Document boundscheck macro

base/essentials.jl

@@ -412,6 +412,46 @@ section of the Metaprogramming chapter of the manual for more details and exampl
 """
 esc(@nospecialize(e)) = Expr(:escape, e)
 
+"""
+    @boundscheck(blk)
+
+Annotates the expression `blk` as a bounds checking block, allowing it to be elided by [`@inbounds`](@ref).
+
+Note that the function in which `@boundscheck` is written must be inlined into
+its caller with [`@inline`](@ref) in order for `@inbounds` to have effect.
+
+```jldoctest
+julia> @inline function g(A, i)
+           @boundscheck checkbounds(A, i)
+           return "accessing (\$A)[\$i]"
+       end
+       f1() = return g(1:2, -1)
+       f2() = @inbounds return g(1:2, -1)
+f2 (generic function with 1 method)
+
+julia> f1()
+ERROR: BoundsError: attempt to access 2-element UnitRange{Int64} at index [-1]
+Stacktrace:
+ [1] throw_boundserror(::UnitRange{Int64}, ::Tuple{Int64}) at ./abstractarray.jl:428
+ [2] checkbounds at ./abstractarray.jl:392 [inlined]
+ [3] g at ./REPL[20]:2 [inlined]
+ [4] f1() at ./REPL[20]:5
+
+julia> f2()
+"accessing (1:2)[-1]"
+```
+
+!!! warning
+
+    The `@boundscheck` annotation allows you, as a library writer, to opt-in to
+    allowing *other code* to remove your bounds checks with [`@inbounds`](@ref).
+    As noted there, the caller must verify—using information they can access—that
+    their accesses are valid before using `@inbounds`. For indexing into your
+    [`AbstractArray`](@ref) subclasses, for example, this involves checking the
+    indices against its [`size`](@ref). Therefore, `@boundscheck` annotations
+    should only be added to a [`getindex`](@ref) or [`setindex!`](@ref)
+    implementation after you are certain its behavior is correct.
+"""
 macro boundscheck(blk)
     return Expr(:if, Expr(:boundscheck), esc(blk))
 end
@@ -438,6 +478,8 @@ end
 
     Using `@inbounds` may return incorrect results/crashes/corruption
     for out-of-bounds indices. The user is responsible for checking it manually.
+    Only use `@inbounds` when it is certain from the information locally available
+    that all accesses are in bounds.
 """
 macro inbounds(blk)
     return Expr(:block,

doc/src/stdlib/base.md

@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ Base.@eval
 Base.evalfile
 Base.esc
 Base.@inbounds
+Base.@boundscheck
 Base.@inline
 Base.@noinline
 Base.@nospecialize

test/boundscheck_exec.jl

@@ -229,4 +229,14 @@ else
     @test inbounds_isassigned(Int[], 2) == false
 end
 
+# Test that @inbounds annotations don't propagate too far for Array; Issue #20469
+struct BadVector20469{T} <: AbstractVector{Int}
+    data::T
+end
+Base.size(X::BadVector20469) = size(X.data)
+Base.getindex(X::BadVector20469, i::Int) = X.data[i-1]
+if bc_opt != bc_off
+    @test_throws BoundsError BadVector20469([1,2,3])[:]
+end
+
 end