When we invoke nowhere on a small file test.now, it generates
a file test.sml that contains undefined variable. test.sml
is then rejected by the compiler.
This is an example of problematic file test.now
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
local
datatype xbool = Xtrue | Xfalse
and strg = Xa | Xb | C of strg * strg;
in
datatype xbool = Xtrue | Xfalse
and strg = Xa | Xb | C of strg * strg;
fun gte (x1:strg, x2:strg ): xbool =
case (x1, x2) of
(Xa, Xa) => Xtrue
| (C (e, s), e2) => gte (e, e2)
| (e, C (e2, s2)) where e = e2 => Xfalse
fun main () =(
print "\n"
)
val _ = main ()
end
(x86, 32 bits):
$ /usr/bin/nowhere @SMLversion
nowhere 110.76
$ /usr/bin/sml @SMLversion
sml 110.76
$ /usr/bin/nowhere test.now
test.now:9.1-13.41: warning: non-exhaustive matches
(Xa, Xa) => ...
(C(e, s), e2) => ...
(e, C(e2, s2)) where ... => ...
[Generating test.sml]
The generated SML file contains references to undefined variables
v_1 and v_5, and is then rejected by the SML compiler:
$ /usr/bin/sml test.sml
Standard ML of New Jersey v110.76 [built: Mon Jul 7 16:22:48 2014]
[opening test.sml]
test.now:14.34-14.37 Error: unbound variable or constructor: v_1
test.now:16.28-16.31 Error: unbound variable or constructor: v_5
/usr/lib/smlnj/bin/sml: Fatal error -- Uncaught exception Error with 0
raised at ../compiler/TopLevel/interact/evalloop.sml:66.19-66.27
We observed also the same issue on the latest version 110.79 of
Nowhere and SML:
$ nowhere test.now
test.now:9.1-13.41: warning: non-exhaustive matches
(Xa, Xa) => ...
(C(e, s), e2) => ...
(e, C(e2, s2)) where ... => ...
[Generating test.sml]
$ sml test.sml
Standard ML of New Jersey v110.79 [built: Thu Jun 23 15:18:54 2016]
[opening test.sml]
test.now:14.34-14.37 Error: unbound variable or constructor: v_1
test.now:16.28-16.31 Error: unbound variable or constructor: v_5
/home/mtabikh/SML/bin/sml: Fatal error -- Uncaught exception Error with 0
raised at ../compiler/TopLevel/interact/evalloop.sml:66.19-66.27
Enclosed is the generated file test.sml:
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
(* WARNING: this is generated by running 'nowhere test.now'.
* Do not edit this file directly.
* Version 1.2.2
*)
(*#line 6.1 "test.now"*)
datatype xbool =
Xtrue
| Xfalse
and strg =
Xa
| Xb
| C of strg * strg
(*#line 9.1 "test.now"*)
fun gte ((x1:strg), (x2:strg)) = (
let val v_6 = (x1, x2)
fun state_0 () = raise Match
fun state_8 () =
let val (v_8, v_7) = v_1
in
let val e = v_5
and e2 = v_8
and s2 = v_7
in (if (e = e2)
then Xfalse
else (state_0 ()))
end
end
in
let val (v_5, v_0) = v_6
in
(case v_5 of
C v_4 =>
let val (v_3, v_2) = v_4
in
let val e = v_3
and e2 = v_0
and s = v_2
in gte (e, e2)
end
end
| Xa =>
(case v_0 of
C v_1 => state_8 ()
| Xa => Xtrue
| Xb => state_0 ()
)
| Xb =>
(case v_0 of
C v_1 => state_8 ()
| _ => state_0 ()
)
)
end
end : xbool)
(*#line 15.1 "test.now"*)
fun main () = print "\n"
(*#line 19.1 "test.now"*)
val _ = main ()
Best regards
Hubert Garavel and Mohammad-Ali Tabikh
We believe that the bug you reported is fixed in the latest version of
smlnj, which is due to be installed in the Debian FTP archive.
A summary of the changes between this version and the previous one is
attached.
Thank you for reporting the bug, which will now be closed. If you
have further comments please address them to 829204@bugs.debian.org,
and the maintainer will reopen the bug report if appropriate.
Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Barak A. Pearlmutter <bap@debian.org> (supplier of updated smlnj package)
(This message was generated automatically at their request; if you
believe that there is a problem with it please contact the archive
administrators by mailing ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org)
Format: 1.8
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:15:13 +0100
Source: smlnj
Architecture: source
Version: 110.99.9-2
Distribution: unstable
Urgency: medium
Maintainer: Barak A. Pearlmutter <bap@debian.org>
Changed-By: Barak A. Pearlmutter <bap@debian.org>
Closes: 829204
Changes:
smlnj (110.99.9-2) unstable; urgency=medium
.
* nowhere: fix match compiler unbound vars bug (closes: #829204)
* Make build reproducible, so package can migrate to testing:
+ patch 0006: derive compilation unit GUIDs from SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH,
and discard the bootstrap compiler's GUIDs before the second stage
+ patch 0007: reproducible footer in the generated MLRISC HTML
+ patch 0008: do not record build-time timings in exported heap images
+ patch 0009: keep the process id out of ml-build temporary file names
+ FORCE_SOURCE_DATE=1, so LaTeX dates follow SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH
+ debian/rules build heap images with ASLR off, pinned to one CPU, and
with a pipe on stdout (SML records its file position in the image)
* Point patch Forwarded headers at upstream pull requests
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494e0ef183e4675296ac648cd1e8774b840944ae 51271096 smlnj_110.99.9-2.git.tar.xz
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Checksums-Sha256:
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Files:
6de88fec1c24df18f0081e7cf25a400b 3426 devel optional smlnj_110.99.9-2.dsc
76b2398dbebd8b5e30d6503db0897674 23540 devel optional smlnj_110.99.9-2.debian.tar.xz
e60b0fe2f4013161c1fed4e7650df65b 51271096 devel None smlnj_110.99.9-2.git.tar.xz
32618fc95d3b181a014e11baa1fec852 17728 devel optional smlnj_110.99.9-2_source.buildinfo
Git-Tag-Info: tag=02ba11b943c7b8fc9323ac7cf8c8719cb7244d32 fp=2de4bf05421076c47ad20367c6af2490d3ca72b9
Git-Tag-Tagger: Barak A. Pearlmutter <barak+git@pearlmutter.net>
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