Projects won't compile when using vector<> or list<> arrays

[AntonGrushin]

Hello, team!
I bumped into a problem with latest Sming versions that I can not use std::vector<> and std::list<> arrays. No projects will compile if I use any of that.

Here is an example on how to repeat the issue. Clean Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS installation. Running Sming install and Basic_Blink compilation from docs:

sudo chown $USER:$USER /opt
git clone https://github.com/SmingHub/Sming /opt/sming
source /opt/sming/Tools/install.sh all
cd $SMING_HOME/../samples/Basic_Blink
make

Installs and compiles successfully.
Now, if I add vector variable and use it somewhere in that Basic_Blink example, it won't compile.

#include <SmingCore.h>
#include <list> //I tried without these includes too, same effect
#include <vector> //I tried without these includes too, same effect
#define LED_PIN 2 // GPIO2

Timer procTimer;
bool state = true;

void blink()
{
	digitalWrite(LED_PIN, state);
	state = !state;
}
void init()
{
	pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
	procTimer.initializeMs(1000, blink).start();
	
	//here is my addition of two lines:
	std::vector<int> SomeVec;
	SomeVec.push_back(54);

}

Here is the result after I run make command:

Basic_Blink: Invoking 'all' for Esp8266 (debug) architecture
make components application
make[1]: Entering directory '/opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink'

Building /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a
C+ /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/app/application.cpp
AR /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a
Validating hardware config 'standard'
Verifying partition table...
Writing to 'out/Esp8266/debug/firmware/partitions.bin'
Basic_Blink: Linking out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a(application.o):(.text._ZNSt6vectorIiSaIiEE17_M_realloc_insertIJiEEEvN9__gnu_cxx17__normal_iteratorIPiS1_EEDpOT_[_ZNSt6vectorIiSaIiEE17_M_realloc_insertIJiEEEvN9__gnu_cxx17__normal_iteratorIPiS1_EEDpOT_]+0x4): undefined reference to `_ZSt20__throw_length_errorPKc'
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a(application.o): in function `_ZNKSt6vectorIiSaIiEE12_M_check_lenEjPKc':
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/xtensa-lx106-elf/include/c++/10.2.0/bits/stl_vector.h:1760: undefined reference to `_ZSt20__throw_length_errorPKc'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make[1]: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/Arch/Esp8266/app.mk:47: out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink'
make: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/project.mk:22: all] Error 2

And this is the result when I replace std::vector<int> with std::list<int>:

Basic_Blink: Invoking 'all' for Esp8266 (debug) architecture
make components application
make[1]: Entering directory '/opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink'

Building /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a
C+ /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/app/application.cpp
AR /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a
Validating hardware config 'standard'
Verifying partition table...
Writing to 'out/Esp8266/debug/firmware/partitions.bin'
Basic_Blink: Linking out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a(application.o): in function `_ZZN12OsTimer64ApiI5TimerEC4EvENUlPvE_4_FUNES2_':
/opt/sming/Sming/Core/Timer.h:54: undefined reference to `_ZNSt8__detail15_List_node_base7_M_hookEPS0_'
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-2433578f105fdac9bc633a786b98e8c3.a(application.o): in function `_ZN9__gnu_cxx13new_allocatorISt10_List_nodeIiEE9constructIiJiEEEvPT_DpOT0_':
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/xtensa-lx106-elf/include/c++/10.2.0/ext/new_allocator.h:150: undefined reference to `_ZNSt8__detail15_List_node_base7_M_hookEPS0_'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make[1]: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/Arch/Esp8266/app.mk:47: out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink'
make: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/project.mk:22: all] Error 2

I tried this with both master and develop branches with same result. Am I doing something wrong or is it Sming issue?

[mikee47]

Sming doesn't enable exception handling for the ESP8266 - it's is explicitly turned off via -fno-exceptions to reduce code bloat. To use them would require linking libstdc++ and probably also some linker map adjustments to mitigate memory usage.

[AntonGrushin]

Erm, sorry, I don't understand how exception handling is connected to usage of vector and list arrays. Or do you mean that its needed to find out the source of those compilation errors?

There is a little bit of clue in the errors as it looks
...vector ... _M_realloc_insert ... gnu_cxx17__normal_iterator... undefined reference to ... throw_length_error in function M_check_len
Not sure if it helps. I'm afraid my skill is not enough to fix those myself.

Also, I found out that in lts-master/4.2.x branch its still working.
Edit: I was wrong, it's not working there either, however I was able to compile that Basic_Blink example when it was just single SomeVec.push_back(54); in the program.
Adding more than one gives compilation error again, but slightly different one than previous, now it is only about undefined reference to _ZSt20__throw_length_error:

Building /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-8f2029acc50403f73dcd2c1fc8faea87.a
C+ /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/app/application.cpp
AR /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-8f2029acc50403f73dcd2c1fc8faea87.a
Basic_Blink: Linking out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-8f2029acc50403f73dcd2c1fc8faea87.a(application.o):(.text._ZNSt6vectorIiSaIiEE17_M_realloc_insertIJiEEEvN9__gnu_cxx17__normal_iteratorIPiS1_EEDpOT_[_ZNSt6vectorIiSaIiEE17_M_realloc_insertIJiEEEvN9__gnu_cxx17__normal_iteratorIPiS1_EEDpOT_]+0x4): undefined reference to `_ZSt20__throw_length_errorPKc'
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-lx106-elf/10.2.0/../../../../xtensa-lx106-elf/bin/ld: /opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink/out/Esp8266/debug/lib/clib-App-8f2029acc50403f73dcd2c1fc8faea87.a(application.o): in function `_ZNKSt6vectorIiSaIiEE12_M_check_lenEjPKc':
/opt/esp-quick-toolchain/xtensa-lx106-elf/xtensa-lx106-elf/include/c++/10.2.0/bits/stl_vector.h:1760: undefined reference to `_ZSt20__throw_length_errorPKc'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make[1]: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/Arch/Esp8266/app.mk:47: out/Esp8266/debug/build/app_0.out] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/opt/sming/samples/Basic_Blink'
make: *** [/opt/sming/Sming/project.mk:22: all] Error 2

[mikee47]

This may throw a little light on the subject https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4826838/do-standard-library-stl-containers-support-a-form-of-nothrow-allocation

[mikee47]

Try adding this to your code:

namespace std
{
void __attribute__((noreturn)) __throw_length_error(const char*)
{
	abort();
}
}

[AntonGrushin]

It works with your addition, thank you!
Now I understand what you meant with exceptions, appreciate the link with the explanation.
Closing this issue.

[mikee47]

Here's another very interesting discussion about using C++ without exceptions https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/113479/are-there-any-real-world-cases-for-c-without-exceptions