rust-lang / rust-lang/rfcs

`Span` for external data files.

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Description

When writing proc macro, sometimes it's convenient to parse external data file and generate code accordingly. It would be nice to allow creating Spans corresponding to byte ranges within the data file, and use them in compiler diagnostics information.

One specific example where the external data is a piece of Rust code, is at https://github.com/dtolnay/request-for-implementation/issues/47 .

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing how proc macros create Span values and how compiler diagnostics consume them, then read the linked request-for-implementation example involving external Rust code. Done means defining a viable way to represent byte ranges in external data files and use those ranges in compiler diagnostics.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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