Better error message for inner attribute following doc comment

src/libsyntax/parse/attr.rs

@@ -18,23 +18,43 @@ use parse::token;
 use parse::parser::{Parser, TokenType};
 use ptr::P;
 
+#[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
+enum InnerAttributeParsePolicy<'a> {
+    Permitted,
+    NotPermitted { reason: &'a str },
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_UNEXPECTED_INNER_ATTR_ERR_MSG: &'static str = "an inner attribute is not \
+                                                             permitted in this context";
+
 impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
     /// Parse attributes that appear before an item
     pub fn parse_outer_attributes(&mut self) -> PResult<'a, Vec<ast::Attribute>> {
         let mut attrs: Vec<ast::Attribute> = Vec::new();
+        let mut just_parsed_doc_comment = false;
         loop {
             debug!("parse_outer_attributes: self.token={:?}", self.token);
             match self.token {
                 token::Pound => {
-                    attrs.push(self.parse_attribute(false)?);
+                    let inner_error_reason = if just_parsed_doc_comment {
+                        "an inner attribute is not permitted following an outer doc comment"
+                    } else if !attrs.is_empty() {
+                        "an inner attribute is not permitted following an outer attribute"
+                    } else {
+                        DEFAULT_UNEXPECTED_INNER_ATTR_ERR_MSG
+                    };
+                    let inner_parse_policy =
+                        InnerAttributeParsePolicy::NotPermitted { reason: inner_error_reason };
+                    attrs.push(self.parse_attribute_with_inner_parse_policy(inner_parse_policy)?);
+                    just_parsed_doc_comment = false;
                 }
                 token::DocComment(s) => {
                     let attr = ::attr::mk_sugared_doc_attr(
-                    attr::mk_attr_id(),
-                    self.id_to_interned_str(ast::Ident::with_empty_ctxt(s)),
-                    self.span.lo,
-                    self.span.hi
-                );
+                        attr::mk_attr_id(),
+                        self.id_to_interned_str(ast::Ident::with_empty_ctxt(s)),
+                        self.span.lo,
+                        self.span.hi
+                    );
                     if attr.node.style != ast::AttrStyle::Outer {
                         let mut err = self.fatal("expected outer doc comment");
                         err.note("inner doc comments like this (starting with \
@@ -43,6 +63,7 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
                     }
                     attrs.push(attr);
                     self.bump();
+                    just_parsed_doc_comment = true;
                 }
                 _ => break,
             }
@@ -55,26 +76,46 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
     /// If permit_inner is true, then a leading `!` indicates an inner
     /// attribute
     pub fn parse_attribute(&mut self, permit_inner: bool) -> PResult<'a, ast::Attribute> {
-        debug!("parse_attributes: permit_inner={:?} self.token={:?}",
+        debug!("parse_attribute: permit_inner={:?} self.token={:?}",
                permit_inner,
                self.token);
+        let inner_parse_policy = if permit_inner {
+            InnerAttributeParsePolicy::Permitted
+        } else {
+            InnerAttributeParsePolicy::NotPermitted
+                { reason: DEFAULT_UNEXPECTED_INNER_ATTR_ERR_MSG }
+        };
+        self.parse_attribute_with_inner_parse_policy(inner_parse_policy)
+    }
+
+    /// The same as `parse_attribute`, except it takes in an `InnerAttributeParsePolicy`
+    /// that prescribes how to handle inner attributes.
+    fn parse_attribute_with_inner_parse_policy(&mut self,
+                                               inner_parse_policy: InnerAttributeParsePolicy)
+                                               -> PResult<'a, ast::Attribute> {
+        debug!("parse_attribute_with_inner_parse_policy: inner_parse_policy={:?} self.token={:?}",
+               inner_parse_policy,
+               self.token);
         let (span, value, mut style) = match self.token {
             token::Pound => {
                 let lo = self.span.lo;
                 self.bump();
 
-                if permit_inner {
+                if inner_parse_policy == InnerAttributeParsePolicy::Permitted {
                     self.expected_tokens.push(TokenType::Token(token::Not));
                 }
                 let style = if self.token == token::Not {
                     self.bump();
-                    if !permit_inner {
+                    if let InnerAttributeParsePolicy::NotPermitted { reason } = inner_parse_policy
+                    {
                         let span = self.span;
                         self.diagnostic()
-                            .struct_span_err(span,
-                                             "an inner attribute is not permitted in this context")
-                            .help("place inner attribute at the top of the module or \
-                                   block")
+                            .struct_span_err(span, reason)
+                            .note("inner attributes and doc comments, like `#![no_std]` or \
+                                   `//! My crate`, annotate the item enclosing them, and are \
+                                   usually found at the beginning of source files. Outer \
+                                   attributes and doc comments, like `#[test]` and
+                                   `/// My function`, annotate the item following them.")
                             .emit()
                     }
                     ast::AttrStyle::Inner
@@ -95,7 +136,8 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
             }
         };
 
-        if permit_inner && self.token == token::Semi {
+        if inner_parse_policy == InnerAttributeParsePolicy::Permitted &&
+           self.token == token::Semi {
             self.bump();
             self.span_warn(span,
                            "this inner attribute syntax is deprecated. The new syntax is \

src/test/parse-fail/inner-attr-after-doc-comment.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z parse-only
+
+#![feature(lang_items)]
+/**
+ * My module
+ */
+
+#![recursion_limit="100"]
+//~^ ERROR an inner attribute is not permitted following an outer doc comment
+fn main() {}

src/test/parse-fail/inner-attr.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z parse-only
+
+#[feature(lang_items)]
+
+#![recursion_limit="100"] //~ ERROR an inner attribute is not permitted following an outer attribute
+fn main() {}