MSCV does not allow `&typeid(T)` in constexpr contexts, but the string
part of the type signature can still be constexpr. In order to avoid
`typeid` as long as possible, `descr` is modified to collect type
information as template parameters instead of constexpr `typeid`.
The actual `std::type_info` pointers are only collected in the end,
as a `constexpr` (gcc/clang) or regular (MSVC) function call.
Not only does it significantly reduce binary size on MSVC, gcc/clang
benefit a little bit as well, since they can skip some intermediate
`std::type_info*` arrays.
This commit includes modifications that are needed to get pybind11 to work with PyPy. The full test suite compiles and runs except for a last few functions that are commented out (due to problems in PyPy that were reported on the PyPy bugtracker).
Two somewhat intrusive changes were needed to make it possible: two new tags ``py::buffer_protocol()`` and ``py::metaclass()`` must now be specified to the ``class_`` constructor if the class uses the buffer protocol and/or requires a metaclass (e.g. for static properties).
Note that this is only for the PyPy version based on Python 2.7 for now. When the PyPy 3.x has caught up in terms of cpyext compliance, a PyPy 3.x patch will follow.
This modification taps into some newer C++14 features (if present) to
generate function signatures considerably more efficiently at compile
time rather than at run time.
With this change, pybind11 binaries are now *2.1 times* smaller compared
to the Boost.Python baseline in the benchmark. Compilation times get a
nice improvement as well.
Visual Studio 2015 unfortunately doesn't implement 'constexpr' well
enough yet to support this change and uses a runtime fallback.
Dean Moldovan
Michael König
Wenzel Jakob
Wenzel Jakob