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+Markers
+=======
+
+Markers are packets of arbitrary data that are added to a profile by the Firefox code, usually to
+indicate something important happening at a point in time, or during an interval of time.
+
+Each marker has a name, a category, some common optional information (timing, backtrace, etc.),
+and an optional payload of a specific type (containing arbitrary data relevant to that type).
+
+.. note::
+ This guide explains C++ markers in depth. To learn more about how to add a
+ marker in JavaScript or Rust, please take a look at their documentation
+ in :doc:`instrumenting-javascript` or :doc:`instrumenting-rust` respectively.
+
+Example
+-------
+
+Short example, details below.
+
+Note: Most marker-related identifiers are in the ``mozilla`` namespace, to be added where necessary.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // Record a simple marker with the category of DOM.
+ PROFILER_MARKER_UNTYPED("Marker Name", DOM);
+
+ // Create a marker with some additional text information. (Be wary of printf!)
+ PROFILER_MARKER_TEXT("Marker Name", JS, MarkerOptions{}, "Additional text information.");
+
+ // Record a custom marker of type `ExampleNumberMarker` (see definition below).
+ PROFILER_MARKER("Number", OTHER, MarkerOptions{}, ExampleNumberMarker, 42);
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // Marker type definition.
+ struct ExampleNumberMarker {
+ // Unique marker type name.
+ static constexpr Span<const char> MarkerTypeName() { return MakeStringSpan("number"); }
+ // Data specific to this marker type, serialized to JSON for profiler.firefox.com.
+ static void StreamJSONMarkerData(SpliceableJSONWriter& aWriter, int aNumber) {
+ aWriter.IntProperty("number", aNumber);
+ }
+ // Where and how to display the marker and its data.
+ static MarkerSchema MarkerTypeDisplay() {
+ using MS = MarkerSchema;
+ MS schema(MS::Location::MarkerChart, MS::Location::MarkerTable);
+ schema.SetChartLabel("Number: {marker.data.number}");
+ schema.AddKeyLabelFormat("number", "Number", MS::Format::Number);
+ return schema;
+ }
+ };
+
+
+How to Record Markers
+---------------------
+
+Header to Include
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+If the compilation unit only defines and records untyped, text, and/or its own markers, include
+`the main profiler markers header <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/tools/profiler/public/ProfilerMarkers.h>`_:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ #include "mozilla/ProfilerMarkers.h"
+
+If it also records one of the other common markers defined in
+`ProfilerMarkerTypes.h <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/tools/profiler/public/ProfilerMarkerTypes.h>`_,
+include that one instead:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ #include "mozilla/ProfilerMarkerTypes.h"
+
+And if it uses any other profiler functions (e.g., labels), use
+`the main Gecko Profiler header <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/tools/profiler/public/GeckoProfiler.h>`_
+instead:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ #include "GeckoProfiler.h"
+
+The above works from source files that end up in libxul, which is true for the majority
+of Firefox source code. But some files live outside of libxul, such as mfbt, in which
+case the advice is the same but the equivalent headers are from the Base Profiler instead:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ #include "mozilla/BaseProfilerMarkers.h" // Only own/untyped/text markers
+ #include "mozilla/BaseProfilerMarkerTypes.h" // Only common markers
+ #include "BaseProfiler.h" // Markers and other profiler functions
+
+Untyped Markers
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Untyped markers don't carry any information apart from common marker data:
+Name, category, options.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ PROFILER_MARKER_UNTYPED(
+ // Name, and category pair.
+ "Marker Name", OTHER,
+ // Marker options, may be omitted if all defaults are acceptable.
+ MarkerOptions(MarkerStack::Capture(), ...));
+
+``PROFILER_MARKER_UNTYPED`` is a macro that simplifies the use of the main
+``profiler_add_marker`` function, by adding the appropriate namespaces, and a surrounding
+``#ifdef MOZ_GECKO_PROFILER`` guard.
+
+1. Marker name
+ The first argument is the name of this marker. This will be displayed in most places
+ the marker is shown. It can be a literal C string, or any dynamic string object.
+2. `Category pair name <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=M_174bb0de187ee7d9>`_
+ Choose a category + subcategory from the `the list of categories <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=M_174bb0de187ee7d9>`_.
+ This is the second parameter of each ``SUBCATEGORY`` line, for instance ``LAYOUT_Reflow``.
+ (Internally, this is really a `MarkerCategory <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerCategory>`_
+ object, in case you need to construct it elsewhere.)
