Index: doc/theses/rob_schluntz/variadic.tex
===================================================================
--- doc/theses/rob_schluntz/variadic.tex	(revision 90152a4860529aff7214be01cd22abd37012cd19)
+++ doc/theses/rob_schluntz/variadic.tex	(revision 90152a4860529aff7214be01cd22abd37012cd19)
@@ -0,0 +1,538 @@
+%======================================================================
+\chapter{Variadic Functions}
+%======================================================================
+
+\section{Design Criteria} % TODO: better section name???
+C provides variadic functions through the manipulation of @va_list@ objects.
+In C, a variadic function is one which contains at least one parameter, followed by @...@ as the last token in the parameter list.
+In particular, some form of \emph{argument descriptor} or \emph{sentinel value} is needed to inform the function of the number of arguments and their types.
+Two common argument descriptors are format strings or counter parameters.
+It is important to note that both of these mechanisms are inherently redundant, because they require the user to explicitly specify information that the compiler already knows \footnote{While format specifiers can convey some information the compiler does not know, such as whether to print a number in decimal or hexadecimal, the number of arguments is wholly redundant.}.
+This required repetition is error prone, because it is easy for the user to add or remove arguments without updating the argument descriptor.
+In addition, C requires the programmer to hard code all of the possible expected types.
+As a result, it is cumbersome to write a function that is open to extension.
+For example, a simple function to sum $N$ @int@s,
+\begin{cfacode}
+int sum(int N, ...) {
+  va_list args;
+  va_start(args, N);
+  int ret = 0;
+  while(N) {
+    ret += va_arg(args, int);  // have to specify type
+    N--;
+  }
+  va_end(args);
+  return ret;
+}
+sum(3, 10, 20, 30);  // need to keep counter in sync
+\end{cfacode}
+The @va_list@ type is a special C data type that abstracts variadic-argument manipulation.
+The @va_start@ macro initializes a @va_list@, given the last named parameter.
+Each use of the @va_arg@ macro allows access to the next variadic argument, given a type.
+Since the function signature does not provide any information on what types can be passed to a variadic function, the compiler does not perform any error checks on a variadic call.
+As such, it is possible to pass any value to the @sum@ function, including pointers, floating-point numbers, and structures.
+In the case where the provided type is not compatible with the argument's actual type after default argument promotions, or if too many arguments are accessed, the behaviour is undefined \cite[p.~81]{C11}.
+Furthermore, there is no way to perform the necessary error checks in the @sum@ function at run-time, since type information is not carried into the function body.
+Since they rely on programmer convention rather than compile-time checks, variadic functions are unsafe.
+
+In practice, compilers can provide warnings to help mitigate some of the problems.
+For example, GCC provides the @format@ attribute to specify that a function uses a format string, which allows the compiler to perform some checks related to the standard format-specifiers.
+Unfortunately, this approach does not permit extensions to the format-string syntax, so a programmer cannot extend the attribute to warn for mismatches with custom types.
+
+As a result, C's variadic functions are a deficient language feature.
+Two options were examined to provide better, type-safe variadic functions in \CFA.
+\subsection{Whole Tuple Matching}
+Option 1 is to change the argument matching algorithm, so that type parameters can match whole tuples, rather than just their components.
+This option could be implemented with two phases of argument matching when a function contains type parameters and the argument list contains tuple arguments.
+If flattening and structuring fail to produce a match, a second attempt at matching the function and argument combination is made where tuple arguments are not expanded and structure must match exactly, modulo non-tuple implicit conversions.
+For example:
+\begin{cfacode}
+  forall(otype T, otype U | { T g(U); })
+  void f(T, U);
+
+  [int, int] g([int, int, int, int]);
+
+  f([1, 2], [3, 4, 5, 6]);
+\end{cfacode}
+With flattening and structuring, the call is first transformed into @f(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)@.
+Since the first argument of type @T@ does not have a tuple type, unification decides that @T=int@ and @1@ is matched as the first parameter.
+Likewise, @U@ does not have a tuple type, so @U=int@ and @2@ is accepted as the second parameter.
+There are now no remaining formal parameters, but there are remaining arguments and the function is not variadic, so the match fails.
+
+With the addition of an exact matching attempt, @T=[int,int]@ and @U=[int,int,int,int]@, and so the arguments type check.
+Likewise, when inferring assertion @g@, an exact match is found.
+
+This approach is strict with respect to argument structure, by nature, which makes it syntactically awkward to use in ways that the existing tuple design is not.
