document #[panic_handler]

src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -56,3 +56,5 @@
 	* [Final Code](vec-final.md)
 * [Implementing Arc and Mutex](arc-and-mutex.md)
 * [FFI](ffi.md)
+* [Beneath `std`](beneath-std.md)
+	* [#[panic_handler]](panic-handler.md)

src/beneath-std.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Beneath std
+
+This section documents (or will document) features that are provided by the standard library and
+that `#![no_std]` developers have to deal with (i.e. provide) to build `#![no_std]` binary crates. A
+(likely incomplete) list of such features is shown below:
+
+- #[lang = "eh_personality"]
+- #[lang = "start"]
+- #[lang = "termination"]
+- #[panic_implementation]

src/panic-handler.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+## #[panic_handler]
+
+`#[panic_handler]` is used to define the behavior of `panic!` in `#![no_std]` applications.
+The `#[panic_handler]` attribute must be applied to a function with signature `fn(&PanicInfo)
+-> !` and such function must appear *once* in the dependency graph of a binary / dylib / cdylib
+crate. The API of `PanicInfo` can be found in the [API docs].
+
+[API docs]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/core/panic/struct.PanicInfo.html
+
+Given that `#![no_std]` applications have no *standard* output and that some `#![no_std]`
+applications, e.g. embedded applications, need different panicking behaviors for development and for
+release it can be helpful to have panic crates, crate that only contain a `#[panic_handler]`.
+This way applications can easily swap the panicking behavior by simply linking to a different panic
+crate.
+
+Below is shown an example where an application has a different panicking behavior depending on
+whether is compiled using the dev profile (`cargo build`) or using the release profile (`cargo build
+--release`).
+
+``` rust
+// crate: panic-semihosting -- log panic message to the host stderr using semihosting
+
+#![no_std]
+
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic(info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    let host_stderr = /* .. */;
+
+    // logs "panicked at '$reason', src/main.rs:27:4" to the host stderr
+    writeln!(host_stderr, "{}", info).ok();
+
+    loop {}
+}
+```
+
+``` rust
+// crate: panic-halt -- halt the thread on panic; messages are discarded
+
+#![no_std]
+
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic(info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    loop {}
+}
+```
+
+``` rust
+// crate: app
+
+#![no_std]
+
+// dev profile
+#[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+extern crate panic_semihosting;
+
+// release profile
+#[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+extern crate panic_halt;
+
+// omitted: other `extern crate`s
+
+fn main() {
+    // ..
+}
+```