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  1. MariaDB Server
  2. MDEV-7199

Introduce the concept of data type handlers

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    Description

      This is a pre-requisite task for "MDEV-4912 Add a plugin to field types (column types)".

      While reviewing the prototype patch for MDEV-4912, Sergei suggested
      to modify the code to identify data types in memory using Type_handler pointers,
      instead of a "enum_field_types" value. This will be quite a huge change per se,
      so we'll do it as a separate task and then add the main MDEV-4912 patch on top of that.

      This task include a few steps to introduce the concept of the data type handlers.
      A few ongoing tasks we'll be done later (but before adding MDEV-4912).

      This task will include the following subtasks:

      1. Remove IMPOSSIBLE_RESULT from Item_result. It's an internal server thing
      and is not needed neither on the client side, nor for the UDF API.

      2. Introduce a new "enum Type_cmp", which will have similar
      values to Item_result:

      enum Item_cmp
      {
        STRING_CMP=     STRING_RESULT,
        REAL_CMP=       REAL_RESULT,
        INT_CMP=        INT_RESULT,
        ROW_CMP=        ROW_RESULT,
        DECIMAL_CMP=    DECIMAL_RESULT,
        TIME_CMP=       TIME_RESULT,
        IMPOSSIBLE_CMP
      };

      3. Change Item::cmp_type() to return
      Item_cmp instead of Item_result.

      This is needed for stricter type control, to avoid
      erroneous confusion between cmp_type() and result_type().

      4. Introduce a new base class Type_handler without members, with only three methods at this point:

      class Type_handler
      {
      public:
        virtual enum_field_types field_type() const = 0;
        virtual Item_result result_type() const = 0;
        virtual Item_cmp cmp_type() const = 0;
      };

      More methods will be added in later tasks.

      5. Create classes for all MYSQL_TYPE_XXX data types, for example:

      class Type_handler_longlong: public virtual Type_handler
      {
      public:
        virtual enum_field_types field_type() const { return MYSQL_TYPE_LONGLONG; }
        virtual Item_result result_type() const { return INT_RESULT; }
        virtual Item_cmp cmp_type() const { return INT_CMP; }
      };

      6. Derive virtually Item from Type_handler:

      class Item: public virtual Type_handler
      {
      ...
      };

      Notice both Type_handler_longlong and Item use "public virtual Type_handler"
      This will introduce a so called diamond inheritance.
      The idea is to define methods one time in Type_handler_xxx,
      and make all Items of type "xxx" reuse Type_handler_xxx.

      For example, deriving from Type_handler_longlong
      will automatically add proper implementation of the three
      mentioned methods (field_type, result_type and cmp_type),
      without having to duplicate them every time we need a INT_RESULT
      item:

      class Item_int: public Item_num, public Type_handler_longlong
      {
      ...
      };
       
      class Item_int_func: public Item_func, public Type_handler_longlong
      {
      ...
      };
       
      class Item_func_udf_int :public Item_udf_func,
                               public Type_handler_longlong
      {
      ...
      };
       
      class Item_exists_subselect :public Item_subselect,
                                   public Type_handler_longlong
      {
      ...
      };

      7. Remove the default implementations for:

      • Item::cmp_type()
      • Item::field_type()
      • Item::result_type()

      In diamond inheritance they should stay zero pointers, until a Type_handler_xxx
      is added virtually for the Item_xxx class. Otherwise, the compiler will just return an error.

      So we'll have temporary rename Item::cmp_type() to Item::cmp_type_from_field_type()
      and use the latter for some items not covered yet by this task.
      Note, cmp_type_from_field_type() will have gone as soon as
      we switch ALL items to use Type_handlers instead of defining
      type related methods directly. At the end, all items will use Type_handler_xxx::cmp_type() instead of this.

      Things that are not covered by this task, to be done soon separately:

      • Under terms of this task we'll define only three aforementioned methods
        in Type_handler. In a separate task later, we'll move all other data type
        specific methods from Item to Type_handler:

        - val_int
        - val_decimal
        - val_real
        - val_str
        - get_date,
        - save_in_field
        - make_field(Send_field*)
        - hash_sort()

        and some others.
        This will remove A LOT of duplicate code (e.g. implementation of the val_str()
        method look very the same for all INT_RESULT Items).

      • Under terms of this task we'll switch only some of the Items to use Type_handler.
        Complex cases (when an Item has parallel independent result_type() and field_type()
        methods) will be changed in a separate patch, to avoid too many changes a single patch.
        These complex items include at least:
        • Item_func_hybrid_result_type
        • Item_copy
        • Item_sum_hybrid
        • All Items that have references to the actual data type containers (Items or Fields) e.g. Item_func_rollup_const, Item_field.

      At the end, when all of the ongoing tasks are done, we'll have:

      • either field_type() depend on result_type()
      • or result_type() depend on field_type()
      • or all type specific methods depend on an Item or Field reference.
        All cases with parallel independent result_type() and field_type() should be removed.

      Further tasks:

      • Remove as much direct use of field_type(), cmp_type(), result_type() as possible.
        Move this code inside methods in Type_handler.
      • Change enum_field_type members to "Type_handler*" in all structures and classes,
        e.g. Create_field, Send_field, CAST related classes, sql_yacc.yy tokens, etc.

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              bar Alexander Barkov
              bar Alexander Barkov
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                Updated:
                Resolved:

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