+For example, consider a @new@ function that allocates memory using @malloc@, and constructs the result using arbitrary arguments.
+\begin{cfacode}
+struct Array;
+void ?{}(Array *, int, int, int);
+
+forall(dtype T, otype Params | sized(T) | { void ?{}(T *, Params); })
+T * new(Params p) {
+  return malloc(){ p };
+}
+Array(int) * x = new([1, 2, 3]);
+\end{cfacode}
+The call to @new@ is not particularly appealing, since it requires the use of square brackets at the call-site, which is not required in any other function call.
+This shifts the burden from the compiler to the programmer, which is almost always wrong, and creates an odd inconsistency within the language.
+Similarly, in order to pass 0 variadic arguments, an explicit empty tuple must be passed into the argument list, otherwise the exact matching rule would not have an argument to bind against.
+
+It should be otherwise noted that the addition of an exact matching rule only affects the outcome for polymorphic type-binding when tuples are involved.
+For non-tuple arguments, exact matching and flattening and structuring are equivalent.
+For tuple arguments to a function without polymorphic formal-parameters, flattening and structuring work whenever an exact match would have worked, since the tuple is flattened and implicitly restructured to its original structure.
+Thus there is nothing to be gained from permitting the exact matching rule to take effect when a function does not contain polymorphism and none of the arguments are tuples.
+
+Overall, this option takes a step in the right direction, but is contrary to the flexibility of the existing tuple design.
+
+\subsection{A New Typeclass}
+A second option is the addition of another kind of type parameter, @ttype@.
+Matching against a @ttype@ parameter consumes all remaining argument components and packages them into a tuple, binding to the resulting tuple of types.
+In a given parameter list, there should be at most one @ttype@ parameter that must occur last, otherwise the call can never resolve, given the previous rule.
+This idea essentially matches normal variadic semantics, with a strong feeling of similarity to \CCeleven variadic templates.
+As such, @ttype@ variables are also referred to as argument packs.
+This approach is the option that has been added to \CFA.
+
+Like variadic templates, the main way to manipulate @ttype@ polymorphic functions is through recursion.
+Since nothing is known about a parameter pack by default, assertion parameters are key to doing anything meaningful.
+Unlike variadic templates, @ttype@ polymorphic functions can be separately compiled.
+
+For example, a simple translation of the C sum function using @ttype@ is
+\begin{cfacode}
+int sum(void){ return 0; }        // (0)
+forall(ttype Params | { int sum(Params); })
+int sum(int x, Params rest) { // (1)
+  return x+sum(rest);
+}
+sum(10, 20, 30);
+\end{cfacode}
+Since (0) does not accept any arguments, it is not a valid candidate function for the call @sum(10, 20, 30)@.
+In order to call (1), @10@ is matched with @x@, and the argument resolution moves on to the argument pack @rest@, which consumes the remainder of the argument list and @Params@ is bound to @[20, 30]@.
+In order to finish the resolution of @sum@, an assertion parameter that matches @int sum(int, int)@ is required.
+Like in the previous iteration, (0) is not a valid candidate, so (1) is examined with @Params@ bound to @[int]@, requiring the assertion @int sum(int)@.
+Next, (0) fails, and to satisfy (1) @Params@ is bound to @[]@, requiring an assertion @int sum()@.
+Finally, (0) matches and (1) fails, which terminates the recursion.
+Effectively, this traces as @sum(10, 20, 30)@ $\rightarrow$ @10+sum(20, 30)@ $\rightarrow$ @10+(20+sum(30))@ $\rightarrow$ @10+(20+(30+sum()))@ $\rightarrow$ @10+(20+(30+0))@.
+
+Interestingly, this version does not require any form of argument descriptor, since the \CFA type system keeps track of all of these details.
+It might be reasonable to take the @sum@ function a step further to enforce a minimum number of arguments, which could be done simply
+\begin{cfacode}
+int sum(int x, int y){
+  return x+y;
+}
+forall(ttype Params | { int sum(int, Params); })
+int sum(int x, int y, Params rest) {
+  return sum(x+y, rest);
+}
+sum(10);          // invalid
+sum(10, 20);      // valid
+sum(10, 20, 30);  // valid
+...
+\end{cfacode}
+
+One more iteration permits the summation of any summable type, as long as all arguments are the same type.
