perf: use `$.comment()` for single comment templates (#18714)

Move the "single comment, we can make this faster" optimization into `transform_template` so all usage locations can benefit (e.g. select/option elements)

---------

Co-authored-by: Simon H <5968653+dummdidumm@users.noreply.github.com>

.changeset/quiet-swans-invent.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'svelte': patch
+---
+
+perf: use `$.comment()` for single-comment templates

packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/transform-template/index.js

@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ export function transform_template(state, name, flags = 0) {
 	const namespace = state.metadata.namespace;
 	const tree = state.options.fragments === 'tree';
 
+	const { nodes } = state.template;
+	const is_lone_anchor = nodes.length === 1 && nodes[0].type === 'comment';
+
+	// special case - `$.comment` creates the anchor more cheaply than cloning a template
+	if (is_lone_anchor) return b.id('$.comment');
+
 	const expression = tree ? state.template.as_tree() : state.template.as_html();
 
 	const key =

packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/visitors/Fragment.js

@@ -141,14 +141,9 @@ export function Fragment(node, context) {
 				flags |= TEMPLATE_USE_IMPORT_NODE;
 			}
 
-			if (state.template.nodes.length === 1 && state.template.nodes[0].type === 'comment') {
-				// special case — we can use `$.comment` instead of creating a unique template
-				state.init.unshift(b.var(id, b.call('$.comment')));
-			} else {
 			const template_name = transform_template(state, 'root', flags);
 
 			state.init.unshift(b.var(id, b.call(template_name)));
-			}
 
 			close = b.stmt(b.call('$.append', b.id('$$anchor'), id));
 		}

packages/svelte/tests/snapshot/samples/select-with-rich-content/_expected/client/index.svelte.js

@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ var option_content = $.from_html(`<span>Rich</span>`, 1);
 var root_4 = $.from_html(`<option> </option>`);
 var root_5 = $.from_html(`<option>Visible</option>`);
 var root_6 = $.from_html(`<option>Keyed</option>`);
-var select_content = $.from_html(`<!>`, 1);
 var option_content_1 = $.from_html(`<strong>Bold</strong>`, 1);
 var option_content_2 = $.from_html(`<em>Italic</em> text`, 1);
 var option_content_3 = $.from_html(`<span> </span>`, 1);
@@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_4, () => {
 		var anchor_1 = $.child(select_4);
-		var fragment_2 = select_content();
+		var fragment_2 = $.comment();
 		var node_2 = $.first_child(fragment_2);
 
 		opt(node_2);
@@ -291,7 +290,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_13, () => {
 		var anchor_6 = $.child(select_13);
-		var fragment_8 = select_content();
+		var fragment_8 = $.comment();
 		var node_7 = $.first_child(fragment_8);
 
 		Option(node_7, {});
@@ -302,7 +301,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_14, () => {
 		var anchor_7 = $.child(select_14);
-		var fragment_9 = select_content();
+		var fragment_9 = $.comment();
 		var node_8 = $.first_child(fragment_9);
 
 		option_snippet(node_8);
@@ -313,7 +312,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_15, () => {
 		var anchor_8 = $.child(select_15);
-		var fragment_10 = select_content();
+		var fragment_10 = $.comment();
 		var node_9 = $.first_child(fragment_10);
 
 		$.html(node_9, () => html);
@@ -325,7 +324,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(optgroup_2, () => {
 		var anchor_9 = $.child(optgroup_2);
-		var fragment_11 = select_content();
+		var fragment_11 = $.comment();
 		var node_10 = $.first_child(fragment_11);
 
 		Option(node_10, {});
@@ -339,7 +338,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(optgroup_3, () => {
 		var anchor_10 = $.child(optgroup_3);
-		var fragment_12 = select_content();
+		var fragment_12 = $.comment();
 		var node_11 = $.first_child(fragment_12);
 
 		option_snippet2(node_11);
@@ -353,7 +352,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(option_16, () => {
 		var anchor_11 = $.child(option_16);
-		var fragment_13 = select_content();
+		var fragment_13 = $.comment();
 		var node_12 = $.first_child(fragment_13);
 
 		$.html(node_12, () => '<strong>Bold HTML</strong>');
@@ -366,7 +365,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_19, () => {
 		var anchor_12 = $.child(select_19);
-		var fragment_14 = select_content();
+		var fragment_14 = $.comment();
 		var node_13 = $.first_child(fragment_14);
 
 		$.each(node_13, 1, () => items, $.index, ($$anchor, item) => {
@@ -380,7 +379,7 @@ export default function Select_with_rich_content($$anchor) {
 
 	$.customizable_select(select_20, () => {
 		var anchor_13 = $.child(select_20);
-		var fragment_16 = select_content();
+		var fragment_16 = $.comment();
 		var node_14 = $.first_child(fragment_16);
 
 		{