# Suggested Workflows

The full bootstrapping process takes quite a while. Here are some suggestions to
make your life easier.

<!-- toc -->

## Installing a pre-push hook

CI will automatically fail your build if it doesn't pass `tidy`, our internal
tool for ensuring code quality. If you'd like, you can install a [Git
hook](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Customizing-Git-Git-Hooks) that will
automatically run `./x test tidy` on each push, to ensure your code is up to
par. If the hook fails then run `./x test tidy --bless` and commit the changes.
If you decide later that the pre-push behavior is undesirable, you can delete
the `pre-push` file in `.git/hooks`.

A prebuilt git hook lives at [`src/etc/pre-push.sh`].  It can be copied into
your `.git/hooks` folder as `pre-push` (without the `.sh` extension!).

You can also install the hook as a step of running `./x setup`!

## Configuring `rust-analyzer` for `rustc`

### Project-local rust-analyzer setup

`rust-analyzer` can help you check and format your code whenever you save a
file. By default, `rust-analyzer` runs the `cargo check` and `rustfmt` commands,
but you can override these commands to use more adapted versions of these tools
when hacking on `rustc`. With custom setup, `rust-analyzer` can use `./x check`
to check the sources, and the stage 0 rustfmt to format them.

The default `rust-analyzer.check.overrideCommand` command line will check all
the crates and tools in the repository. If you are working on a specific part,
you can override the command to only check the part you are working on to save
checking time. For example, if you are working on the compiler, you can override
the command to `x check compiler --json-output` to only check the compiler part.
You can run `x check --help --verbose` to see the available parts.

If you have enough free disk space and you would like to be able to run `x`
commands while rust-analyzer runs in the background, you can also add
`--build-dir build-rust-analyzer` to the `overrideCommand` to avoid x locking.

Running `./x setup editor` will prompt you to create a project-local LSP config
file for one of the supported editors. You can also create the config file as a
step of running `./x setup`.

### Visual Studio Code

Selecting `vscode` in `./x setup editor` will prompt you to create a
`.vscode/settings.json` file which will configure Visual Studio code. The
recommended `rust-analyzer` settings live at
[`src/etc/rust_analyzer_settings.json`].

If running `./x check` on save is inconvenient, in VS Code you can use a [Build
Task] instead:

```JSON
// .vscode/tasks.json
{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "./x check",
            "command": "./x check",
            "type": "shell",
            "problemMatcher": "$rustc",
            "presentation": { "clear": true },
            "group": { "kind": "build", "isDefault": true }
        }
    ]
}
```

[Build Task]: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks


### Neovim

For Neovim users there are several options for configuring for rustc. The
easiest way is by using [neoconf.nvim](https://github.com/folke/neoconf.nvim/),
which allows for project-local configuration files with the native LSP. The
steps for how to use it are below. Note that they require rust-analyzer to
already be configured with Neovim. Steps for this can be [found
here](https://rust-analyzer.github.io/manual.html#nvim-lsp).

1. First install the plugin. This can be done by following the steps in the
   README.
2. Run `./x setup editor`, and select `vscode` to create a
   `.vscode/settings.json` file. `neoconf` is able to read and update
   rust-analyzer settings automatically when the project is opened when this
   file is detected.

If you're using `coc.nvim`, you can run `./x setup editor` and select `vim` to
create a `.vim/coc-settings.json`. The settings can be edited with
`:CocLocalConfig`. The recommended settings live at
[`src/etc/rust_analyzer_settings.json`].

Another way is without a plugin, and creating your own logic in your
configuration. To do this you must translate the JSON to Lua yourself. The
translation is 1:1 and fairly straight-forward. It must be put in the
`["rust-analyzer"]` key of the setup table, which is [shown
here](https://github.com/neovim/nvim-lspconfig/blob/master/doc/server_configurations.md#rust_analyzer).

If you would like to use the build task that is described above, you may either
make your own command in your config, or you can install a plugin such as
[overseer.nvim](https://github.com/stevearc/overseer.nvim) that can [read
VSCode's `task.json`
files](https://github.com/stevearc/overseer.nvim/blob/master/doc/guides.md#vs-code-tasks),
and follow the same instructions as above.

### Emacs

Emacs provides support for rust-analyzer with project-local configuration
through [Eglot](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/eglot/).  
Steps for setting up Eglot with rust-analyzer can be [found
here](https://rust-analyzer.github.io/manual.html#eglot).  
Having set up Emacs & Eglot for Rust development in general, you can run
`./x setup editor` and select `emacs`, which will prompt you to create
`.dir-locals.el` with the recommended configuration for Eglot.
The recommended settings live at [`src/etc/rust_analyzer_eglot.el`].  
For more information on project-specific Eglot configuration, consult [the
manual](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/eglot/Project_002dspecific-configuration.html).