+3. `MarkerOptions <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerOptions>`_
+ See the options below. It can be omitted if there are no other arguments, ``{}``, or
+ ``MarkerOptions()`` (no specified options); only one of the following option types
+ alone; or ``MarkerOptions(...)`` with one or more of the following options types:
+
+ * `MarkerThreadId <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerThreadId>`_
+ Rarely used, as it defaults to the current thread. Otherwise it specifies the target
+ "thread id" (aka "track") where the marker should appear; This may be useful when
+ referring to something that happened on another thread (use ``profiler_current_thread_id()``
+ from the original thread to get its id); or for some important markers, they may be
+ sent to the "main thread", which can be specified with ``MarkerThreadId::MainThread()``.
+ * `MarkerTiming <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerTiming>`_
+ This specifies an instant or interval of time. It defaults to the current instant if
+ left unspecified. Otherwise use ``MarkerTiming::InstantAt(timestamp)`` or
+ ``MarkerTiming::Interval(ts1, ts2)``; timestamps are usually captured with
+ ``TimeStamp::Now()``. It is also possible to record only the start or the end of an
+ interval, pairs of start/end markers will be matched by their name. *Note: The
+ upcoming "marker sets" feature will make this pairing more reliable, and also
+ allow more than two markers to be connected*.
+ * `MarkerStack <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerStack>`_
+ By default, markers do not record a "stack" (or "backtrace"). To record a stack at
+ this point, in the most efficient manner, specify ``MarkerStack::Capture()``. To
+ record a previously captured stack, first store a stack into a
+ ``UniquePtr<ProfileChunkedBuffer>`` with ``profiler_capture_backtrace()``, then pass
+ it to the marker with ``MarkerStack::TakeBacktrace(std::move(stack))``.
+ * `MarkerInnerWindowId <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerInnerWindowId>`_
+ If you have access to an "inner window id", consider specifying it as an option, to
+ help profiler.firefox.com to classify them by tab.
+
+Text Markers
+^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Text markers are very common, they carry an extra text as a fourth argument, in addition to
+the marker name. Use the following macro:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ PROFILER_MARKER_TEXT(
+ // Name, category pair, options.
+ "Marker Name", OTHER, {},
+ // Text string.
+ "Here are some more details."
+ );
+
+As useful as it is, using an expensive ``printf`` operation to generate a complex text
+comes with a variety of issues string. It can leak potentially sensitive information
+such as URLs can be leaked during the profile sharing step. profiler.firefox.com cannot
+access the information programmatically. It won't get the formatting benefits of the
+built-in marker schema. Please consider using a custom marker type to separate and
+better present the data.
+
+Other Typed Markers
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+From C++ code, a marker of some type ``YourMarker`` (details about type definition follow) can be
+recorded like this:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ PROFILER_MARKER(
+ "YourMarker name", OTHER,
+ MarkerOptions(MarkerTiming::IntervalUntilNowFrom(someStartTimestamp),
+ MarkerInnerWindowId(innerWindowId))),
+ YourMarker, "some string", 12345, "http://example.com", someTimeStamp);
+
+After the first three common arguments (like in ``PROFILER_MARKER_UNTYPED``), there are:
+
+4. The marker type, which is the name of the C++ ``struct`` that defines that type.
+5. A variadic list of type-specific argument. They must match the number of, and must
+ be convertible to, ``StreamJSONMarkerData`` parameters as specified in the marker type definition.
+
+"Auto" Scoped Interval Markers
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+To capture time intervals around some important operations, it is common to store a timestamp, do the work,
+and then record a marker, e.g.:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ void DoTimedWork() {
+ TimeStamp start = TimeStamp::Now();
+ DoWork();
+ PROFILER_MARKER_TEXT("Timed work", OTHER, MarkerTiming::IntervalUntilNowFrom(start), "Details");
+ }
+
+`RAII <https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/raii>`_ objects automate this, by recording the time
+when the object is constructed, and later recording the marker when the object is destroyed at the end
+of its C++ scope.
+This is especially useful if there are multiple scope exit points.
+
+``AUTO_PROFILER_MARKER_TEXT`` is `the only one implemented <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=M_ac7b392646edf5a5>`_ at this time.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ void MaybeDoTimedWork(bool aDoIt) {
+ AUTO_PROFILER_MARKER_TEXT("Timed work", OTHER, "Details");
+ if (!aDoIt) { /* Marker recorded here... */ return; }
+ DoWork();
+ /* ... or here. */
+ }
+
+Note that these RAII objects only record one marker. In some situation, a very long
+operation could be missed if it hasn't completed by the end of the profiling session.
+In this case, consider recording two distinct markers, using
+``MarkerTiming::IntervalStart()`` and ``MarkerTiming::IntervalEnd()``.
+
+Where to Define New Marker Types
+--------------------------------
+
+The first step is to determine the location of the marker type definition:
+
+* If this type is only used in one function, or a component, it can be defined in a
+ local common place relative to its use.