+\begin{cfacode}
+trait summable(otype T) {
+  T ?+?(T, T);
+};
+forall(otype R | summable(R))
+R sum(R x, R y){
+  return x+y;
+}
+forall(otype R, ttype Params
+  | summable(R)
+  | { R sum(R, Params); })
+R sum(R x, R y, Params rest) {
+  return sum(x+y, rest);
+}
+sum(3, 10, 20, 30);
+\end{cfacode}
+Unlike C, it is not necessary to hard code the expected type.
+This @sum@ function is naturally open to extension, in that any user-defined type with a @?+?@ operator is automatically able to be used with the @sum@ function.
+That is to say, the programmer who writes @sum@ does not need full program knowledge of every possible data type, unlike what is necessary to write an equivalent function using the standard C mechanisms.
+
+\begin{sloppypar}
+Going one last step, it is possible to achieve full generality in \CFA, allowing the summation of arbitrary lists of summable types.
+\begin{cfacode}
+trait summable(otype T1, otype T2, otype R) {
+  R ?+?(T1, T2);
+};
+forall(otype T1, otype T2, otype R | summable(T1, T2, R))
+R sum(T1 x, T2 y) {
+  return x+y;
+}
+forall(otype T1, otype T2, otype T3, otype R, ttype Params
+  | summable(T1, T2, T3)
+  | { R sum(T3, Params); })
+R sum(T1 x, T2 y, Params rest ) {
+  return sum(x+y, rest);
+}
+sum(3, 10.5, 20, 30.3);
+\end{cfacode}
+The \CFA translator requires adding explicit @double ?+?(int, double)@ and @double ?+?(double, int)@ functions for this call to work, since implicit conversions are not supported for assertions.
+\end{sloppypar}
+
+A notable limitation of this approach is that it heavily relies on recursive assertions.
+The \CFA translator imposes a limitation on the depth of the recursion for assertion satisfaction.
+Currently, the limit is set to 4, which means that the first version of the @sum@ function is limited to at most 5 arguments, while the second version can support up to 6 arguments.
+The limit is set low due to inefficiencies in the current implementation of the \CFA expression resolver.
+There is ongoing work to improve the performance of the resolver, and with noticeable gains, the limit can be relaxed to allow longer argument lists to @ttype@ functions.
+
+C variadic syntax and @ttype@ polymorphism probably should not be mixed, since it is not clear where to draw the line to decide which arguments belong where.
+Furthermore, it might be desirable to disallow polymorphic functions to use C variadic syntax to encourage a \CFA style.
+Aside from calling C variadic functions, it is not obvious that there is anything that can be done with C variadics that could not also be done with @ttype@ parameters.
+
+Variadic templates in \CC require an ellipsis token to express that a parameter is a parameter pack and to expand a parameter pack.
+\CFA does not need an ellipsis in either case, since the type class @ttype@ is only used for variadics.
+An alternative design is to use an ellipsis combined with an existing type class.
+This approach was not taken because the largest benefit of the ellipsis token in \CC is the ability to expand a parameter pack within an expression, \eg, in fold expressions, which requires compile-time knowledge of the structure of the parameter pack, which is not available in \CFA.
+\begin{cppcode}
+template<typename... Args>
+void f(Args &... args) {
+  g(&args...);  // expand to addresses of pack elements
+}
+\end{cppcode}
+As such, the addition of an ellipsis token would be purely an aesthetic change in \CFA today.
+
+It is possible to write a type-safe variadic print routine, which can replace @printf@
+\begin{cfacode}
+struct S { int x, y; };
+forall(otype T, ttype Params |
+  { void print(T); void print(Params); })
+void print(T arg, Params rest) {
+  print(arg);
+  print(rest);
+}
+void print(char * x) { printf("%s", x); }
+void print(int x) { printf("%d", x);  }
+void print(S s) { print("{ ", s.x, ",", s.y, " }"); }
+print("s = ", (S){ 1, 2 }, "\n");
+\end{cfacode}
+This example routine showcases a variadic-template-like decomposition of the provided argument list.
+The individual @print@ routines allow printing a single element of a type.
+The polymorphic @print@ allows printing any list of types, as long as each individual type has a @print@ function.
+The individual print functions can be used to build up more complicated @print@ routines, such as for @S@, which is something that cannot be done with @printf@ in C.
+
+It is also possible to use @ttype@ polymorphism to provide arbitrary argument forwarding functions.
+For example, it is possible to write @new@ as a library function.
