https://dlang.org/spec/betterc.html doesn't mention struct constructors not working, but I'm getting linker errors when trying to call a struct constructor.

Consider the following program betterc.d

    struct foo
    {
    }

    extern(C) void main()
    {
        auto bar = new foo();
    }

Compile with: dmd -c -m32 betterc.d -betterC
Link with: gcc -m32 betterc.o -Wl,--build-id=none -nostdlib -o "betterc.bin"

Linker output:

    betterc.o: In function `main':
    betterc.d:(.text.main[main]+0xa): undefined reference to `_d_newitemT'
    betterc.o:(.data._D22TypeInfo_S7betterc3foo6__initZ+0x0): undefined reference to `_D15TypeInfo_Struct6__vtblZ'
    collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status

Is there a mistake in my code, or is the documentation lacking?

On 24/12/2017 1:20 AM, Stijn wrote:
> https://dlang.org/spec/betterc.html doesn't mention struct constructors not working, but I'm getting linker errors when trying to call a struct constructor.
> 
> Consider the following program betterc.d
> 
>      struct foo
>      {
>      }
> 
>      extern(C) void main()
>      {
>          auto bar = new foo();
>      }
> 
> Compile with: dmd -c -m32 betterc.d -betterC
> Link with: gcc -m32 betterc.o -Wl,--build-id=none -nostdlib -o "betterc.bin"
> 
> Linker output:
> 
>      betterc.o: In function `main':
>      betterc.d:(.text.main[main]+0xa): undefined reference to `_d_newitemT'
>      betterc.o:(.data._D22TypeInfo_S7betterc3foo6__initZ+0x0): undefined reference to `_D15TypeInfo_Struct6__vtblZ'
>      collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
> 
> Is there a mistake in my code, or is the documentation lacking?

new uses GC.
It has nothing to do with structs.

On Sunday, 24 December 2017 at 01:21:53 UTC, rikki cattermole wrote:
> On 24/12/2017 1:20 AM, Stijn wrote:
>> [...]
>
> new uses GC.
> It has nothing to do with structs.

Oh I see, simply removing 'new' solves the problem. I've a C# background, so I hadn't thought of doing that. Thanks!

On 24/12/2017 1:25 AM, Stijn wrote:
> On Sunday, 24 December 2017 at 01:21:53 UTC, rikki cattermole wrote:
>> On 24/12/2017 1:20 AM, Stijn wrote:
>>> [...]
>>
>> new uses GC.
>> It has nothing to do with structs.
> 
> Oh I see, simply removing 'new' solves the problem. I've a C# background, so I hadn't thought of doing that. Thanks!

Yeah new = memory allocation.

Although maybe you ought to start out with regular D.

-betterC is really there for those who want D but can't have druntime.
They should already know D pretty well.

On Sunday, 24 December 2017 at 01:29:56 UTC, rikki cattermole wrote:
> Although maybe you ought to start out with regular D.
>
> -betterC is really there for those who want D but can't have druntime.
> They should already know D pretty well.

I'm using -betterC on purpose, doing bare-metal development. Had to learn a new language anyway, and I had been following D for 8 years or so.
I started out with a stubbed object.d but that turned out to be too hard, so switched to -betterC by recommendation of some people on IRC.