add @__FUNCTION__ and Expr(:thisfunction) as generic function self-reference (#58940)

This PR adds `@__FUNCTION__` to match the naming conventions of existing reflection macros (`@__MODULE__`, `@__FILE__`, etc.).

---------

Co-authored-by: Jeff Bezanson <[email protected]>

Author: MilesCranmer

NEWS.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ New language features
 
   - New `Base.@acquire` macro for a non-closure version of `Base.acquire(f, s::Base.Semaphore)`, like `@lock`. ([#56845])
   - New `nth` function to access the `n`-th element of a generic iterable. ([#56580])
+  - New `@__FUNCTION__` macro to refer to the innermost enclosing function. ([#58909])
   - The character U+1F8B2 🢲 (RIGHTWARDS ARROW WITH LOWER HOOK), newly added by Unicode 16,
     is now a valid operator with arrow precedence, accessible as `\hookunderrightarrow` at the REPL.
     ([JuliaLang/JuliaSyntax.jl#525], [#57143])

base/exports.jl

@@ -1059,6 +1059,7 @@ export
     @__DIR__,
     @__LINE__,
     @__MODULE__,
+    @__FUNCTION__,
     @int128_str,
     @uint128_str,
     @big_str,

base/runtime_internals.jl

@@ -173,6 +173,43 @@ false
 """
 ispublic(m::Module, s::Symbol) = ccall(:jl_module_public_p, Cint, (Any, Any), m, s) != 0
 
+"""
+    @__FUNCTION__
+
+Get the innermost enclosing function object.
+
+!!! note
+    `@__FUNCTION__` has the same scoping behavior as `return`: when used
+    inside a closure, it refers to the closure and not the outer function.
+    Some macros, including [`@spawn`](@ref Threads.@spawn), [`@async`](@ref), etc.,
+    wrap their input in closures. When `@__FUNCTION__` is used within such code,
+    it will refer to the closure created by the macro rather than the enclosing function.
+
+# Examples
+
+`@__FUNCTION__` enables recursive anonymous functions:
+
+```jldoctest
+julia> factorial = (n -> n <= 1 ? 1 : n * (@__FUNCTION__)(n - 1));
+
+julia> factorial(5)
+120
+```
+
+`@__FUNCTION__` can be combined with `nameof` to identify a function's
+name from within its body:
+
+```jldoctest
+julia> bar() = nameof(@__FUNCTION__);
+
+julia> bar()
+:bar
+```
+"""
+macro __FUNCTION__()
+    Expr(:thisfunction)
+end
+
 # TODO: this is vaguely broken because it only works for explicit calls to
 # `Base.deprecate`, not the @deprecated macro:
 isdeprecated(m::Module, s::Symbol) = ccall(:jl_is_binding_deprecated, Cint, (Any, Any), m, s) != 0

doc/src/base/base.md

@@ -481,6 +481,7 @@ Base.moduleroot
 __module__
 __source__
 Base.@__MODULE__
+Base.@__FUNCTION__
 Base.@__FILE__
 Base.@__DIR__
 Base.@__LINE__

doc/src/manual/performance-tips.md

@@ -919,6 +919,40 @@ In the mean time, some user-contributed packages like
 [FastClosures](https://github.com/c42f/FastClosures.jl) automate the
 insertion of `let` statements as in `abmult3`.
 
+#### Use `@__FUNCTION__` for recursive closures
+
+For recursive closures specifically, the [`@__FUNCTION__`](@ref) macro can avoid both type instability and boxing.
+
+First, let's see the unoptimized version:
+
+```julia
+function make_fib_unoptimized()
+    fib(n) = n <= 1 ? 1 : fib(n - 1) + fib(n - 2)  # fib is boxed
+    return fib
+end
+```
+
+The `fib` function is boxed, meaning the return type is inferred as `Any`:
+
+```julia
+@code_warntype make_fib_unoptimized()
+```
+
+Now, to eliminate this type instability, we can instead use `@__FUNCTION__` to refer to the concrete function object:
+
+```julia
+function make_fib_optimized()
+    fib(n) = n <= 1 ? 1 : (@__FUNCTION__)(n - 1) + (@__FUNCTION__)(n - 2)
+    return fib
+end
+```
+
+This gives us a concrete return type:
+
+```julia
+@code_warntype make_fib_optimized()
+```
+
 
 ### [Types with values-as-parameters](@id man-performance-value-type)
 

src/ast.scm

@@ -466,6 +466,7 @@
 (define (make-assignment l r) `(= ,l ,r))
 (define (assignment? e) (and (pair? e) (eq? (car e) '=)))
 (define (return? e) (and (pair? e) (eq? (car e) 'return)))
+(define (thisfunction? e) (and (pair? e) (eq? (car e) 'thisfunction)))
 
