Sun Studio 12 Update 1: C++ User's Guide

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The -xinline option has no effect for optimization levels below -xO3. At -xO4 and higher, the optimizer decides which functions should be inlined, and does so without the -xinline option being specified. At -xO4 and higher, the compiler also attempts to determine which functions will improve performance if they are inlined.

A routine is inlined if any of the following conditions apply.