Fix wrong branch hint and add missing consteval guard in extract_from (#2609)

Two fixes to the ablation logic:

1. Fix incorrect branch hint in capacity_check() overflow detection
   (json_string_builder-inl.h:365): simdjson_likely was used on the
   overflow check `position + upcoming_bytes < position`, but overflow
   is rare so this should be simdjson_unlikely. The comment itself says
   "most of the time there is no overflow". This was causing the branch
   predictor to optimize for the wrong path.

2. Add missing ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL guard in extract_from()
   (json_builder.h:332): consteval_to_quoted_escaped was being used
   without an ablation guard, for consistency with all other call sites.

Updated ablation results with both fixes:
| Configuration    | CITM (MB/s) | Impact | Twitter (MB/s) | Impact |
|------------------|-------------|--------|----------------|--------|
| Baseline         | 3001.10     | -      | 5651.89        | -      |
| NO_BRANCH_HINTS  | 2443.67     | -19%   | 4651.78        | -18%   |
| NO_SIMD_ESCAPING | 2904.34     | -3%    | 1403.36        | -75%   |
| NO_CONSTEVAL     | 1796.05     | -40%   | 3542.77        | -37%   |

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ endif()
 project(
     simdjson
     # The version number is modified by tools/release.py
-    VERSION 4.3.1
+    VERSION 4.2.4
     DESCRIPTION "Parsing gigabytes of JSON per second"
     HOMEPAGE_URL "https://simdjson.org/"
     LANGUAGES CXX C
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ string(
 # ---- Options, variables ----
 
 # These version numbers are modified by tools/release.py
-set(SIMDJSON_LIB_VERSION "30.0.0" CACHE STRING "simdjson library version")
-set(SIMDJSON_LIB_SOVERSION "30" CACHE STRING "simdjson library soversion")
+set(SIMDJSON_LIB_VERSION "29.0.0" CACHE STRING "simdjson library version")
+set(SIMDJSON_LIB_SOVERSION "29" CACHE STRING "simdjson library soversion")
 
 option(SIMDJSON_BUILD_STATIC_LIB "Build simdjson_static library along with simdjson (only makes sense if BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON)" OFF)
 if(SIMDJSON_BUILD_STATIC_LIB AND NOT BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)

Doxyfile

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ PROJECT_NAME           = simdjson
 # could be handy for archiving the generated documentation or if some version
 # control system is used.
 
-PROJECT_NUMBER         = "4.3.1"
+PROJECT_NUMBER         = "4.2.4"
 
 # Using the PROJECT_BRIEF tag one can provide an optional one line description
 # for a project that appears at the top of each page and should give viewer a

ablation.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+CXX=clang++ cmake -B buildreflect -D SIMDJSON_STATIC_REFLECTION=ON -DSIMDJSON_DEVELOPER_MODE=ON -DSIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS=ON
+cmake --build buildreflect --target benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog benchmark_serialization_twitter
+./buildreflect/benchmark/static_reflect/citm_catalog_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog
+./buildreflect/benchmark/static_reflect/twitter_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_twitter
+
+
+CXX=clang++ cmake -B buildreflecthints -D SIMDJSON_STATIC_REFLECTION=ON -DSIMDJSON_DEVELOPER_MODE=ON -DSIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS=ON
+cmake --build buildreflecthints --target benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog benchmark_serialization_twitter
+./buildreflecthints/benchmark/static_reflect/citm_catalog_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog
+./buildreflecthints/benchmark/static_reflect/twitter_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_twitter
+
+
+CXX=clang++ cmake -B buildreflectescaping -D SIMDJSON_STATIC_REFLECTION=ON -DSIMDJSON_DEVELOPER_MODE=ON -DSIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING=ON
+cmake --build buildreflectescaping --target benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog benchmark_serialization_twitter
+./buildreflectescaping/benchmark/static_reflect/citm_catalog_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog
+./buildreflectescaping/benchmark/static_reflect/twitter_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_twitter
+
+
+
+CXX=clang++ cmake -B buildreflectconsteval -D SIMDJSON_STATIC_REFLECTION=ON -DSIMDJSON_DEVELOPER_MODE=ON -DSIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL=ON
+cmake --build buildreflectconsteval --target benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog benchmark_serialization_twitter
+./buildreflectconsteval/benchmark/static_reflect/citm_catalog_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_citm_catalog
+./buildreflectconsteval/benchmark/static_reflect/twitter_benchmark/benchmark_serialization_twitter

cmake/developer-options.cmake

@@ -240,6 +240,36 @@ else()
   add_compile_definitions(SIMDJSON_UTF8VALIDATION=1)
 endif()
 
+option(
+    SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS
+    "Disable branch hints for ablation testing."
+    OFF
+)
+if(SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS)
+  add_compile_definitions(ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS=1)
+  message(STATUS "ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS enabled")
+endif()
+
+option(
+    SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING
+    "Disable SIMD escaping for ablation testing."
+    OFF
+)
+if(SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING)
+  add_compile_definitions(ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING=1)
+  message(STATUS "ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING enabled")
+endif()
+
+option(
+    SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL
+    "Disable consteval for ablation testing."
+    OFF
+)
+if(SIMDJSON_ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL)
+  add_compile_definitions(ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL=1)
+  message(STATUS "ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL enabled")
+endif()
+
 include(CheckSymbolExists)
 check_symbol_exists(fork unistd.h HAVE_POSIX_FORK)
 check_symbol_exists(wait sys/wait.h HAVE_POSIX_WAIT)

