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CHANGES.md updates for Chapel 2.4 (#26834)
[reviewed by @arezaii] These are the major changes made for Chapel 2.4. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
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‎CHANGES.md

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Release Changes List
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====================
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version 2.3.1
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=============
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version 2.4
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===========
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released March 20, 2025
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Highlights (see subsequent sections for further details)
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--------------------------------------------------------
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* significantly improved the features and ergonomics of the `Python` module
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* improved parallel iteration and zippering over standard `set` and `map` types
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* added support for multi-dimensional array literals like `[11, 12; 21, 22]`
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* added the ability to query the number of co-locales running on a node
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* added support for building Chapel projects with CMake
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* added custom settings, location-based rules, and docs to the linter
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* improved the 'dyno' compiler front-end's ability to resolve types and values
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* significantly revamped the Chapel website at https://chapel-lang.org/
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* made many other improvements in terms of bug fixes, errors, docs, etc.
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Updates to Chapel Prerequisites
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-------------------------------
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* raised the minimum version of Clang required to build Chapel to 11.0
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/usingchapel/prereqs.html)
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New Language Features
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---------------------
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* added support for multi-dimensional array literals
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(e.g., `[1.2, 3.4; 5.6, 7.8]` creates a 2x2 array value
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see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/language/spec/arrays.html#rectangular-array-literals)
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* added the ability to cast arrays to array types of the same size / shape
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(e.g., `[1.2, 3.4, 5.6]: [1..6 by 2] real(32)` is now supported)
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* added `locale.numColocales` to query the number of co-locales on a node
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/language/spec/locales.html#ChapelLocale.locale.numColocales)
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released February 7, 2025
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Language Feature Improvements
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-----------------------------
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* added initial support for throwing `postinit()` procedures
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/technotes/throwingInit.html#declaring-throwing-initializers)
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Deprecated / Unstable / Removed Language Features
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-------------------------------------------------
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* removed support for the deprecated `lambda` keyword
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* removed support for the deprecated `object` and `c_string` types
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* removed the deprecated `chpl_task_yield()` procedure
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* removed the deprecated `newSliceRule` config param
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New Standard Library Features
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-----------------------------
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* added an optional `sep` argument to `[fileWriter.]write[ln]()` in `IO`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/IO.html#IO.fileWriter.write
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and https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/IO.html#IO.write)
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* added `timeDelta.total[Milli|Micro]seconds()` to the `Time` module
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/Time.html#Time.timeDelta.totalMilliseconds)
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* added `heap.clear()` to the `Heap` module
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/Heap.html#Heap.heap.clear)
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* added support for C's `wchar_t` type in `CTypes`, named `c_wchar_t`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/CTypes.html#CTypes.c_wchar_t)
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Changes / Feature Improvements in Standard Libraries
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----------------------------------------------------
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* improved iterators on `set`s to support zippering with other sets and types
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/Set.html#Set.set.these)
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* added support for `forall` loops over `map.keys()` and `map.values()`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/Map.html#Map.map.keys
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and https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/Map.html#Map.map.values)
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* added a `fileReader.extractMatch()` overload that returns a value to `IO`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/IO/FormattedIO.html#FormattedIO.fileReader.extractMatch)
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* extended `CTypes.c_addrOf[Const]()` to accept domains and distributed arrays
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New Package Module Features
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---------------------------
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* added support for importing Python code declared as a string
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.Interpreter.importModule)
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* added support for loading Python code from a Python pickle
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.Interpreter.load)
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* added the ability to pass Chapel arrays to Python without copying
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.Array)
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* added the ability to use Python arrays from within Chapel without copying
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.PyArray)
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* added support for using Python `list`, `dict`, and `set` types in Chapel
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.PyList,
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https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.PyDict,
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and https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.PySet)
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* added an option to turn off `Python` module error handling for performance
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.checkExceptions)
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* added a `victimPolicy` enum to `DistributedBag` and its `.remove()` method
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/DistributedBag.html#DistributedBag.victimPolicy
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and https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/DistributedBag.html#DistributedBag.DistributedBagImpl.remove)
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Changes / Feature Improvements in Package Modules
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-------------------------------------------------
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* improved the `Python` module's API in several ways:
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- added a new `Value` superclass from which many other classes derive
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.Value)
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- used the new `Value` class to simplify other Python objects' interfaces
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- removed the `ClassObject` class in favor of `Value`
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- added new method-based replacements for the previous object-based API
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(e.g., `new Function(mod, 'foo')` can now be written `mod.get('foo')`)