 (define (tuple-call? e)
   (and (length> e 1)

src/julia-syntax.scm

@@ -549,7 +549,9 @@
           (insert-after-meta `(block
                                ,@stmts)
                              (cons `(meta nkw ,(+ (length vars) (length restkw)))
-                                   annotations))
+                                   (if (has-thisfunction? `(block ,@stmts))
+                                       (cons `(meta thisfunction-original ,(arg-name (car not-optional))) annotations)
+                                       annotations)))
           rett)
 
         ;; call with no keyword args
@@ -2911,6 +2913,7 @@
    'generator
    (lambda (e)
      (check-no-return e)
+     (check-no-thisfunction e)
      (expand-generator e #f '()))
 
    'flatten
@@ -2995,6 +2998,13 @@
   (if (has-return? e)
       (error "\"return\" not allowed inside comprehension or generator")))
 
+(define (has-thisfunction? e)
+  (expr-contains-p thisfunction? e (lambda (x) (not (function-def? x)))))
+
+(define (check-no-thisfunction e)
+  (if (has-thisfunction? e)
+      (error "\"@__FUNCTION__\" not allowed inside comprehension or generator")))
+
 (define (has-break-or-continue? e)
   (expr-contains-p (lambda (x) (and (pair? x) (memq (car x) '(break continue))))
                    e
@@ -3003,6 +3013,7 @@
 
 (define (lower-comprehension ty expr itrs)
   (check-no-return expr)
+  (check-no-thisfunction expr)
   (if (has-break-or-continue? expr)
       (error "break or continue outside loop"))
   (let ((result    (make-ssavalue))
@@ -3434,7 +3445,7 @@
               vi)
     tab))
 
-;; env:      list of vinfo (includes any closure #self#; should not include globals)
+;; env:      list of vinfo (should not include globals)
 ;; captvars: list of vinfo
 ;; sp:       list of symbol
 ;; new-sp:   list of symbol (static params declared here)
@@ -3855,7 +3866,7 @@ f(x) = yt(x)
   (Set '(quote top core lineinfo line inert local-def unnecessary copyast
          meta inbounds boundscheck loopinfo decl aliasscope popaliasscope
          thunk with-static-parameters toplevel-only
-         global globalref global-if-global assign-const-if-global isglobal thismodule
+         global globalref global-if-global assign-const-if-global isglobal thismodule thisfunction
          const atomic null true false ssavalue isdefined toplevel module lambda
          error gc_preserve_begin gc_preserve_end export public inline noinline purity)))
 
@@ -4093,7 +4104,7 @@ f(x) = yt(x)
        ((atom? e) e)
        (else
         (case (car e)
-          ((quote top core global globalref thismodule lineinfo line break inert module toplevel null true false meta) e)
+          ((quote top core global globalref thismodule thisfunction lineinfo line break inert module toplevel null true false meta) e)
           ((toplevel-only)
            ;; hack to avoid generating a (method x) expr for struct types
            (if (eq? (cadr e) 'struct)
@@ -5133,6 +5144,30 @@ f(x) = yt(x)
 
             ((error)
              (error (cadr e)))
+
+            ;; thisfunction replaced with first argument name
+            ((thisfunction)
+             (let ((first-arg (and (pair? (lam:args lam)) (car (lam:args lam)))))
+               (if first-arg
+                   (let* ((arg-name (arg-name first-arg))
+                          ;; Check for thisfunction-original metadata in keyword wrapper functions
+                          (original-name (let ((body (lam:body lam)))
+                                          (and (pair? body) (pair? (cdr body))
+                                               (let loop ((stmts (cdr body)))
+                                                 (if (pair? stmts)
+                                                     (let ((stmt (car stmts)))
+                                                       (if (and (pair? stmt) (eq? (car stmt) 'meta)
+                                                                (pair? (cdr stmt)) (eq? (cadr stmt) 'thisfunction-original)
+                                                                (pair? (cddr stmt)))
+                                                           (caddr stmt)
+                                                           (loop (cdr stmts))))
+                                                     #f)))))
+                          (final-name (or original-name arg-name)))
+                     (cond (tail  (emit-return tail final-name))
+                           (value final-name)
+                           (else (emit final-name) #f)))
+                    (error "\"@__FUNCTION__\" can only be used inside a function"))))
+
             (else
              (error (string "invalid syntax " (deparse e)))))))
     ;; introduce new slots for assigned arguments