+* For a more common type that could be used from multiple locations:
+
+ * If there is no dependency on XUL, it can be defined in the Base Profiler, which can
+ be used in most locations in the codebase:
+ `mozglue/baseprofiler/public/BaseProfilerMarkerTypes.h <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/mozglue/baseprofiler/public/BaseProfilerMarkerTypes.h>`__
+
+ * However, if there is a XUL dependency, then it needs to be defined in the Gecko Profiler:
+ `tools/profiler/public/ProfilerMarkerTypes.h <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/tools/profiler/public/ProfilerMarkerTypes.h>`__
+
+.. _how-to-define-new-marker-types:
+
+How to Define New Marker Types
+------------------------------
+
+Each marker type must be defined once and only once.
+The definition is a C++ ``struct``, its identifier is used when recording
+markers of that type in C++.
+By convention, the suffix "Marker" is recommended to better distinguish them
+from non-profiler entities in the source.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ struct YourMarker {
+
+Marker Type Name
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+A marker type must have a unique name, it is used to keep track of the type of
+markers in the profiler storage, and to identify them uniquely on profiler.firefox.com.
+(It does not need to be the same as the ``struct``'s name.)
+
+This name is defined in a special static member function ``MarkerTypeName``:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ static constexpr Span<const char> MarkerTypeName() {
+ return MakeStringSpan("YourMarker");
+ }
+
+Marker Type Data
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+All markers of any type have some common data: A name, a category, options like
+timing, etc. as previously explained.
+
+In addition, a certain marker type may carry zero of more arbitrary pieces of
+information, and they are always the same for all markers of that type.
+
+These are defined in a special static member function ``StreamJSONMarkerData``.
+
+The first function parameters is always ``SpliceableJSONWriter& aWriter``,
+it will be used to stream the data as JSON, to later be read by
+profiler.firefox.com.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ static void StreamJSONMarkerData(SpliceableJSONWriter& aWriter,
+
+The following function parameters is how the data is received as C++ objects
+from the call sites.
+
+* Most C/C++ `POD (Plain Old Data) <https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/PODType>`_
+ and `trivially-copyable <https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/TriviallyCopyable>`_
+ types should work as-is, including ``TimeStamp``.
+* Character strings should be passed using ``const ProfilerString8View&`` (this handles
+ literal strings, and various ``std::string`` and ``nsCString`` types, and spans with or
+ without null terminator). Use ``const ProfilerString16View&`` for 16-bit strings such as
+ ``nsString``.
+* Other types can be used if they define specializations for ``ProfileBufferEntryWriter::Serializer``
+ and ``ProfileBufferEntryReader::Deserializer``. You should rarely need to define new
+ ones, but if needed see how existing specializations are written, or contact the
+ `perf-tools team for help <https://chat.mozilla.org/#/room/#profiler:mozilla.org>`_.
+
+Passing by value or by reference-to-const is recommended, because arguments are serialized
+in binary form (i.e., there are no optimizable ``move`` operations).
+
+For example, here's how to handle a string, a 64-bit number, another string, and
+a timestamp:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ const ProfilerString8View& aString,
+ const int64_t aBytes,
+ const ProfilerString8View& aURL,
+ const TimeStamp& aTime) {
+
+Then the body of the function turns these parameters into a JSON stream.
+
+When this function is called, the writer has just started a JSON object, so
+everything that is written should be a named object property. Use
+``SpliceableJSONWriter`` functions, in most cases ``...Property`` functions
+from its parent class ``JSONWriter``: ``NullProperty``, ``BoolProperty``,
+``IntProperty``, ``DoubleProperty``, ``StringProperty``. (Other nested JSON
+types like arrays or objects are not supported by the profiler.)
+
+As a special case, ``TimeStamps`` must be streamed using ``aWriter.TimeProperty(timestamp)``.
+
+The property names will be used to identify where each piece of data is stored and
+how it should be displayed on profiler.firefox.com (see next section).
+
+Here's how the above functions parameters could be streamed:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ aWriter.StringProperty("myString", aString);
+ aWriter.IntProperty("myBytes", aBytes);
+ aWriter.StringProperty("myURL", aURL);
+ aWriter.TimeProperty("myTime", aTime);
+ }
+
+.. _marker-type-display-schema:
+
+Marker Type Display Schema
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Now that we have defined how to stream type-specific data (from Firefox to
+profiler.firefox.com), we need to describe where and how this data will be
+displayed on profiler.firefox.com.
