Let's try this

Author: grendello

src/Xamarin.Android.Build.Tasks/Utilities/LlvmIrGenerator/LlvmIrGenerator.cs

@@ -326,13 +326,22 @@ void WriteTypeAndValue (GeneratorWriteContext context, LlvmIrVariable variable,
 				throw new InvalidOperationException ($"Internal error: variable '{variable.Name}'' of type {variable.Type} must not have a null value");
 			}
 
-			if (valueType != variable.Type && !LlvmIrModule.NameValueArrayType.IsAssignableFrom (variable.Type)) {
+			if (!IsValueAssignableFrom (valueType, variable) && !IsValueAssignableFrom (LlvmIrModule.NameValueArrayType, variable)) {
 				throw new InvalidOperationException ($"Internal error: variable type '{variable.Type}' is different to its value type, '{valueType}'");
 			}
 
 			WriteValue (context, valueType, variable);
 		}
 
+		bool IsValueAssignableFrom (Type valueType, LlvmIrVariable variable)
+		{
+			if (valueType != typeof(string) && valueType != typeof(StringHolder)) {
+				return valueType.IsAssignableFrom (variable.Type);
+			}
+
+			return variable.Type == typeof(string) || variable.Type == typeof(StringHolder);
+		}
+
 		ulong GetAggregateValueElementCount (GeneratorWriteContext context, LlvmIrVariable variable) => GetAggregateValueElementCount (context, variable.Type, variable.Value, variable as LlvmIrGlobalVariable);
 
 		ulong GetAggregateValueElementCount (GeneratorWriteContext context, Type type, object? value, LlvmIrGlobalVariable? globalVariable = null)
@@ -717,7 +726,7 @@ void WriteValue (GeneratorWriteContext context, Type type, object? value, LlvmIr
 				return;
 			}
 
-			if (type == typeof(string)) {
+			if (type == typeof(string) || type == typeof(StringHolder)) {
 				if (value == null) {
 					context.Output.Write ("null");
 					return;

src/Xamarin.Android.Build.Tasks/Utilities/LlvmIrGenerator/LlvmIrModule.cs

@@ -273,14 +273,15 @@ public LlvmIrGlobalVariable AddGlobalVariable (Type type, string name, object? v
 				ret = new LlvmIrStringVariable (name, new StringHolder ((string?)value)) {
 					Comment = comment,
 				};
+				AddStringGlobalVariable ((LlvmIrStringVariable)ret);
 			} else {
 				ret = new LlvmIrGlobalVariable (type, name, options) {
 					Value = value,
 					Comment = comment,
 				};
+				Add (ret);
 			}
 
-			Add (ret);
 			return ret;
 		}
 
@@ -401,19 +402,29 @@ void AddStandardGlobalVariable (LlvmIrGlobalVariable variable)
 			globalVariables.Add (variable);
 		}
 
+		void EnsureStringManager ()
+		{
+			if (stringManager == null) {
+				stringManager = new LlvmIrStringManager (log);
+			}
+		}
+
 		void AddStringGlobalVariable (LlvmIrStringVariable variable, string? stringGroupName = null, string? stringGroupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null)
 		{
-			RegisterString ((string)variable.Value, stringGroupName, stringGroupComment, symbolSuffix, variable.Encoding);
+			RegisterString (variable, stringGroupName, stringGroupComment, symbolSuffix);
 			AddStandardGlobalVariable (variable);
 		}
 
+		public void RegisterString (LlvmIrStringVariable variable, string? stringGroupName = null, string? stringGroupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null)
+		{
+			EnsureStringManager ();
+			stringManager.Add (variable, stringGroupName, stringGroupComment, symbolSuffix);
+		}
+
 		public void RegisterString (string value, string? stringGroupName = null, string? stringGroupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null,
 			LlvmIrStringEncoding encoding = LlvmIrStringEncoding.UTF8, StringComparison comparison = StringComparison.Ordinal)
 		{
-			if (stringManager == null) {
-				stringManager = new LlvmIrStringManager (log);
-			}
-
+			EnsureStringManager ();
 			stringManager.Add (value, stringGroupName, stringGroupComment, symbolSuffix, encoding, comparison);
 		}
 

src/Xamarin.Android.Build.Tasks/Utilities/LlvmIrGenerator/LlvmIrStringManager.cs

@@ -26,14 +26,24 @@ public LlvmIrStringManager (TaskLoggingHelper log)
 			stringGroups.Add (defaultGroup);
 		}
 
+		public LlvmIrStringVariable Add (LlvmIrStringVariable variable, string? groupName = null, string? groupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null)
+		{
+			// Let it throw if Value isn't a StringHolder, it must be.
+			return Add((StringHolder)variable.Value, groupName, groupComment, symbolSuffix);
+		}
+
 		public LlvmIrStringVariable Add (string value, string? groupName = null, string? groupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null,
 			LlvmIrStringEncoding encoding = LlvmIrStringEncoding.UTF8, StringComparison comparison = StringComparison.Ordinal)
 		{
 			if (value == null) {
 				throw new ArgumentNullException (nameof (value));
 			}
 
-			var holder = new StringHolder (value, encoding, comparison);
+			return Add (new StringHolder (value, encoding, comparison), groupName, groupComment, symbolSuffix);
+		}
+
+		LlvmIrStringVariable Add (StringHolder holder, string? groupName = null, string? groupComment = null, string? symbolSuffix = null)
+		{
 			if (stringSymbolCache.TryGetValue (holder, out LlvmIrStringVariable? stringVar) && stringVar != null) {
 				return stringVar;
 			}