catchorg/Catch2

Refactor and centralize compiler detection

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#2,094 opened on Nov 3, 2020

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Description

Currently Catch2 detects compilers ad-hoc, at the place where the code needs to be compiler-specific. This brings a lot of trouble with more obscure compilers, because compilers like to masquerade for different compilers, such as Clang defining GCC-version macros, ICC defining both, IBM XL self-reporting as Clang, and so on. Because compiler-specific sections of code are often indeed compiler-specific, not detecting compilers properly can be a problem, e.g. Clang will complain that it found unknown pragma if we try to disable GCC-specific warning without checking that Clang is not used.

The solution is to perform more rigorous compiler detection, and centralize it, so that updates don't have to be done in multiple places.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Review the existing compiler detection scattered in Catch2 source code, identify patterns (e.g., #ifdef, MSC VER, clang , GNUC ), and design a single header that centralizes detection using feature macros. Test the new detection with various compilers (MSVC, GCC, Clang, ICC, etc.) to ensure correctness.
Tech stack
cpp
Domain
testing
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
C++Preprocessor macros
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45