+
+The static member function ``MarkerTypeDisplay`` returns an opaque ``MarkerSchema``
+object, which will be forwarded to profiler.firefox.com.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ static MarkerSchema MarkerTypeDisplay() {
+
+The ``MarkerSchema`` type will be used repeatedly, so for convenience we can define
+a local type alias:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ using MS = MarkerSchema;
+
+First, we construct the ``MarkerSchema`` object to be returned at the end.
+
+One or more constructor arguments determine where this marker will be displayed in
+the profiler.firefox.com UI. See the `MarkerSchema::Location enumeration for the
+full list <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerSchema%3A%3ALocation>`_.
+
+Here is the most common set of locations, showing markers of that type in both the
+Marker Chart and the Marker Table panels:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ MS schema(MS::Location::MarkerChart, MS::Location::MarkerTable);
+
+Some labels can optionally be specified, to display certain information in different
+locations: ``SetChartLabel``, ``SetTooltipLabel``, and ``SetTableLabel``; or
+``SetAllLabels`` to define all of them the same way.
+
+The arguments is a string that may refer to marker data within braces:
+
+* ``{marker.name}``: Marker name.
+* ``{marker.data.X}``: Type-specific data, as streamed with property name "X" from ``StreamJSONMarkerData`` (e.g., ``aWriter.IntProperty("X", aNumber);``
+
+For example, here's how to set the Marker Chart label to show the marker name and the
+``myBytes`` number of bytes:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ schema.SetChartLabel("{marker.name} – {marker.data.myBytes}");
+
+profiler.firefox.com will apply the label with the data in a consistent manner. For
+example, with this label definition, it could display marker information like the
+following in the Firefox Profiler's Marker Chart:
+
+ * "Marker Name – 10B"
+ * "Marker Name – 25.204KB"
+ * "Marker Name – 512.54MB"
+
+For implementation details on this processing, see `src/profiler-logic/marker-schema.js <https://github.com/firefox-devtools/profiler/blob/main/src/profile-logic/marker-schema.js>`_
+in the profiler's front-end.
+
+Next, define the main display of marker data, which will appear in the Marker
+Chart tooltips and the Marker Table sidebar.
+
+Each row may either be:
+
+* A dynamic key-value pair, using one of the ``MarkerSchema::AddKey...`` functions. Each function is given:
+
+ * Key: Element property name as streamed in ``StreamJSONMarkerData``.
+ * Label: Optional prefix. Defaults to the key name.
+ * Format: How to format the data element value, see `MarkerSchema::Format for details <https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/define?q=T_mozilla%3A%3AMarkerSchema%3A%3AFormat>`_.
+ * Searchable: Optional boolean, indicates if the value is used in searches, defaults to false.
+
+* Or a fixed label and value strings, using ``MarkerSchema::AddStaticLabelValue``.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ schema.AddKeyLabelFormatSearchable(
+ "myString", "My String", MS::Format::String, true);
+ schema.AddKeyLabelFormat(
+ "myBytes", "My Bytes", MS::Format::Bytes);
+ schema.AddKeyLabelFormat(
+ "myUrl", "My URL", MS::Format::Url);
+ schema.AddKeyLabelFormat(
+ "myTime", "Event time", MS::Format::Time);
+
+Finally the ``schema`` object is returned from the function:
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ return schema;
+ }
+
+Any other ``struct`` member function is ignored. There could be utility functions used by the above
+compulsory functions, to make the code clearer.
+
+And that is the end of the marker definition ``struct``.
+
+.. code-block:: c++
+
+ // …
+ };
+
+Performance Considerations
+--------------------------
+
+During profiling, it is best to reduce the amount of work spent doing profiler
+operations, as they can influence the performance of the code that you want to profile.
+
+Whenever possible, consider passing simple types to marker functions, such that
+``StreamJSONMarkerData`` will do the minimum amount of work necessary to serialize
+the marker type-specific arguments to its internal buffer representation. POD types
+(numbers) and strings are the easiest and cheapest to serialize. Look at the
+corresponding ``ProfileBufferEntryWriter::Serializer`` specializations if you
+want to better understand the work done.
+
+Avoid doing expensive operations when recording markers. E.g.: ``printf`` of
+different things into a string, or complex computations; instead pass the
+``printf``/computation arguments straight through to the marker function, so that
+``StreamJSONMarkerData`` can do the expensive work at the end of the profiling session.
+
+Marker Architecture Description
+-------------------------------
+
+The above sections should give all the information needed for adding your own marker
+types. However, if you are wanting to work on the marker architecture itself, this
+section will describe how the system works.
+
+TODO:
+ * Briefly describe the buffer and serialization.
+ * Describe the template strategy for generating marker types
+ * Describe the serialization and link to profiler front-end docs on marker processing (if they exist)