xref: /arkcompiler/runtime_core/docs/runtime-class.md

# Runtime class

Panda runtime uses `panda::Class` to store all necessary language independent information about class. Virtual table and region for static fields are embedded to the `panda::Class` object so it has variable size. To get fast access to them `Class Word` field of the object header points to the instance of this class. `ClassLinker::GetClass` also return an instance of the `panda::Class`.

Pointer to the managed class object (instance of `panda.Class` or other in case of plugin-related code) can be obtained using `panda::Class::GetManagedObject` method:

```cpp
panda::Class *cls = obj->ClassAddr()->GetManagedObject();
```

We store common runtime information separately from managed object to give more flexebility for its layout. Disadvantage of this approach is that we need additional dereference to get `panda::Class` from mirror class and vice versa. But we can use composition to reduce number of additional dereferencies. For example:

```cpp
namespace panda::coretypes {
class Class : public ObjectHeader {

    ... // Mirror fields

    panda::Class klass_;
};
}  // namespace panda::coretypes
```

In this case layout of the `coretypes::Class` will be following:


    mirror class (`coretypes::Class`) --------> +------------------+ <-+
                                                |    `Mark Word`   |   |
                                                |    `Class Word`  |-----+
                                                +------------------+   | |
                                                |   Mirror fields  |   | |
        panda class (`panda::Class`) ---------> +------------------+ <-|-+
                                                |      ...         |   |
                                                | `Managed Object` |---+
                                                |      ...         |
                                                +------------------+

Note: as `panda::Class` object has variable size it must be last in the mirror class.

Such layout allows to get pointer to the `panda::Class` object from the `coretypes::Class` one and vice versa without dereferencies if we know language context and it's constant (some language specific code):

```cpp
auto *managed_class_obj = coretypes::Class::FromRuntimeClass(klass);
...
auto *runtime_class = managed_class_obj->GetRuntimeClass();
```

Where `coretypes::Class::FromRuntimeClass` and `coretypes::Class::GetRuntimeClass` are implemented in the following way:


```cpp
namespace panda::coretypes {
class Class : public ObjectHeader {
    ...

    panda::Class *GetRuntimeClass() {
        return &klass_;
    }

    static constexpr size_t GetRuntimeClassOffset() {
        return MEMBER_OFFSET(Class, klass_);
    }

    static Class *FromRuntimeClass(panda::Class *klass) {
        return reinterpret_cast<Class *>(reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(klass) - GetRuntimeClassOffset());
    }

    ...
};
}  // namespace panda::coretypes
```

In common places where language context can be different we can use `panda::Class::GetManagedObject`. For example:

```cpp
auto *managed_class_obj = klass->GetManagedObject();
ObjectLock lock(managed_class_obj);
```

Instead of

```cpp
ObjectHeader *managed_class_obj;
switch (klass->GetSourceLang()) {
    case PANDA_ASSEMBLY: {
        managed_class_obj = coretypes::Class::FromRuntimeClass(klass);
        break;
    }
    case PLUGIN_SOURCE_LANG: {
        managed_class_obj = plugin::JClass::FromRuntimeClass(klass);
        break;
    }
    ...
}
ObjectLock lock(managed_class_obj);
```