+\begin{cfacode}
+struct Array;
+void ?{}(Array *, int, int, int);
+
+forall(dtype T, ttype Params | sized(T) | { void ?{}(T *, Params); })
+T * new(Params p) {
+  return malloc(){ p }; // construct result of malloc
+}
+Array * x = new(1, 2, 3);
+\end{cfacode}
+In the call to @new@, @Array@ is selected to match @T@, and @Params@ is expanded to match @[int, int, int, int]@. To satisfy the assertions, a constructor with an interface compatible with @void ?{}(Array *, int, int, int)@ must exist in the current scope.
+
+The @new@ function provides the combination of polymorphic @malloc@ with a constructor call, so that it becomes impossible to forget to construct dynamically-allocated objects.
+This approach provides the type-safety of @new@ in \CC, without the need to specify the allocated type, thanks to return-type inference.
+
+\section{Implementation}
+
+The definition of @new@
+\begin{cfacode}
+forall(dtype T | sized(T)) T * malloc();
+
+forall(dtype T, ttype Params | sized(T) | { void ?{}(T *, Params); })
+T * new(Params p) {
+  return malloc(){ p }; // construct result of malloc
+}
+\end{cfacode}
+generates the following
+\begin{cfacode}
+void *malloc(long unsigned int _sizeof_T, long unsigned int _alignof_T);
+
+void *new(
+  void (*_adapter_)(void (*)(), void *, void *),
+  long unsigned int _sizeof_T,
+  long unsigned int _alignof_T,
+  long unsigned int _sizeof_Params,
+  long unsigned int _alignof_Params,
+  void (* _ctor_T)(void *, void *),
+  void *p
+){
+  void *_retval_new;
+  void *_tmp_cp_ret0;
+  void *_tmp_ctor_expr0;
+  _retval_new=
+    (_adapter_(_ctor_T,
+      (_tmp_ctor_expr0=(_tmp_cp_ret0=malloc(_sizeof_2tT, _alignof_2tT),
+        _tmp_cp_ret0)),
+      p),
+    _tmp_ctor_expr0); // ?{}
+  *(void **)&_tmp_cp_ret0; // ^?{}
+  return _retval_new;
+}
+\end{cfacode}
+The constructor for @T@ is called indirectly through the adapter function on the result of @malloc@ and the parameter pack.
+The variable that is allocated and constructed is then returned from @new@.
+
+A call to @new@
+\begin{cfacode}
+struct S { int x, y; };
+void ?{}(S *, int, int);
+
+S * s = new(3, 4);
+\end{cfacode}
+Generates the following
+\begin{cfacode}
+struct _tuple2_ {  // _tuple2_(T0, T1)
+  void *field_0;
+  void *field_1;
+};
+struct _conc__tuple2_0 {  // _tuple2_(int, int)
+  int field_0;
+  int field_1;
+};
+struct _conc__tuple2_0 _tmp_cp1;  // tuple argument to new
+struct S *_tmp_cp_ret1;           // return value from new
+void _thunk0(  // ?{}(S *, [int, int])
+  struct S *_p0,
+  struct _conc__tuple2_0 _p1
+){
+  _ctor_S(_p0, _p1.field_0, _p1.field_1);  // restructure tuple parameter
+}
+void _adapter(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0, void *_p1){
+  // apply adaptee to arguments after casting to actual types
+  ((void (*)(struct S *, struct _conc__tuple2_0))_adaptee)(
+    _p0,
+    *(struct _conc__tuple2_0 *)_p1
+  );
+}
+struct S *s = (struct S *)(_tmp_cp_ret1=
+  new(
+    _adapter,
+    sizeof(struct S),
+    __alignof__(struct S),
+    sizeof(struct _conc__tuple2_0),
+    __alignof__(struct _conc__tuple2_0),
+    (void (*)(void *, void *))&_thunk0,
+    (({ // copy construct tuple argument to new
+      int *__multassign_L0 = (int *)&_tmp_cp1.field_0;
+      int *__multassign_L1 = (int *)&_tmp_cp1.field_1;
+      int __multassign_R0 = 3;
+      int __multassign_R1 = 4;
+      ((*__multassign_L0=__multassign_R0 /* ?{} */) ,
+       (*__multassign_L1=__multassign_R1 /* ?{} */));
+    }), &_tmp_cp1)
+  ), _tmp_cp_ret1);
+*(struct S **)&_tmp_cp_ret1; // ^?{}  // destroy return value from new
+({  // destroy argument temporary
+  int *__massassign_L0 = (int *)&_tmp_cp1.field_0;
+  int *__massassign_L1 = (int *)&_tmp_cp1.field_1;
+  ((*__massassign_L0 /* ^?{} */) , (*__massassign_L1 /* ^?{} */));
+});
+\end{cfacode}
+Of note, @_thunk0@ is generated to translate calls to @?{}(S *, [int, int])@ into calls to @?{}(S *, int, int)@.
