Small cleanup/refactoring in support of PR #5213 (#5251)

* Factor out detail/value_and_holder.h (from detail/type_caster_base.h)

This is in support of PR #5213:

* trampoline_self_life_support.h depends on value_and_holder.h

* type_caster_base.h depends on trampoline_self_life_support.h

* Fix a minor and inconsequential inconsistency in `copyable_holder_caster`: the correct `load_value()` return type is `void` (as defined in `type_caster_generic`)

For easy future reference, this is the long-standing inconsistency:

* dbf848aff7/include/pybind11/detail/type_caster_base.h (L634)

* dbf848aff7/include/pybind11/cast.h (L797)

Noticed in passing while working on PR #5213.

* Add `DANGER ZONE` comment in detail/init.h, similar to a comment added on the smart_holder branch (all the way back in 2021).

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ set(PYBIND11_HEADERS
     include/pybind11/detail/internals.h
     include/pybind11/detail/type_caster_base.h
     include/pybind11/detail/typeid.h
+    include/pybind11/detail/value_and_holder.h
     include/pybind11/attr.h
     include/pybind11/buffer_info.h
     include/pybind11/cast.h

include/pybind11/cast.h

@@ -794,11 +794,11 @@ protected:
         }
     }
 
-    bool load_value(value_and_holder &&v_h) {
+    void load_value(value_and_holder &&v_h) {
         if (v_h.holder_constructed()) {
             value = v_h.value_ptr();
             holder = v_h.template holder<holder_type>();
-            return true;
+            return;
         }
         throw cast_error("Unable to cast from non-held to held instance (T& to Holder<T>) "
 #if !defined(PYBIND11_DETAILED_ERROR_MESSAGES)

include/pybind11/detail/init.h

@@ -128,11 +128,13 @@ void construct(value_and_holder &v_h, Cpp<Class> *ptr, bool need_alias) {
         // the holder and destruction happens when we leave the C++ scope, and the holder
         // class gets to handle the destruction however it likes.
         v_h.value_ptr() = ptr;
-        v_h.set_instance_registered(true);          // To prevent init_instance from registering it
+        v_h.set_instance_registered(true); // Trick to prevent init_instance from registering it
+        // DANGER ZONE BEGIN: exceptions will leave v_h in an invalid state.
         v_h.type->init_instance(v_h.inst, nullptr);                        // Set up the holder
         Holder<Class> temp_holder(std::move(v_h.holder<Holder<Class>>())); // Steal the holder
         v_h.type->dealloc(v_h); // Destroys the moved-out holder remains, resets value ptr to null
         v_h.set_instance_registered(false);
+        // DANGER ZONE END.
 
         construct_alias_from_cpp<Class>(is_alias_constructible<Class>{}, v_h, std::move(*ptr));
     } else {

include/pybind11/detail/type_caster_base.h

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "descr.h"
 #include "internals.h"
 #include "typeid.h"
+#include "value_and_holder.h"
 
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <iterator>
@@ -259,67 +260,6 @@ PYBIND11_NOINLINE handle find_registered_python_instance(void *src,
     });
 }
 
-struct value_and_holder {
-    instance *inst = nullptr;
-    size_t index = 0u;
-    const detail::type_info *type = nullptr;
-    void **vh = nullptr;
-
-    // Main constructor for a found value/holder:
-    value_and_holder(instance *i, const detail::type_info *type, size_t vpos, size_t index)
-        : inst{i}, index{index}, type{type},
-          vh{inst->simple_layout ? inst->simple_value_holder
-                                 : &inst->nonsimple.values_and_holders[vpos]} {}
-
-    // Default constructor (used to signal a value-and-holder not found by get_value_and_holder())
-    value_and_holder() = default;
-
-    // Used for past-the-end iterator
-    explicit value_and_holder(size_t index) : index{index} {}
-
-    template <typename V = void>
-    V *&value_ptr() const {
-        return reinterpret_cast<V *&>(vh[0]);
-    }
-    // True if this `value_and_holder` has a non-null value pointer
-    explicit operator bool() const { return value_ptr() != nullptr; }
-
-    template <typename H>
-    H &holder() const {
-        return reinterpret_cast<H &>(vh[1]);
-    }
-    bool holder_constructed() const {
-        return inst->simple_layout
-                   ? inst->simple_holder_constructed
-                   : (inst->nonsimple.status[index] & instance::status_holder_constructed) != 0u;
-    }
-    // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-make-member-function-const)
-    void set_holder_constructed(bool v = true) {
-        if (inst->simple_layout) {
-            inst->simple_holder_constructed = v;
-        } else if (v) {
-            inst->nonsimple.status[index] |= instance::status_holder_constructed;
-        } else {
-            inst->nonsimple.status[index] &= (std::uint8_t) ~instance::status_holder_constructed;
-        }
-    }
-    bool instance_registered() const {
-        return inst->simple_layout
-                   ? inst->simple_instance_registered
-                   : ((inst->nonsimple.status[index] & instance::status_instance_registered) != 0);
-    }
-    // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-make-member-function-const)
-    void set_instance_registered(bool v = true) {
-        if (inst->simple_layout) {
-            inst->simple_instance_registered = v;
-        } else if (v) {
-            inst->nonsimple.status[index] |= instance::status_instance_registered;
-        } else {
-            inst->nonsimple.status[index] &= (std::uint8_t) ~instance::status_instance_registered;
-        }
-    }
-};
-
 // Container for accessing and iterating over an instance's values/holders
 struct values_and_holders {
 private:

