libexpr: introduce arena to hold ExprString strings

1. Saves 24-32 bytes per string (size of std::string)
2. Saves additional bytes by not over-allocating strings (in total we
save ~1% memory)
3. Sets us up to perform a similar transformation on the other Expr
subclasses
4. Makes ExprString trivially moveable (before the string data might
move, causing the Value's pointer to become invalid). This is important
so we can put ExprStrings in an std::vector and refer to them by index

We have introduced a string copy in ParserState::stripIndentation().
This could be removed by pre-allocating the right sized string in the
arena, but this adds complexity and doesn't seem to improve performance,
so for now we've left the copy in.

src/libexpr/eval.cc

@@ -3217,7 +3217,8 @@ Expr * EvalState::parse(
         docComments = &it->second;
     }
 
-    auto result = parseExprFromBuf(text, length, origin, basePath, symbols, settings, positions, *docComments, rootFS);
+    auto result = parseExprFromBuf(
+        text, length, origin, basePath, mem.exprs.alloc, symbols, settings, positions, *docComments, rootFS);
 
     result->bindVars(*this, staticEnv);
 

src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/eval.hh

@@ -355,6 +355,11 @@ public:
         return stats;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Storage for the AST nodes
+     */
+    Exprs exprs;
+
 private:
     Statistics stats;
 };

src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/nixexpr.hh

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 #include <map>
 #include <vector>
+#include <memory_resource>
 
 #include "nix/expr/gc-small-vector.hh"
 #include "nix/expr/value.hh"
@@ -84,6 +85,13 @@ std::string showAttrPath(const SymbolTable & symbols, const AttrPath & attrPath)
 
 using UpdateQueue = SmallTemporaryValueVector<conservativeStackReservation>;
 
+class Exprs
+{
+    std::pmr::monotonic_buffer_resource buffer;
+public:
+    std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> alloc{&buffer};
+};
+
 /* Abstract syntax of Nix expressions. */
 
 struct Expr
@@ -173,13 +181,28 @@ struct ExprFloat : Expr
 
 struct ExprString : Expr
 {
-    std::string s;
     Value v;
 
-    ExprString(std::string && s)
+    /**
-        : s(std::move(s))
+     * This is only for strings already allocated in our polymorphic allocator,
+     * or that live at least that long (e.g. c++ string literals)
+     */
+    ExprString(const char * s)
     {
-        v.mkStringNoCopy(this->s.data());
+        v.mkStringNoCopy(s);
+    };
+
+    ExprString(std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> & alloc, std::string_view sv)
+    {
+        auto len = sv.length();
+        if (len == 0) {
+            v.mkStringNoCopy("");
+            return;
+        }
+        char * s = alloc.allocate(len + 1);
+        sv.copy(s, len);
+        s[len] = '\0';
+        v.mkStringNoCopy(s);
     };
 
     Value * maybeThunk(EvalState & state, Env & env) override;

src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/parser-state.hh

@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ struct LexerState
 struct ParserState
 {
     const LexerState & lexerState;
+    std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> & alloc;
     SymbolTable & symbols;
     PosTable & positions;
     Expr * result;
@@ -327,7 +328,7 @@ ParserState::stripIndentation(const PosIdx pos, std::vector<std::pair<PosIdx, st
 
         // Ignore empty strings for a minor optimisation and AST simplification
         if (s2 != "") {
-            es2->emplace_back(i->first, new ExprString(std::move(s2)));
+            es2->emplace_back(i->first, new ExprString(alloc, s2));
         }
     };
     for (; i != es.end(); ++i, --n) {

src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ void ExprFloat::show(const SymbolTable & symbols, std::ostream & str) const
 
 void ExprString::show(const SymbolTable & symbols, std::ostream & str) const
 {
-    printLiteralString(str, s);
+    printLiteralString(str, v.string_view());
 }
 
 void ExprPath::show(const SymbolTable & symbols, std::ostream & str) const

src/libexpr/parser.y

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ Expr * parseExprFromBuf(
     size_t length,
     Pos::Origin origin,
     const SourcePath & basePath,
+    std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> & alloc,
     SymbolTable & symbols,
     const EvalSettings & settings,
     PosTable & positions,
@@ -134,6 +135,7 @@ static Expr * makeCall(PosIdx pos, Expr * fn, Expr * arg) {
   std::vector<nix::AttrName> * attrNames;
   std::vector<std::pair<nix::AttrName, nix::PosIdx>> * inheritAttrs;
   std::vector<std::pair<nix::PosIdx, nix::Expr *>> * string_parts;
+  std::variant<nix::Expr *, std::string_view> * to_be_string;
   std::vector<std::pair<nix::PosIdx, std::variant<nix::Expr *, nix::StringToken>>> * ind_string_parts;
 }
 