include/simdjson/generic/builder/json_builder.h

@@ -94,8 +94,12 @@ constexpr void atom(string_builder &b, const T &t) {
   template for (constexpr auto dm : std::define_static_array(std::meta::nonstatic_data_members_of(^^T, std::meta::access_context::unchecked()))) {
     if (i != 0)
       b.append(',');
+#if ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL
+    b.escape_and_append_with_quotes(std::meta::identifier_of(dm));
+#else
     constexpr auto key = std::define_static_string(constevalutil::consteval_to_quoted_escaped(std::meta::identifier_of(dm)));
     b.append_raw(key);
+#endif
     b.append(':');
     atom(b, t.[:dm:]);
     i++;
@@ -132,9 +136,13 @@ void atom(string_builder &b, const T &e) {
 #if SIMDJSON_STATIC_REFLECTION
   constexpr auto enumerators = std::define_static_array(std::meta::enumerators_of(^^T));
   template for (constexpr auto enum_val : enumerators) {
-    constexpr auto enum_str = std::define_static_string(constevalutil::consteval_to_quoted_escaped(std::meta::identifier_of(enum_val)));
     if (e == [:enum_val:]) {
+#if ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL
+      b.escape_and_append_with_quotes(std::meta::identifier_of(enum_val));
+#else
+      constexpr auto enum_str = std::define_static_string(constevalutil::consteval_to_quoted_escaped(std::meta::identifier_of(enum_val)));
       b.append_raw(enum_str);
+#endif
       return;
     }
   };
@@ -229,8 +237,12 @@ void append(string_builder &b, const Z &z) {
   template for (constexpr auto dm : std::define_static_array(std::meta::nonstatic_data_members_of(^^Z, std::meta::access_context::unchecked()))) {
     if (i != 0)
       b.append(',');
+#if ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL
+    b.escape_and_append_with_quotes(std::meta::identifier_of(dm));
+#else
     constexpr auto key = std::define_static_string(constevalutil::consteval_to_quoted_escaped(std::meta::identifier_of(dm)));
     b.append_raw(key);
+#endif
     b.append(':');
     atom(b, z.[:dm:]);
     i++;
@@ -317,8 +329,12 @@ void extract_from(string_builder &b, const T &obj) {
         first = false;
 
         // Serialize the key
+#if ABLATION_NO_CONSTEVAL
+        b.escape_and_append_with_quotes(std::meta::identifier_of(mem));
+#else
         constexpr auto quoted_key = std::define_static_string(constevalutil::consteval_to_quoted_escaped(std::meta::identifier_of(mem)));
         b.append_raw(quoted_key);
+#endif
         b.append(':');
 
         // Serialize the value

include/simdjson/generic/builder/json_string_builder-inl.h

@@ -295,9 +295,22 @@ SIMDJSON_CONSTEXPR_LAMBDA simdjson_inline void escape_json_char(char c, char *&o
 // written. Uses SIMD position finding to locate quotable characters efficiently.
 inline size_t write_string_escaped(const std::string_view input, char *out) {
   size_t mysize = input.size();
+#if ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING
+  auto naive_find_next_json_quotable_character = [](std::string_view input, size_t start) -> size_t {
+    for (size_t i = start; i < input.size(); ++i) {
+        auto c = static_cast<unsigned char>(input[i]);
+        if (c == '"' || c == '\\' || c < 32) return i;
+    }
+    return input.size();
+  };
+#endif
 
   // Use SIMD position finder directly - it returns mysize if no escape needed
+#if ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING
+  size_t location = naive_find_next_json_quotable_character(input, 0);
+#else
   size_t location = find_next_json_quotable_character(input, 0);
+#endif
   if (location == mysize) {
     // Fast path: no escaping needed
     memcpy(out, input.data(), input.size());
@@ -310,7 +323,11 @@ inline size_t write_string_escaped(const std::string_view input, char *out) {
   escape_json_char(input[location], out);
   location += 1;
   while (location < mysize) {
+    #if ABLATION_NO_SIMD_ESCAPING
+    size_t newlocation = naive_find_next_json_quotable_character(input, location);
+    #else
     size_t newlocation = find_next_json_quotable_character(input, location);
+    #endif
     memcpy(out, input.data() + location, newlocation - location);
     out += newlocation - location;
     location = newlocation;
@@ -332,6 +349,15 @@ simdjson_inline bool string_builder::capacity_check(size_t upcoming_bytes) {
   // We use the convention that when is_valid is false, then the capacity and
   // the position are 0.
   // Most of the time, this function will return true.
+#if ABLATION_NO_BRANCH_HINTS
+  if (upcoming_bytes <= capacity - position) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  // check for overflow, most of the time there is no overflow
+  if (position + upcoming_bytes < position) {
+    return false;
+  }
+#else
   if (simdjson_likely(upcoming_bytes <= capacity - position)) {
     return true;
   }
@@ -339,6 +365,7 @@ simdjson_inline bool string_builder::capacity_check(size_t upcoming_bytes) {
   if (simdjson_unlikely(position + upcoming_bytes < position)) {
     return false;
   }
+#endif
   // We will rarely get here.
   grow_buffer((std::max)(capacity * 2, position + upcoming_bytes));
   // If the buffer allocation failed, we set is_valid to false.

include/simdjson/simdjson_version.h

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #define SIMDJSON_SIMDJSON_VERSION_H
 
 /** The version of simdjson being used (major.minor.revision) */
-#define SIMDJSON_VERSION "4.3.1"
+#define SIMDJSON_VERSION "4.2.4"
 
 namespace simdjson {
 enum {
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ enum {
   /**
    * The minor version (major.MINOR.revision) of simdjson being used.
    */
-  SIMDJSON_VERSION_MINOR = 3,
+  SIMDJSON_VERSION_MINOR = 2,
   /**
    * The revision (major.minor.REVISION) of simdjson being used.
    */
-  SIMDJSON_VERSION_REVISION = 1
+  SIMDJSON_VERSION_REVISION = 4
 };
 } // namespace simdjson