Inlining
Inlining is a compiler or runtime transformation that replaces a function or method call with its implementation at the call site.
Clojure: The Essential Reference
Inlining is a compilation technique that substitutes an alternative implementation for a var invocation instead of using its root or thread binding.
- How it is used
- Uses inline implementations chiefly to improve Java interop overload selection at direct calls.
- How deep it goes
- Explains var precedence, definline expansion, call behavior, and a compiled interop example; does not develop a general compiler implementation.
- Examples
- Compares direct calls with map, then contrasts Object and primitive Java overloads through an inlined wrapper.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via definline to expose a direct-call Java interop implementation while retaining ordinary function use.
Read how Clojure: The Essential Reference explains inlining →
Modern C
Inlining is a compiler transformation that replaces a function call with the called function's implementation in the caller's context.
- How it is used
- Reduces function-call overhead and exposes callee instructions to further optimization.
- How deep it goes
- Explains call overhead, definition visibility, and optimization opportunities without detailing compiler heuristics or generated machine code.
- Examples
- Uses an inline toto_init definition in a header and a separate declaration for one translation unit.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via visible C function definitions while managing header inclusion and one-translation-unit instantiation.
Modern C, Third Edition
Inlining is a compiler transformation that replaces a function call with the called function's implementation.
- How it is used
- Uses function-definition visibility to reduce call overhead and expose additional compiler optimizations.
- How deep it goes
- Explains replacement semantics, call overhead, optimization opportunities, and definition-visibility strategies across translation units.
- Examples
- Uses a small inline initializer, a header definition, and a separate translation-unit declaration.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate when visible C definitions can eliminate call overhead and enable context-sensitive optimization.
100 Go Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Inlining is a compiler transformation that replaces a function call with the body of the called function.
- How it is used
- Uses compiler inlining to explain optimization-aware Go benchmarking and fast-path implementation choices.
- How deep it goes
- Explains substitution, budgets, diagnostics, benefits, mid-stack behavior, and benchmark consequences without detailing compiler internals.
- Examples
- Demonstrates popcnt benchmarks, sum substitution, compiler budget diagnostics, and sync.Mutex fast- and slow-path structure.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose misleading Go benchmarks and inspect compiler inlining decisions with -gcflags "-m=2".
Read how 100 Go Mistakes and How to Avoid Them explains inlining →
Related concepts
- performance optimizationkind of · Performance optimization is the systematic modification of software or its operating conditions to improve measured execution speed, responsiveness, throughput, or resource efficiency while preserving required behavior.
- compilerused by · A compiler is software that translates source code into executable code or another representation, while analyzing it according to the source language’s rules.
- calladdresses · A function call is an operation or expression that invokes a function or other callable, optionally supplies arguments, and initiates its execution.
- function call overheadaddresses · Function call overhead is the execution cost of invoking a function beyond the cost of executing its body.
- compiler optimizationkind of · Compiler optimization is the transformation of a program during compilation to improve execution efficiency or resource use while preserving its behavior.
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