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- allowed omitting the return type on certain Python operations
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(e.g., `val.get(owned Value, "xyz")` can now be written `val.get("xyz")`)
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* added a Python `Interpreter.flush()` method to flush standard streams
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/Python.html#Python.Interpreter.flush)
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* improved the `Python` module's integration with Chapel's threading model
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* improved the `Python` module's reference counting
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* adjusted `CopyAggregation`'s flush methods to optionally free the buffers
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/CopyAggregation.html#CopyAggregation.DstAggregator.flush)
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* added `ref` intents to `.flush()` in `CopyAggregation` to avoid warnings
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/CopyAggregation.html#CopyAggregation.DstAggregator.flush)
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Deprecated / Unstable / Removed Library Features
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------------------------------------------------
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* deprecated the `HDFS` module
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/packages/HDFS.html)
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* removed deprecated `imag`->`complex` trig routines in the `Math` module
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* removed methods on `map` that had previously been deprecated in `Map`
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* removed deprecated features from the `Version` module
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* removed deprecated `CTypes` capabilities, like `c_void_ptr`
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* removed deprecated `CodepointSplittingError` from the `Errors` module
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* removed deprecated routines from the `MemMove` module
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Tool Improvements
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-----------------
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* added support for building Chapel projects with CMake
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/usingchapel/compiling.html#cmake)
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* added support for creating linter rules with custom settings
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chplcheck/chplcheck.html#rule-specific-settings)
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* added support for text-location-only-based linter rules
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chplcheck/chplcheck.html#location-rules)
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* added a new 'LineLength' linter rule
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chplcheck/chplcheck.html#linelength)
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* allowed a single `chapel-py` build to be used with many Python versions
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* `chplvis` now relies on a system install of `fltk` rather than bundling it
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chplvis/chplvis.html#setup)
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Documentation Improvements
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--------------------------
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* updated URLs in the documentation to reflect the new website's organization
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* refreshed the list of actively tested GPU configurations
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/technotes/gpu.html#tested-configurations)
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* added a section to the GPU tech note about halting from GPU kernels
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/technotes/gpu.html#gpu-based-halting)
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* added missing documentation for Slurm launcher flags and environment vars
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/usingchapel/launcher.html#using-slurm)
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* added documentation clarifying uses of GASNet with InfiniBand and Omni-Path
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/platforms/infiniband.html#selecting-a-spawner
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and https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/platforms/omnipath.html#selecting-a-spawner)
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* updated the UDP docs to mention a case where `CHPL_RT_MASTERIP` can help
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/platforms/udp.html#i-get-worker-failed-dnslookup-on-master-host-name-error-messages)
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* fixed a bug in which `ChapelSysCTypes` was documented twice
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* made numerous other minor changes, fixes, and improvements to documentation
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Language Specification Improvements
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-----------------------------------
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* rewrote some examples in the spec to avoid an undesirable busy-wait loop
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/language/spec/memory-consistency-model.html#examples)
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* updated sample code in the 'Types' chapter to be more inclusive
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* removed documentation for no-longer-supported type comparisons like `<=`
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Documentation Improvements for Libraries
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----------------------------------------
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* clarified documentation for `IO.file.init()`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/modules/standard/IO.html#IO.file.init)
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Documentation Improvements for Tools
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------------------------------------
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* added documentation for `chplcheck` linter rules
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chplcheck/chplcheck.html#current-rules)
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* clarified build requirements for `chapel-py`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/tools/chapel-py/chapel-py.html#installation)
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Platform-Specific Documentation Improvements
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--------------------------------------------
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* updated documentation on binary packages for WSL
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/platforms/windows.html)
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Example Codes
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-------------
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* updated the HPCC benchmarks to compute good problem sizes for co-locales
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(see `$CHPL_HOME/examples/benchmarks/hpcc/HPCCProblemSize.chpl`)
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Performance Optimizations / Improvements
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----------------------------------------
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* extended the array view elision optimization to arrays of distinct types
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(e.g. `LocalArr[x..y] = DistArr[z..t]` is now optimized)
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* removed unnecessary checks in `Math.log2()` when `--no-checks` is used
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Updates to Chapel's Release Formats
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-----------------------------------
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* updated our Dockerfile to use default dependency versions/the latest base OS
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Configuration / Build Changes
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-----------------------------
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* moved warnings from `printchplenv` to the end of its output for clarity
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* renamed `CHPL_MEM` to `CHPL_TARGET_MEM`
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/usingchapel/chplenv.html#chpl-mem)
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* added checking that `CHPL_UNWIND` is set to a valid value
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* added the ability to infer `CHPL_LLVM_GCC_INSTALL_DIR` when needed
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(see https://chapel-lang.org/docs/2.4/usingchapel/chplenv.html#chpl-llvm-gcc-install-dir)
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This version is an update to the 2.3 release to address a build issue
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that can sometimes arise when a system has multiple versions of LLVM
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installed.