### Helix

Helix comes with built-in LSP and rust-analyzer support.  
It can be configured through `languages.toml`, as described
[here](https://docs.helix-editor.com/languages.html).  
You can run `./x setup editor` and select `helix`, which will prompt you to
create `languages.toml` with the recommended configuration for Helix. The
recommended settings live at [`src/etc/rust_analyzer_helix.toml`].  

## Check, check, and check again

When doing simple refactoring, it can be useful to run `./x check`
continuously. If you set up `rust-analyzer` as described above, this will be
done for you every time you save a file. Here you are just checking that the
compiler can **build**, but often that is all you need (e.g., when renaming a
method). You can then run `./x build` when you actually need to run tests.

In fact, it is sometimes useful to put off tests even when you are not 100% sure
the code will work. You can then keep building up refactoring commits and only
run the tests at some later time. You can then use `git bisect` to track down
**precisely** which commit caused the problem. A nice side-effect of this style
is that you are left with a fairly fine-grained set of commits at the end, all
of which build and pass tests. This often helps reviewing.

## `x suggest`

The `x suggest` subcommand suggests (and runs) a subset of the extensive
`rust-lang/rust` tests based on files you have changed. This is especially
useful for new contributors who have not mastered the arcane `x` flags yet and
more experienced contributors as a shorthand for reducing mental effort. In all
cases it is useful not to run the full tests (which can take on the order of
tens of minutes) and just run a subset which are relevant to your changes. For
example, running `tidy` and `linkchecker` is useful when editing Markdown files,
whereas UI tests are much less likely to be helpful. While `x suggest` is a
useful tool, it does not guarantee perfect coverage (just as PR CI isn't a
substitute for bors). See the [dedicated chapter](../tests/suggest-tests.md) for
more information and contribution instructions. 

Please note that `x suggest` is in a beta state currently and the tests that it
will suggest are limited.

## Configuring `rustup` to use nightly

Some parts of the bootstrap process uses pinned, nightly versions of tools like
rustfmt. To make things like `cargo fmt` work correctly in your repo, run

```console
cd <path to rustc repo>
rustup override set nightly
```

after [installing a nightly toolchain] with `rustup`. Don't forget to do this
for all directories you have [setup a worktree for]. You may need to use the
pinned nightly version from `src/stage0`, but often the normal `nightly` channel
will work.

**Note** see [the section on vscode] for how to configure it with this real
rustfmt `x` uses, and [the section on rustup] for how to setup `rustup`
toolchain for your bootstrapped compiler

**Note** This does _not_ allow you to build `rustc` with cargo directly. You
still have to use `x` to work on the compiler or standard library, this just
lets you use `cargo fmt`.

[installing a nightly toolchain]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rustup/concepts/channels.html?highlight=nightl#working-with-nightly-rust
[setup a worktree for]: ./suggested.md#working-on-multiple-branches-at-the-same-time
[the section on vscode]: suggested.md#configuring-rust-analyzer-for-rustc
[the section on rustup]: how-to-build-and-run.md?highlight=rustup#creating-a-rustup-toolchain

## Faster builds with `--keep-stage`.

Sometimes just checking whether the compiler builds is not enough. A common
example is that you need to add a `debug!` statement to inspect the value of
some state or better understand the problem. In that case, you don't really need
a full build. By bypassing bootstrap's cache invalidation, you can often get
these builds to complete very fast (e.g., around 30 seconds). The only catch is
this requires a bit of fudging and may produce compilers that don't work (but
that is easily detected and fixed).

The sequence of commands you want is as follows:

- Initial build: `./x build library`
  - As [documented previously], this will build a functional stage1 compiler as
    part of running all stage0 commands (which include building a `std`
    compatible with the stage1 compiler) as well as the first few steps of the
    "stage 1 actions" up to "stage1 (sysroot stage1) builds std".
- Subsequent builds: `./x build library --keep-stage 1`
  - Note that we added the `--keep-stage 1` flag here

[documented previously]: ./how-to-build-and-run.md#building-the-compiler

As mentioned, the effect of `--keep-stage 1` is that we just _assume_ that the
old standard library can be re-used. If you are editing the compiler, this is
almost always true: you haven't changed the standard library, after all. But
sometimes, it's not true: for example, if you are editing the "metadata" part of
the compiler, which controls how the compiler encodes types and other states
into the `rlib` files, or if you are editing things that wind up in the metadata
(such as the definition of the MIR).