+The call to @new@ constructs a tuple argument using the supplied arguments.
+
+The @print@ function
+\begin{cfacode}
+forall(otype T, ttype Params |
+  { void print(T); void print(Params); })
+void print(T arg, Params rest) {
+  print(arg);
+  print(rest);
+}
+\end{cfacode}
+generates the following
+\begin{cfacode}
+void print_variadic(
+  void (*_adapterF_7tParams__P)(void (*)(), void *),
+  void (*_adapterF_2tT__P)(void (*)(), void *),
+  void (*_adapterF_P2tT2tT__MP)(void (*)(), void *, void *),
+  void (*_adapterF2tT_P2tT2tT_P_MP)(void (*)(), void *, void *, void *),
+  long unsigned int _sizeof_T,
+  long unsigned int _alignof_T,
+  long unsigned int _sizeof_Params,
+  long unsigned int _alignof_Params,
+  void *(*_assign_TT)(void *, void *),
+  void (*_ctor_T)(void *),
+  void (*_ctor_TT)(void *, void *),
+  void (*_dtor_T)(void *),
+  void (*print_T)(void *),
+  void (*print_Params)(void *),
+  void *arg,
+  void *rest
+){
+  void *_tmp_cp0 = __builtin_alloca(_sizeof_T);
+  _adapterF_2tT__P(  // print(arg)
+    ((void (*)())print_T),
+    (_adapterF_P2tT2tT__MP( // copy construct argument
+      ((void (*)())_ctor_TT),
+      _tmp_cp0,
+      arg
+    ), _tmp_cp0)
+  );
+  _dtor_T(_tmp_cp0);  // destroy argument temporary
+  _adapterF_7tParams__P(  // print(rest)
+    ((void (*)())print_Params),
+    rest
+  );
+}
+\end{cfacode}
+The @print_T@ routine is called indirectly through an adapter function with a copy constructed argument, followed by an indirect call to @print_Params@.
+
+A call to print
+\begin{cfacode}
+void print(const char * x) { printf("%s", x); }
+void print(int x) { printf("%d", x);  }
+
+print("x = ", 123, ".\n");
+\end{cfacode}
+generates the following
+\begin{cfacode}
+void print_string(const char *x){
+  int _tmp_cp_ret0;
+  (_tmp_cp_ret0=printf("%s", x)) , _tmp_cp_ret0;
+  *(int *)&_tmp_cp_ret0; // ^?{}
+}
+void print_int(int x){
+  int _tmp_cp_ret1;
+  (_tmp_cp_ret1=printf("%d", x)) , _tmp_cp_ret1;
+  *(int *)&_tmp_cp_ret1; // ^?{}
+}
+
+struct _tuple2_ {  // _tuple2_(T0, T1)
+  void *field_0;
+  void *field_1;
+};
+struct _conc__tuple2_0 {  // _tuple2_(int, const char *)
+  int field_0;
+  const char *field_1;
+};
+struct _conc__tuple2_0 _tmp_cp6;  // _tuple2_(int, const char *)
+const char *_thunk0(const char **_p0, const char *_p1){
+        // const char * ?=?(const char **, const char *)
+  return *_p0=_p1;
+}
+void _thunk1(const char **_p0){ // void ?{}(const char **)
+  *_p0; // ?{}
+}
+void _thunk2(const char **_p0, const char *_p1){
+        // void ?{}(const char **, const char *)
+  *_p0=_p1; // ?{}
+}
+void _thunk3(const char **_p0){ // void ^?{}(const char **)
+  *_p0; // ^?{}
+}
+void _thunk4(struct _conc__tuple2_0 _p0){
+        // void print([int, const char *])
+  struct _tuple1_ { // _tuple1_(T0)
+    void *field_0;
+  };
+  struct _conc__tuple1_1 { // _tuple1_(const char *)
+    const char *field_0;
+  };
+  void _thunk5(struct _conc__tuple1_1 _pp0){ // void print([const char *])
+    print_string(_pp0.field_0);  // print(rest.0)
+  }
+  void _adapter_i_pii_(
+    void (*_adaptee)(),
+    void *_ret,
+    void *_p0,
+    void *_p1
+  ){
+    *(int *)_ret=((int (*)(int *, int))_adaptee)(_p0, *(int *)_p1);
+  }
+  void _adapter_pii_(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0, void *_p1){
+    ((void (*)(int *, int ))_adaptee)(_p0, *(int *)_p1);
+  }
+  void _adapter_i_(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0){
+    ((void (*)(int))_adaptee)(*(int *)_p0);
+  }