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GPU Computing
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-------------
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* removed support for CUDA versions older than 11.7
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Portability / Platform-specific Improvements
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--------------------------------------------
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* fixed a compilation error about missing `inet_aton()` on FreeBSD 13 and 14
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* improved the `Python` module's handling of the system Python environment
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Compiler Flags
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--------------
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* changed the `--mem` flag to `--target-mem` to match `CHPL_TARGET_MEM`
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Error Messages / Semantic Checks
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--------------------------------
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* improved error messages for out-of-bounds accesses to tuple elements
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* improved and added detailed error messages for use-before-definition errors
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* added specialized error messages for defining a variable in terms of itself
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* improved error messages reported by the `Sort` module for unsupported types
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Runtime Library Improvements
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----------------------------
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* updated the runtime for `CHPL_COMM=ofi` to support libfabric 2.x
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* increased the default/max number of threads supported by `CHPL_COMM=gasnet`
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* added a warning when `CHPL_COMM` reduces the # of threads below `maxTaskPar`
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Third-Party Software Changes
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----------------------------
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* updated the bundled version of GASNet to GASNet-2025.2.0-snapshot
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* applied a performance fix to the bundled version of Qthreads
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* removed the bundled copy of `fltk` due to portability/maintenance challenges
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Bug Fixes
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---------
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* fixed an issue where variables of `extern` types were not default initialized
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* fixed an internal error for `extern` return types in multilocale programs
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* fixed an internal error when erroneously writing `super.init` twice
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* fixed an internal error when assigning a type to a value
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* fixed a bug permitting `range` type args to be used before they were defined
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* fixed a bug in which `nothing` tuples were not properly cleaned up
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* fixed arbitrary-length args and dependency paths in the compiler and runtime
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* removed an extraneous error when using `--no-ieee-float` with the C backend
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Bug Fixes for Libraries
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-----------------------
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* fixed various issues with `BigInteger` on 32-bit platforms
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* fixed an ABI incompatibility bug between the `GMP` module and LLVM
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* fixed a bug preventing `map`s to be passed into `const ref` formals
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* fixed a bug with `distBag.addBulk()` when the input was not 0-based
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* fixed a free of a non-allocated address in the `CopyAggregation` module
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* fixed a bug with `MemDiagnostics.allocations()` on 32-bit systems
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* partially fixed a bug with catching errors thrown from `fromJson`
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* fixed the handling of comments inside arrays for the `TOML` package
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* fixed a bug causing hangs in some `Socket` module functions
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* fixed a bug to be able to pass `real`s as timeouts in `Socket` subroutines
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Bug Fixes for GPU Computing
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---------------------------
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* fixed the use of `make check` with the GPU locale model
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* fixed an assertion failure when using `CHPL_GPU=amd`
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Bug Fixes for Tools
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-------------------
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* fixed the wrong linter sometimes being used when run with the language server
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* fixed name-based linting for `extern` symbols
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* fixed incorrect linter warnings for unused tuple unpacks
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* fixed the linter's textual locations for various statement types and rules
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* fixed a bug where a bad `RPATH` could be embedded in the `chapel-py` library
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* fixed an issue with extra arguments passed to `c2chapel` on MacOS
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* fixed `mason test` for prefix-based installs
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Bug Fixes for Build Issues
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--------------------------
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* fixed LLVM path deduction logic when multiple LLVM versions are installed
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* avoided overriding the default sysroot when using a system version of Clang
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* fixed `CHPL_DEVELOPER` not being respected when set to a falsy value
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* squashed `pathchk` error output from `./configure` commands
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Bug Fixes for the Runtime
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-------------------------
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* fixed a seg fault when using `CHPL_TASKS=fifo` with `CHPL_COMM=gasnet`
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* fixed a bug with the `CHPL_LAUNCHER_USE_SBATCH` implementation
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* fixed a bug where Slurm-based launchers didn't preserve quoted string args
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* fixed a bug with temporary filenames in PBS-based launchers