**The TL;DR is that you might get weird behavior from a compile when using
`--keep-stage 1`** -- for example, strange [ICEs](../appendix/glossary.html#ice)
or other panics. In that case, you should simply remove the `--keep-stage 1`
from the command and rebuild. That ought to fix the problem.

You can also use `--keep-stage 1` when running tests. Something like this:

- Initial test run: `./x test tests/ui`
- Subsequent test run: `./x test tests/ui --keep-stage 1`

## Using incremental compilation

You can further enable the `--incremental` flag to save additional time in
subsequent rebuilds:

```bash
./x test tests/ui --incremental --test-args issue-1234
```

If you don't want to include the flag with every command, you can enable it in
the `config.toml`:

```toml
[rust]
incremental = true
```

Note that incremental compilation will use more disk space than usual. If disk
space is a concern for you, you might want to check the size of the `build`
directory from time to time.

## Fine-tuning optimizations

Setting `optimize = false` makes the compiler too slow for tests. However, to
improve the test cycle, you can disable optimizations selectively only for the
crates you'll have to rebuild
([source](https://rust-lang.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/131828-t-compiler/topic/incremental.20compilation.20question/near/202712165)).
For example, when working on `rustc_mir_build`, the `rustc_mir_build` and
`rustc_driver` crates take the most time to incrementally rebuild. You could
therefore set the following in the root `Cargo.toml`:

```toml
[profile.release.package.rustc_mir_build]
opt-level = 0
[profile.release.package.rustc_driver]
opt-level = 0
```

## Working on multiple branches at the same time

Working on multiple branches in parallel can be a little annoying, since
building the compiler on one branch will cause the old build and the incremental
compilation cache to be overwritten. One solution would be to have multiple
clones of the repository, but that would mean storing the Git metadata multiple
times, and having to update each clone individually.

Fortunately, Git has a better solution called [worktrees]. This lets you create
multiple "working trees", which all share the same Git database. Moreover,
because all of the worktrees share the same object database, if you update a
branch (e.g. master) in any of them, you can use the new commits from any of the
worktrees. One caveat, though, is that submodules do not get shared. They will
still be cloned multiple times.

[worktrees]: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-worktree

Given you are inside the root directory for your Rust repository, you can create
a "linked working tree" in a new "rust2" directory by running the following
command:

```bash
git worktree add ../rust2
```

Creating a new worktree for a new branch based on `master` looks like:

```bash
git worktree add -b my-feature ../rust2 master
```

You can then use that rust2 folder as a separate workspace for modifying and
building `rustc`!

## Using nix-shell

If you're using nix, you can use the following nix-shell to work on Rust:

```nix
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }:
pkgs.mkShell {
  name = "rustc";
  nativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [
    binutils cmake ninja pkg-config python3 git curl cacert patchelf nix
  ];
  buildInputs = with pkgs; [
    openssl glibc.out glibc.static
  ];
  # Avoid creating text files for ICEs.
  RUSTC_ICE = "0";
  # Provide `libstdc++.so.6` for the self-contained lld.
  LD_LIBRARY_PATH = "${with pkgs; lib.makeLibraryPath [
    stdenv.cc.cc.lib
  ]}";
}
```

Note that when using nix on a not-NixOS distribution, it may be necessary to set
**`patch-binaries-for-nix = true` in `config.toml`**. Bootstrap tries to detect
whether it's running in nix and enable patching automatically, but this
detection can have false negatives.

You can also use your nix shell to manage `config.toml`:

```nix
let
  config = pkgs.writeText "rustc-config" ''
    # Your config.toml content goes here
  ''
pkgs.mkShell {
  /* ... */
  # This environment variable tells bootstrap where our config.toml is.
  RUST_BOOTSTRAP_CONFIG = config;
}
```

## Shell Completions

If you use Bash, Fish or PowerShell, you can find automatically-generated shell
completion scripts for `x.py` in
[`src/etc/completions`](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/tree/master/src/etc/completions).
Zsh support will also be included once issues with
[`clap_complete`](https://crates.io/crates/clap_complete) have been resolved.

You can use `source ./src/etc/completions/x.py.<extension>` to load completions
for your shell of choice, or `& .\src\etc\completions\x.py.ps1` for PowerShell.
Adding this to your shell's startup script (e.g. `.bashrc`) will automatically
load this completion.

[`src/etc/rust_analyzer_settings.json`]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/src/etc/rust_analyzer_settings.json
[`src/etc/rust_analyzer_eglot.el`]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/src/etc/rust_analyzer_eglot.el
[`src/etc/rust_analyzer_helix.toml`]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/src/etc/rust_analyzer_helix.toml
[`src/etc/pre-push.sh`]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/src/etc/pre-push.sh