include/pybind11/detail/value_and_holder.h

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2016-2024 The Pybind Development Team.
+// All rights reserved. Use of this source code is governed by a
+// BSD-style license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "common.h"
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <typeinfo>
+
+PYBIND11_NAMESPACE_BEGIN(PYBIND11_NAMESPACE)
+PYBIND11_NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
+
+struct value_and_holder {
+    instance *inst = nullptr;
+    size_t index = 0u;
+    const detail::type_info *type = nullptr;
+    void **vh = nullptr;
+
+    // Main constructor for a found value/holder:
+    value_and_holder(instance *i, const detail::type_info *type, size_t vpos, size_t index)
+        : inst{i}, index{index}, type{type},
+          vh{inst->simple_layout ? inst->simple_value_holder
+                                 : &inst->nonsimple.values_and_holders[vpos]} {}
+
+    // Default constructor (used to signal a value-and-holder not found by get_value_and_holder())
+    value_and_holder() = default;
+
+    // Used for past-the-end iterator
+    explicit value_and_holder(size_t index) : index{index} {}
+
+    template <typename V = void>
+    V *&value_ptr() const {
+        return reinterpret_cast<V *&>(vh[0]);
+    }
+    // True if this `value_and_holder` has a non-null value pointer
+    explicit operator bool() const { return value_ptr() != nullptr; }
+
+    template <typename H>
+    H &holder() const {
+        return reinterpret_cast<H &>(vh[1]);
+    }
+    bool holder_constructed() const {
+        return inst->simple_layout
+                   ? inst->simple_holder_constructed
+                   : (inst->nonsimple.status[index] & instance::status_holder_constructed) != 0u;
+    }
+    // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-make-member-function-const)
+    void set_holder_constructed(bool v = true) {
+        if (inst->simple_layout) {
+            inst->simple_holder_constructed = v;
+        } else if (v) {
+            inst->nonsimple.status[index] |= instance::status_holder_constructed;
+        } else {
+            inst->nonsimple.status[index] &= (std::uint8_t) ~instance::status_holder_constructed;
+        }
+    }
+    bool instance_registered() const {
+        return inst->simple_layout
+                   ? inst->simple_instance_registered
+                   : ((inst->nonsimple.status[index] & instance::status_instance_registered) != 0);
+    }
+    // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-make-member-function-const)
+    void set_instance_registered(bool v = true) {
+        if (inst->simple_layout) {
+            inst->simple_instance_registered = v;
+        } else if (v) {
+            inst->nonsimple.status[index] |= instance::status_instance_registered;
+        } else {
+            inst->nonsimple.status[index] &= (std::uint8_t) ~instance::status_instance_registered;
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+PYBIND11_NAMESPACE_END(detail)
+PYBIND11_NAMESPACE_END(PYBIND11_NAMESPACE)

tests/extra_python_package/test_files.py

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ detail_headers = {
     "include/pybind11/detail/internals.h",
     "include/pybind11/detail/type_caster_base.h",
     "include/pybind11/detail/typeid.h",
+    "include/pybind11/detail/value_and_holder.h",
 }
 
 eigen_headers = {