improve documentation for 'var T return values'; refs #7373

3 files changed, 42 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/doc/manual.rst b/doc/manual.rst
index 9f9206e5c..fbd043020 100644
--- a/doc/manual.rst
+++ b/doc/manual.rst
@@ -3487,17 +3487,17 @@ returned value is an l-value and can be modified by the caller:
 .. code-block:: nim
   var g = 0
 
-  proc WriteAccessToG(): var int =
+  proc writeAccessToG(): var int =
     result = g
 
-  WriteAccessToG() = 6
+  writeAccessToG() = 6
   assert g == 6
 
 It is a compile time error if the implicitly introduced pointer could be
 used to access a location beyond its lifetime:
 
 .. code-block:: nim
-  proc WriteAccessToG(): var int =
+  proc writeAccessToG(): var int =
     var g = 0
     result = g # Error!
 
@@ -3512,6 +3512,24 @@ In the standard library every name of a routine that returns a ``var`` type
 starts with the prefix ``m`` per convention.
 
 
+.. include:: manual/var_t_return.rst
+
+Future directions
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Later versions of Nim can be more precise about the borrowing rule with
+a syntax like:
+
+.. code-block:: nim
+  proc foo(other: Y; container: var X): var T from container
+
+Here ``var T from container`` explicitly exposes that the
+location is deviated from the second parameter (called
+'container' in this case). The syntax ``var T from p`` specifies a type
+``varTy[T, 2]`` which is incompatible with ``varTy[T, 1]``.
+
+
+
 Overloading of the subscript operator
 -------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/doc/manual/var_t_return.rst b/doc/manual/var_t_return.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b9ff1d892
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/var_t_return.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+Memory safety for returning by ``var T`` is ensured by a simple borrowing
+rule: If ``result`` does not refer to a location pointing to the heap
+(that is in ``result = X`` the ``X`` involves a ``ptr`` or ``ref`` access)
+then it has to be deviated by the routine's first parameter:
+
+.. code-block:: nim
+  proc forward[T](x: var T): var T =
+    result = x # ok, deviated from the first parameter.
+
+  proc p(param: var int): var int =
+    var x: int
+    # we know 'forward' provides a view into the location deviated by
+    # its first argument 'x'.
+    result = forward(x) # Error: location is derived from ``x``
+                        # which is not p's first parameter and lives
+                        # on the stack.
+
+In other words, the lifetime of what ``result`` points to is attached to the
+lifetime of the first parameter and that is enough knowledge to verify
+memory safety at the callsite.
diff --git a/web/website.ini b/web/website.ini
index 56b7c436f..18e7bf2cb 100644
--- a/web/website.ini
+++ b/web/website.ini
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ file: ticker.html
 [Documentation]
 doc: "endb.rst;intern.txt;apis.txt;lib.rst;manual.rst;tut1.rst;tut2.rst;nimc.rst;overview.rst;filters.rst"
 doc: "tools.txt;niminst.rst;nimgrep.rst;gc.rst;estp.rst;idetools.rst;docgen.rst;koch.rst;backends.txt"
-doc: "nimfix.rst;nimsuggest.rst;nep1.rst;nims.rst;contributing.rst"
+doc: "nimfix.rst;nimsuggest.rst;nep1.rst;nims.rst;contributing.rst;manual/*.rst"
 pdf: "manual.rst;lib.rst;tut1.rst;tut2.rst;nimc.rst;niminst.rst;gc.rst"
 srcdoc2: "system.nim;system/nimscript;pure/ospaths"
 srcdoc2: "core/macros;pure/marshal;core/typeinfo"