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* fixed a bug in message buffer management for `CHPL_COMM=ofi`
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Developer-oriented changes: Documentation
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-----------------------------------------
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* updated the instructions for building the Chapel CI Docker image
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Developer-oriented changes: Module changes
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------------------------------------------
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* used the new `Value` class to clean up the `Python` module's implementation
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* added a `CTypes` module when using minimal modules, enabling C interop
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Developer-oriented changes: Makefile / Build-time changes
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---------------------------------------------------------
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* added scripts to update the Chapel version numbers in files that store them
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* fixed a developer build issue with GCC 14 with C++ template arguments
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* avoided spurious build warnings with MPICH 4 and GCC 12 when `WARNINGS=1`
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* fixed documentation builds in dirty source trees for `chapel-py`
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* added support for building a subset of LLVM targets
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* added support for setting `CHPL_PYTHON` to switch Python versions
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Developer-oriented changes: Compiler improvements / changes
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-----------------------------------------------------------
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* updated compiler paths from using fixed buffers to arbitrary-length strings
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* removed warnings for 1.32 behavior changes in `chpl_comm_{get,put}()` prims
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Developer-oriented changes: 'dyno' Compiler improvements / changes
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------------------------------------------------------------------
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* added support for bad split-initialization detection and errors
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* added detailed errors for failed implicit `super` calls
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* made numerous improvements to the 'dyno' resolver for types and calls:
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- enabled `for param` loops over more range types
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- added support for associative domain types and literals via modules
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- added initial support for `subdomain` and `sparse subdomain`
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- added support for rectangular/associative array type exprs via modules
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- enabled converting iterable expressions into arrays
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- added support for `.locale` queries
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- added support for `manage` statements and context managers
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- added support for `let` expressions
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- enabled iteration over heterogeneous tuples
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- enabled unpacking tuples yielded from `zip` expressions
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- added support for checking interface constraints
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- enabled importing tertiary methods via `use`/`import` limitations
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- added basic support for resolution of nested types
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- enabled resolving enums nested in procedures
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- added support for `compilerError()` and `compilerWarning()` routines
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- added support for file-related reflection routines (e.g., `getLineNumber`)
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- added support for several primitives
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- fixed a bug accessing fields within a module with the same name
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- improved disambiguation process between callable objects and functions
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- fixed ambiguities between forwarded methods and non-forwarded routines
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- fixed handling of `if var` declarations and its generated `=` call
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- implemented numerous bug fixes and stability improvements
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* added support for several language features to the typed dyno->prod converter
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Developer-oriented changes: Runtime improvements
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------------------------------------------------
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* added logic to avoid calls to `memalign()` with `size=0`
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* updated runtime paths from using fixed buffers to arbitrary-length strings
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Developer-oriented changes: Testing System
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------------------------------------------
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* improved logging for `.skipif` and `.suppressif` files in the test output
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* fixed `sub_clean`, which was not properly cleaning up symlinks
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* fixed `prediff-for-slurm` to handle output that is not UTF-8
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* enabled timing 'dyno' queries across revisions in `testInteractive`
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Developer-oriented changes: Utilities
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-------------------------------------
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* fixed a copyright update script bug that caused end-years to be repeated
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version 2.3
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- fixed a bug disambiguating between `unmanaged` and `borrowed` formals
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- fixed a resolver crash due to circular forwarding statements
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* improved performance when using `--dyno-scope-bundled`
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* fixed how Dyno prints booleans to match the production compiler
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* fixed how 'dyno' prints booleans to match the production compiler
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Developer-oriented changes: Testing System
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------------------------------------------

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