Call it gnu_symbol_visibility instead.

docs/markdown/Reference-manual.md

@@ -511,13 +511,13 @@ be passed to [shared and static libraries](#library).
 - `override_options` takes an array of strings in the same format as
   `project`'s `default_options` overriding the values of these options
   for this target only, since 0.40.0
-- `symbol_visibility` specifies how symbols should be exported, see
+- `gnu_symbol_visibility` specifies how symbols should be exported, see
   e.g [the GCC Wiki](https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/Visibility) for more
   information. This value can either be an empty string or one of
   `default`, `internal`, `hidden`, `protected` or `inlineshidden`, which
   is the same as `hidden` but also includes things like C++ implicit
-  constructors as specified in the GCC manual. Available since
-  0.48.0.
+  constructors as specified in the GCC manual. Ignored on compilers that
+  do not support GNU visibility arguments. Available since 0.48.0.
 - `d_import_dirs` list of directories to look in for string imports used
   in the D programming language
 - `d_unittest`, when set to true, the D modules are compiled in debug mode

docs/markdown/snippets/visibility.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-## Keyword argument for symbol visibility
+## Keyword argument for GNU symbol visibility
 
 Build targets got a new keyword, `symbol_visibility` that controls how
 symbols are exported from shared libraries. This is most commonly used
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ to hide implementation symbols like this:
 
 ```meson
 shared_library('mylib', ...
-  symbol_visibility: 'hidden')
+  gnu_symbol_visibility: 'hidden')
 ```
 
 In this case only symbols explicitly marked as visible in the source

mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py

@@ -1952,7 +1952,7 @@ rule FORTRAN_DEP_HACK%s
         # various sources in the order in which they must override each other
         commands = CompilerArgs(compiler)
         # Start with symbol visibility.
-        commands += compiler.symbol_visibility_args(target.symbol_visibility)
+        commands += compiler.gnu_symbol_visibility_args(target.gnu_symbol_visibility)
         # Add compiler args for compiling this target derived from 'base' build
         # options passed on the command-line, in default_options, etc.
         # These have the lowest priority.

mesonbuild/build.py

@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ buildtarget_kwargs = set([
     'objects',
     'override_options',
     'sources',
-    'symbol_visibility',
+    'gnu_symbol_visibility',
 ])
 
 known_build_target_kwargs = (
@@ -818,13 +818,13 @@ This will become a hard error in a future Meson release.''')
         self.implicit_include_directories = kwargs.get('implicit_include_directories', True)
         if not isinstance(self.implicit_include_directories, bool):
             raise InvalidArguments('Implicit_include_directories must be a boolean.')
-        self.symbol_visibility = kwargs.get('symbol_visibility', '')
-        if not isinstance(self.symbol_visibility, str):
-            raise InvalidArguments('Symbol visibility must be a string.')
-        if self.symbol_visibility != '':
+        self.gnu_symbol_visibility = kwargs.get('gnu_symbol_visibility', '')
+        if not isinstance(self.gnu_symbol_visibility, str):
+            raise InvalidArguments('GNU symbol visibility must be a string.')
+        if self.gnu_symbol_visibility != '':
             permitted = ['default', 'internal', 'hidden', 'protected', 'inlineshidden']
-            if self.symbol_visibility not in permitted:
-                raise InvalidArguments('Symbol visibility arg %s not one of: %s',
+            if self.gnu_symbol_visibility not in permitted:
+                raise InvalidArguments('GNU symbol visibility arg %s not one of: %s',
                                        self.symbol_visibility, ', '.join(permitted))
 
     def get_filename(self):

mesonbuild/compilers/compilers.py

@@ -311,13 +311,13 @@ vs64_instruction_set_args = {'mmx': ['/arch:AVX'],
                              'neon': None,
                              }
 
