Cross-target managed aggregates (records + dynamic arrays)

• Type: feature
• Status: done
• Owner: claude
• Blocked-by: feature-rtti-layout-table
• Opened: 2026-06-11
• Closed: 2026-06-11

Outcome

All four targets (x86-64, i386, ARM32, AArch64) now have the full managed runtime — heap, AnsiString, records, and dynamic arrays — riding on the Tier B portable layout-RTTI helpers in builtinheap.pas. Each make test-<arch> is oracle-matched to x86-64; make test + threadsafe self-compile + self-host fixedpoint all hold.

Remaining minor gaps (own follow-ups, not blockers):

• AArch64: pure literal+literal tyString inline concat (the 272-byte-buffer path) — a codegen bug; ansistring-rooted concat covers real usage.
• All cross targets: managed-local release at scope exit (v1 leaks; output correct), class instantiation, exceptions, copy-on-write on dyn-array writes.

Goal

Make managed records and dynamic arrays work on the 32-bit cross targets (i386, ARM32) and bring AArch64 up to heap/string/record parity, all riding on the Tier B target-independent layout-RTTI helpers in builtinheap.pas.

Done (2026-06-11)

• i386 + ARM32: full managed aggregates. Records (IR_COPY_REC / IR_COPY_REC_MANAGED / IR_DEFAULT_MEM) and dynamic arrays (SetLength via the new portable PXXDynSetLen helper, Length, IR_LEA dyn-array auto-load, indexing). IR_LOAD_MEM accepts pointer-sized handles. Covers scalar + AnsiString/managed-record element arrays, grow/shrink with prefix preservation. v1: no copy-on-write on dyn-array writes (single-owner).
• PXXDynSetLen(slotAddr, newLen, desc) in builtinheap replaces the ~250-line inline x86-64 SetLength — one target-independent helper reading elSize/depth/baseKind from the layout descriptor. Plus portable PXXMemMove / PXXMemZero.
• writeELF32 applies DataPtrFix (32-bit value fits low dword of the 8-byte slot). Method/ProcAddr fixups still blocked on i386/arm32.
• AArch64: heap + records-infrastructure level. EmitHeapAllocLockedA64 / FreeLockedA64, GetMem/FreeMem, IR_FIELD, IR_INDEX, IR_CONST_STR, EmitLoadDataRefA64; guard relaxed (heap allowed, string/exception blocked). aarch64 ELF writer (shared writeELF64) already applies DataPtrFix.
• Tests test_cross_record.pas (i386+arm32), test_cross_dynarray.pas (i386+arm32), test_cross_heap.pas (now aarch64 too) — all oracle vs x86-64.

Remaining

1. AArch64 managed strings + records + dynarrays. aarch64 has heap + FIELD + INDEX + CONST_STR. What's left is purely mirroring the ARM32 string/record/ dynarray IR ops in A64 encodings (no new design — helpers all portable):
   • String helpers EmitStrIncRefA64 / EmitStrDecRefA64 / EmitAnsiStringFromNodeA64.
   • IR_STORE_SYM / IR_STORE_MEM tyAnsiString publish, IR_BINOP concat (PXXStrConcat) + eq/neq (PXXStrEq), IR_WRITE tyAnsiString.
   • Records: IR_COPY_REC / IR_COPY_REC_MANAGED / IR_DEFAULT_MEM (8-byte handles — call PXXRecordRetain/Release + PXXMemMove).
   • Dynarrays: SetLength(-102)→PXXDynSetLen, Length(-44), IR_LEA dyn-array auto-load.
   • CheckScalarSym / param-copy / epilogue / managed-local zero-init pointer- sized allowances; drop the aarch64 string guard; skip EmitAnsiStringRuntime. Reference: the ARM32 implementations in ir_codegen_arm32.inc (lines ~165-292 for helpers, the tyAnsiString branches in STORE_SYM/STORE_MEM/BINOP/WRITE, and the dyn-array/record cases) — aarch64 is 64-bit so widths are 8 bytes (closer to x86-64) but instruction style is ARM-like.
2. i386/arm32 string gaps (deferred): managed-local release at scope exit (v1 leaks), class instantiation, exceptions.

Log

• 2026-06-11 — i386 + ARM32 records (9d26096, feb480b), dynamic arrays (6 files incl. PXXDynSetLen). AArch64 heap (aa0337b), then full managed strings + records + dynarrays (febd9b3). Ticket closed.

Test plan

Per target: make test-i386 / test-arm32 / test-aarch64 stay oracle-matched to x86-64; make test + threadsafe self-compile unbroken; self-host fixedpoint.