+  void _adapter_tuple1_5_(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0){
+    ((void (*)(struct _conc__tuple1_1 ))_adaptee)(
+      *(struct _conc__tuple1_1 *)_p0
+    );
+  }
+  print_variadic(
+    _adapter_tuple1_5,
+    _adapter_i_,
+    _adapter_pii_,
+    _adapter_i_pii_,
+    sizeof(int),
+    __alignof__(int),
+    sizeof(struct _conc__tuple1_1),
+    __alignof__(struct _conc__tuple1_1),
+    (void *(*)(void *, void *))_assign_i,    // int ?=?(int *, int)
+    (void (*)(void *))_ctor_i,               // void ?{}(int *)
+    (void (*)(void *, void *))_ctor_ii,      // void ?{}(int *, int)
+    (void (*)(void *))_dtor_ii,              // void ^?{}(int *)
+    (void (*)(void *))print_int,             // void print(int)
+    (void (*)(void *))&_thunk5,              // void print([const char *])
+    &_p0.field_0,                            // rest.0
+    &(struct _conc__tuple1_1 ){ _p0.field_1 }// [rest.1]
+  );
+}
+struct _tuple1_ {  // _tuple1_(T0)
+  void *field_0;
+};
+struct _conc__tuple1_6 {  // _tuple_1(const char *)
+  const char *field_0;
+};
+const char *_temp0;
+_temp0="x = ";
+void _adapter_pstring_pstring_string(
+  void (*_adaptee)(),
+  void *_ret,
+  void *_p0,
+  void *_p1
+){
+  *(const char **)_ret=
+    ((const char *(*)(const char **, const char *))_adaptee)(
+      _p0,
+      *(const char **)_p1
+    );
+}
+void _adapter_pstring_string(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0, void *_p1){
+  ((void (*)(const char **, const char *))_adaptee)(
+    _p0,
+    *(const char **)_p1
+  );
+}
+void _adapter_string_(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0){
+  ((void (*)(const char *))_adaptee)(*(const char **)_p0);
+}
+void _adapter_tuple2_0_(void (*_adaptee)(), void *_p0){
+  ((void (*)(struct _conc__tuple2_0 ))_adaptee)(
+    *(struct _conc__tuple2_0 *)_p0
+  );
+}
+print_variadic(
+  _adapter_tuple2_0_,
+  _adapter_string_,
+  _adapter_pstring_string_,
+  _adapter_pstring_pstring_string_,
+  sizeof(const char *),
+  __alignof__(const char *),
+  sizeof(struct _conc__tuple2_0 ),
+  __alignof__(struct _conc__tuple2_0 ),
+  &_thunk0,     // const char * ?=?(const char **, const char *)
+  &_thunk1,     // void ?{}(const char **)
+  &_thunk2,     // void ?{}(const char **, const char *)
+  &_thunk3,     // void ^?{}(const char **)
+  print_string, // void print(const char *)
+  &_thunk4,     // void print([int, const char *])
+  &_temp0,                             // "x = "
+  (({  // copy construct tuple argument to print
+    int *__multassign_L0 = (int *)&_tmp_cp6.field_0;
+    const char **__multassign_L1 = (const char **)&_tmp_cp6.field_1;
+    int __multassign_R0 = 123;
+    const char *__multassign_R1 = ".\n";
+    ((*__multassign_L0=__multassign_R0 /* ?{} */),
+     (*__multassign_L1=__multassign_R1 /* ?{} */));
+  }), &_tmp_cp6)                        // [123, ".\n"]
+);
+({  // destroy argument temporary
+  int *__massassign_L0 = (int *)&_tmp_cp6.field_0;
+  const char **__massassign_L1 = (const char **)&_tmp_cp6.field_1;
+  ((*__massassign_L0 /* ^?{} */) , (*__massassign_L1 /* ^?{} */));
+});
+\end{cfacode}
+The type @_tuple2_@ is generated to allow passing the @rest@ argument to @print_variadic@.
+Thunks 0 through 3 provide wrappers for the @otype@ parameters for @const char *@, while @_thunk4@ translates a call to @print([int, const char *])@ into a call to @print_variadic(int, [const char *])@.
+This all builds to a call to @print_variadic@, with the appropriate copy construction of the tuple argument.