-common_symbol_visibility_args = {'': [],
-                                 'default': ['-fvisibility=default'],
-                                 'internal': ['-fvisibility=internal'],
-                                 'hidden': ['-fvisibility=hidden'],
-                                 'protected': ['-fvisibility=protected'],
-                                 'inlineshidden': ['-fvisibility=hidden', '-fvisibility-inlines-hidden'],
-                                 }
+gnu_symbol_visibility_args = {'': [],
+                              'default': ['-fvisibility=default'],
+                              'internal': ['-fvisibility=internal'],
+                              'hidden': ['-fvisibility=hidden'],
+                              'protected': ['-fvisibility=protected'],
+                              'inlineshidden': ['-fvisibility=hidden', '-fvisibility-inlines-hidden'],
+                              }
 
 def sanitizer_compile_args(value):
     if value == 'none':
@@ -1070,7 +1070,7 @@ class Compiler:
         # building fails with undefined symbols.
         return []
 
-    def symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
+    def gnu_symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
         return []
 
 GCC_STANDARD = 0
@@ -1288,8 +1288,8 @@ class GnuCompiler:
     def openmp_flags(self):
         return ['-fopenmp']
 
-    def symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
-        return common_symbol_visibility_args[vistype]
+    def gnu_symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
+        return gnu_symbol_visibility_args[vistype]
 
 class ElbrusCompiler(GnuCompiler):
     # Elbrus compiler is nearly like GCC, but does not support
@@ -1432,8 +1432,8 @@ class ClangCompiler:
             # Shouldn't work, but it'll be checked explicitly in the OpenMP dependency.
             return []
 
-    def symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
-        return common_symbol_visibility_args[vistype]
+    def gnu_symbol_visibility_args(self, vistype):
+        return gnu_symbol_visibility_args[vistype]
 
 class ArmclangCompiler:
     def __init__(self):

mesonbuild/interpreter.py

@@ -3850,7 +3850,7 @@ Try setting b_lundef to false instead.''')
         @FeatureNewKwargs('build target', '0.42.0', ['rust_crate_type', 'build_rpath', 'implicit_include_directories'])
         @FeatureNewKwargs('build target', '0.41.0', ['rust_args'])
         @FeatureNewKwargs('build target', '0.40.0', ['build_by_default'])
-        @FeatureNewKwargs('build target', '0.48.0', ['symbol_visibility'])
+        @FeatureNewKwargs('build target', '0.48.0', ['gnu_symbol_visibility'])
         def build_target_decorator_caller(self, node, args, kwargs):
             return True
 

mesonbuild/minit.py

@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ lib_args = ['-DBUILDING_{utoken}']
 shlib = shared_library('{lib_name}', '{source_file}',
   install : true,
   c_args : lib_args,
-  symbol_visibility : 'hidden',
+  gnu_symbol_visibility : 'hidden',
 )
 
 test_exe = executable('{test_exe_name}', '{test_source_file}',
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ lib_args = ['-DBUILDING_{utoken}']
 shlib = shared_library('{lib_name}', '{source_file}',
   install : true,
   cpp_args : lib_args,
-  symbol_visibility : 'hidden',
+  gnu_symbol_visibility : 'hidden',
 )
 
 test_exe = executable('{test_exe_name}', '{test_source_file}',

test cases/failing build/2 hidden symbol/meson.build

@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 project('hidden symbol', 'c')
 
-if host_machine.system() == 'windows'
+if host_machine.system() == 'windows' or host_machine.system() == 'cygwin'
   cc = meson.get_compiler('c')
   if cc.get_id() == 'gcc'
-    error('MESON_SKIP_TEST -fvisibility=hidden does not work on MinGW.')
+    error('MESON_SKIP_TEST -fvisibility=hidden does not work on MinGW or Cygwin.')
   endif
 endif
 
 l = shared_library('bob', 'bob.c',
-  symbol_visibility: 'hidden')
+  gnu_symbol_visibility: 'hidden')
 
 executable('bobuser', 'bobuser.c',
   link_with: l)