- add logic to compiler such that if stack is empty, we just

stringify a _label_reference() as is.
- add .key to _label_reference(), so that when _make_proxy()
is called, we don't call str() on it anyway.
- add a test to exercise Query's behavior of adding all the order_by
expressions to the columns list of the select, assert that things
work out when we have a _label_reference there, that it gets sucked
into the columns list and spit out on the other side, it's referred
to appropriately, etc.   _label_reference() could theoretically
be resolved at the point we iterate _raw_columns() but
it's better to just let things work as they already do (except
nicer, since we get "tablename.colname" instead of just "somename"
 in the columns list) so that we aren't adding a ton of overhead
to _columns_plus_names in the common case.

lib/sqlalchemy/sql/compiler.py

@@ -495,6 +495,12 @@ class SQLCompiler(Compiled):
         return "(" + grouping.element._compiler_dispatch(self, **kwargs) + ")"
 
     def visit_label_reference(self, element, **kwargs):
+        if not self.stack:
+            # compiling the element outside of the context of a SELECT
+            return self.process(
+                element._text_clause
+            )
+
         selectable = self.stack[-1]['selectable']
         try:
             col = selectable._inner_column_dict[element.text]
@@ -504,7 +510,7 @@ class SQLCompiler(Compiled):
                 "Can't resolve label reference %r; converting to text()",
                 util.ellipses_string(element.text))
             return self.process(
-                elements.TextClause._create_text(element.text)
+                element._text_clause
             )
         else:
             kwargs['render_label_as_label'] = col

lib/sqlalchemy/sql/elements.py

@@ -2292,7 +2292,11 @@ class _label_reference(ColumnElement):
     __visit_name__ = 'label_reference'
 
     def __init__(self, text):
-        self.text = text
+        self.text = self.key = text
+
+    @util.memoized_property
+    def _text_clause(self):
+        return TextClause._create_text(self.text)
 
 
 class UnaryExpression(ColumnElement):

lib/sqlalchemy/sql/selectable.py

@@ -2976,6 +2976,7 @@ class Select(HasPrefixes, GenerativeSelect):
             def name_for_col(c):
                 if c._columns_clause_label is None:
                     return (None, c)
+
                 name = c._columns_clause_label
                 if name in names:
                     name = c.anon_label

test/orm/test_query.py

@@ -2276,7 +2276,7 @@ class HintsTest(QueryTest, AssertsCompiledSQL):
         )
 
 
-class TextTest(QueryTest):
+class TextTest(QueryTest, AssertsCompiledSQL):
     def test_fulltext(self):
         User = self.classes.User
 
@@ -2380,6 +2380,44 @@ class TextTest(QueryTest):
             [User(id=7), User(id=8), User(id=9), User(id=10)]
         )
 
+    def test_order_by_w_eager(self):
+        User = self.classes.User
+        Address = self.classes.Address
+        s = create_session()
+
+        # here, we are seeing how Query has to take the order by expressions
+        # of the query and then add them to the columns list, so that the
+        # outer subquery can order by that same label.  With the anonymous
+        # label, our column gets sucked up and restated again in the
+        # inner columns list!
+        # we could try to play games with making this "smarter" but it
+        # would add permanent overhead to Select._columns_plus_names,
+        # since that's where references would need to be resolved.
+        # so as it is, this query takes the _label_reference and makes a
+        # full blown proxy and all the rest of it.
+        self.assert_compile(
+            s.query(User).options(joinedload("addresses")).
+            order_by(desc("name")).limit(1),
+            "SELECT anon_1.users_id AS anon_1_users_id, "
+            "anon_1.users_name AS anon_1_users_name, "
+            "anon_1.anon_2 AS anon_1_anon_2, "
+            "addresses_1.id AS addresses_1_id, "
+            "addresses_1.user_id AS addresses_1_user_id, "
+            "addresses_1.email_address AS addresses_1_email_address "
+            "FROM (SELECT users.id AS users_id, users.name AS users_name, "
+            "users.name AS anon_2 FROM users ORDER BY users.name "
+            "DESC LIMIT ? OFFSET ?) AS anon_1 "
+            "LEFT OUTER JOIN addresses AS addresses_1 "
+            "ON anon_1.users_id = addresses_1.user_id "
+            "ORDER BY anon_1.anon_2 DESC, addresses_1.id"
+        )
+
+        eq_(
+            s.query(User).options(joinedload("addresses")).
+                order_by(desc("name")).first(),
+            User(name='jack', addresses=[Address()])
+        )
+
 
 class TextWarningTest(QueryTest, AssertsCompiledSQL):
     def _test(self, fn, arg, offending_clause, expected):

test/sql/test_text.py

@@ -674,3 +674,8 @@ class OrderByLabelResolutionTest(fixtures.TestBase, AssertsCompiledSQL):
             "SELECT foo(:foo_1) AS x UNION SELECT foo(:foo_2) AS y ORDER BY x"
         )
 
+    def test_standalone_units_stringable(self):
+        self.assert_compile(
+            desc("somelabel"),
+            "somelabel DESC"
+        )