@@ -148,7 +150,8 @@ static Expr * makeCall(PosIdx pos, Expr * fn, Expr * arg) {
 %type <inheritAttrs> attrs
 %type <string_parts> string_parts_interpolated
 %type <ind_string_parts> ind_string_parts
-%type <e> path_start string_parts string_attr
+%type <e> path_start
+%type <to_be_string> string_parts string_attr
 %type <id> attr
 %token <id> ID
 %token <str> STR IND_STR
@@ -303,7 +306,13 @@ expr_simple
   }
   | INT_LIT { $$ = new ExprInt($1); }
   | FLOAT_LIT { $$ = new ExprFloat($1); }
-  | '"' string_parts '"' { $$ = $2; }
+  | '"' string_parts '"' {
+      std::visit(overloaded{
+          [&](std::string_view str) { $$ = new ExprString(state->alloc, str); },
+          [&](Expr * expr) { $$ = expr; }},
+      *$2);
+      delete $2;
+  }
   | IND_STRING_OPEN ind_string_parts IND_STRING_CLOSE {
       $$ = state->stripIndentation(CUR_POS, std::move(*$2));
       delete $2;
@@ -314,11 +323,11 @@ expr_simple
       $$ = new ExprConcatStrings(CUR_POS, false, $2);
   }
   | SPATH {
-      std::string path($1.p + 1, $1.l - 2);
+      std::string_view path($1.p + 1, $1.l - 2);
       $$ = new ExprCall(CUR_POS,
           new ExprVar(state->s.findFile),
           {new ExprVar(state->s.nixPath),
-           new ExprString(std::move(path))});
+           new ExprString(state->alloc, path)});
   }
   | URI {
       static bool noURLLiterals = experimentalFeatureSettings.isEnabled(Xp::NoUrlLiterals);
@@ -327,7 +336,7 @@ expr_simple
               .msg = HintFmt("URL literals are disabled"),
               .pos = state->positions[CUR_POS]
           });
-      $$ = new ExprString(std::string($1));
+      $$ = new ExprString(state->alloc, $1);
   }
   | '(' expr ')' { $$ = $2; }
   /* Let expressions `let {..., body = ...}' are just desugared
@@ -344,19 +353,19 @@ expr_simple
   ;
 
 string_parts
-  : STR { $$ = new ExprString(std::string($1)); }
+  : STR { $$ = new std::variant<Expr *, std::string_view>($1); }
-  | string_parts_interpolated { $$ = new ExprConcatStrings(CUR_POS, true, $1); }
+  | string_parts_interpolated { $$ = new std::variant<Expr *, std::string_view>(new ExprConcatStrings(CUR_POS, true, $1)); }
-  | { $$ = new ExprString(""); }
+  | { $$ = new std::variant<Expr *, std::string_view>(std::string_view()); }
   ;
 
 string_parts_interpolated
   : string_parts_interpolated STR
-  { $$ = $1; $1->emplace_back(state->at(@2), new ExprString(std::string($2))); }
+  { $$ = $1; $1->emplace_back(state->at(@2), new ExprString(state->alloc, $2)); }
   | string_parts_interpolated DOLLAR_CURLY expr '}' { $$ = $1; $1->emplace_back(state->at(@2), $3); }
   | DOLLAR_CURLY expr '}' { $$ = new std::vector<std::pair<PosIdx, Expr *>>; $$->emplace_back(state->at(@1), $2); }
   | STR DOLLAR_CURLY expr '}' {
       $$ = new std::vector<std::pair<PosIdx, Expr *>>;
-      $$->emplace_back(state->at(@1), new ExprString(std::string($1)));
+      $$->emplace_back(state->at(@1), new ExprString(state->alloc, $1));
       $$->emplace_back(state->at(@2), $3);
     }
   ;
@@ -454,16 +463,17 @@ attrs
   : attrs attr { $$ = $1; $1->emplace_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create($2)), state->at(@2)); }
   | attrs string_attr
     { $$ = $1;
-      ExprString * str = dynamic_cast<ExprString *>($2);
+      std::visit(overloaded {
-      if (str) {
+          [&](std::string_view str) { $$->emplace_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str)), state->at(@2)); },
-          $$->emplace_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str->s)), state->at(@2));
+          [&](Expr * expr) {
-          delete str;
-      } else
               throw ParseError({
                   .msg = HintFmt("dynamic attributes not allowed in inherit"),
                   .pos = state->positions[state->at(@2)]
               });
           }
+      }, *$2);
+      delete $2;
+    }
   | { $$ = new std::vector<std::pair<AttrName, PosIdx>>; }
   ;
 
@@ -471,22 +481,20 @@ attrpath
   : attrpath '.' attr { $$ = $1; $1->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create($3))); }
   | attrpath '.' string_attr
     { $$ = $1;
-      ExprString * str = dynamic_cast<ExprString *>($3);
+      std::visit(overloaded {
-      if (str) {
+          [&](std::string_view str) { $$->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str))); },
-          $$->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str->s)));
+          [&](Expr * expr) { $$->push_back(AttrName(expr)); }
-          delete str;
+      }, *$3);
-      } else
+      delete $3;
-          $$->push_back(AttrName($3));
     }
   | attr { $$ = new std::vector<AttrName>; $$->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create($1))); }
   | string_attr
     { $$ = new std::vector<AttrName>;
-      ExprString *str = dynamic_cast<ExprString *>($1);
+      std::visit(overloaded {
-      if (str) {
+          [&](std::string_view str) { $$->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str))); },
-          $$->push_back(AttrName(state->symbols.create(str->s)));
+          [&](Expr * expr) { $$->push_back(AttrName(expr)); }
-          delete str;
+      }, *$1);
-      } else
+      delete $1;
-          $$->push_back(AttrName($1));
     }
   ;
 
@@ -497,7 +505,7 @@ attr
 
 string_attr
   : '"' string_parts '"' { $$ = $2; }
-  | DOLLAR_CURLY expr '}' { $$ = $2; }
+  | DOLLAR_CURLY expr '}' { $$ = new std::variant<Expr *, std::string_view>($2); }
   ;
 
 expr_list
@@ -537,6 +545,7 @@ Expr * parseExprFromBuf(
     size_t length,
     Pos::Origin origin,
     const SourcePath & basePath,
+    std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> & alloc,
     SymbolTable & symbols,
     const EvalSettings & settings,
     PosTable & positions,
@@ -551,6 +560,7 @@ Expr * parseExprFromBuf(
     };
     ParserState state {
         .lexerState = lexerState,
+        .alloc = alloc,
         .symbols = symbols,
         .positions = positions,
         .basePath = basePath,