60e5c6ad4e3003ac6d5e63cf55
## Documentation
The final thing before submitting our PR is to add some documentation to our
lint declaration.
Please document your lint with a doc comment akin to the following:
```rust
declare_clippy_lint! {
/// **What it does:** Checks for ... (describe what the lint matches).
///
/// **Why is this bad?** Supply the reason for linting the code.
///
/// **Known problems:** None. (Or describe where it could go wrong.)
///
/// **Example:**
///
/// ```rust,ignore
/// // Bad
/// Insert a short example of code that triggers the lint
///
/// // Good
/// Insert a short example of improved code that doesn't trigger the lint
/// ```
pub FOO_FUNCTIONS,
pedantic,
"function named `foo`, which is not a descriptive name"
}
```
Once your lint is merged, this documentation will show up in the [lint
list][lint_list].
[lint_list]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html
## Running rustfmt
[Rustfmt] is a tool for formatting Rust code according to style guidelines.
Your code has to be formatted by `rustfmt` before a PR can be merged.
Clippy uses nightly `rustfmt` in the CI.
It can be installed via `rustup`:
```bash
rustup component add rustfmt --toolchain=nightly
```
Use `cargo dev fmt` to format the whole codebase. Make sure that `rustfmt` is
installed for the nightly toolchain.
[Rustfmt]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rustfmt
## Debugging
If you want to debug parts of your lint implementation, you can use the [`dbg!`]
macro anywhere in your code. Running the tests should then include the debug
output in the `stdout` part.
[`dbg!`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/macro.dbg.html
## PR Checklist
Before submitting your PR make sure you followed all of the basic requirements:
<!-- Sync this with `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE` -->
- \[ ] Followed [lint naming conventions][lint_naming]
- \[ ] Added passing UI tests (including committed `.stderr` file)
- \[ ] `cargo test` passes locally
- \[ ] Executed `cargo dev update_lints`
- \[ ] Added lint documentation
- \[ ] Run `cargo dev fmt`
## Cheatsheet
Here are some pointers to things you are likely going to need for every lint:
* [Clippy utils][utils] - Various helper functions. Maybe the function you need
is already in here (`implements_trait`, `match_path`, `snippet`, etc)
* [Clippy diagnostics][diagnostics]
* [The `if_chain` macro][if_chain]
* [`from_expansion`][from_expansion] and [`in_external_macro`][in_external_macro]
* [`Span`][span]
* [`Applicability`][applicability]
* [Common tools for writing lints](common_tools_writing_lints.md) helps with common operations
* [The rustc-dev-guide][rustc-dev-guide] explains a lot of internal compiler concepts
* [The nightly rustc docs][nightly_docs] which has been linked to throughout
this guide
For `EarlyLintPass` lints:
* [`EarlyLintPass`][early_lint_pass]
* [`rustc_ast::ast`][ast]
For `LateLintPass` lints:
* [`LateLintPass`][late_lint_pass]
* [`Ty::TyKind`][ty]
While most of Clippy's lint utils are documented, most of rustc's internals lack
documentation currently. This is unfortunate, but in most cases you can probably
get away with copying things from existing similar lints. If you are stuck,
don't hesitate to ask on [Zulip] or in the issue/PR.
[utils]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-clippy/blob/master/clippy_lints/src/utils/mod.rs
[if_chain]: https://docs.rs/if_chain/*/if_chain/
[from_expansion]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_span/struct.Span.html#method.from_expansion
[in_external_macro]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_middle/lint/fn.in_external_macro.html
[span]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_span/struct.Span.html
[applicability]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_errors/enum.Applicability.html
[rustc-dev-guide]: https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/
[nightly_docs]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_middle/
[ast]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_ast/ast/index.html
[ty]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/nightly-rustc/rustc_middle/ty/sty/index.html
[Zulip]: https://rust-lang.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/clippy
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