summary refs log tree commit diff
path: root/manual/memory.texi
blob: 28c619f899171a9b7f8cc791bd537876591abaed (plain) (blame)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1021
1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031
1032
1033
1034
1035
1036
1037
1038
1039
1040
1041
1042
1043
1044
1045
1046
1047
1048
1049
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056
1057
1058
1059
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064
1065
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070
1071
1072
1073
1074
1075
1076
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082
1083
1084
1085
1086
1087
1088
1089
1090
1091
1092
1093
1094
1095
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104
1105
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111
1112
1113
1114
1115
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143
1144
1145
1146
1147
1148
1149
1150
1151
1152
1153
1154
1155
1156
1157
1158
1159
1160
1161
1162
1163
1164
1165
1166
1167
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173
1174
1175
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180
1181
1182
1183
1184
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
1212
1213
1214
1215
1216
1217
1218
1219
1220
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
1226
1227
1228
1229
1230
1231
1232
1233
1234
1235
1236
1237
1238
1239
1240
1241
1242
1243
1244
1245
1246
1247
1248
1249
1250
1251
1252
1253
1254
1255
1256
1257
1258
1259
1260
1261
1262
1263
1264
1265
1266
1267
1268
1269
1270
1271
1272
1273
1274
1275
1276
1277
1278
1279
1280
1281
1282
1283
1284
1285
1286
1287
1288
1289
1290
1291
1292
1293
1294
1295
1296
1297
1298
1299
1300
1301
1302
1303
1304
1305
1306
1307
1308
1309
1310
1311
1312
1313
1314
1315
1316
1317
1318
1319
1320
1321
1322
1323
1324
1325
1326
1327
1328
1329
1330
1331
1332
1333
1334
1335
1336
1337
1338
1339
1340
1341
1342
1343
1344
1345
1346
1347
1348
1349
1350
1351
1352
1353
1354
1355
1356
1357
1358
1359
1360
1361
1362
1363
1364
1365
1366
1367
1368
1369
1370
1371
1372
1373
1374
1375
1376
1377
1378
1379
1380
1381
1382
1383
1384
1385
1386
1387
1388
1389
1390
1391
1392
1393
1394
1395
1396
1397
1398
1399
1400
1401
1402
1403
1404
1405
1406
1407
1408
1409
1410
1411
1412
1413
1414
1415
1416
1417
1418
1419
1420
1421
1422
1423
1424
1425
1426
1427
1428
1429
1430
1431
1432
1433
1434
1435
1436
1437
1438
1439
1440
1441
1442
1443
1444
1445
1446
1447
1448
1449
1450
1451
1452
1453
1454
1455
1456
1457
1458
1459
1460
1461
1462
1463
1464
1465
1466
1467
1468
1469
1470
1471
1472
1473
1474
1475
1476
1477
1478
1479
1480
1481
1482
1483
1484
1485
1486
1487
1488
1489
1490
1491
1492
1493
1494
1495
1496
1497
1498
1499
1500
1501
1502
1503
1504
1505
1506
1507
1508
1509
1510
1511
1512
1513
1514
1515
1516
1517
1518
1519
1520
1521
1522
1523
1524
1525
1526
1527
1528
1529
1530
1531
1532
1533
1534
1535
1536
1537
1538
1539
1540
1541
1542
1543
1544
1545
1546
1547
1548
1549
1550
1551
1552
1553
1554
1555
1556
1557
1558
1559
1560
1561
1562
1563
1564
1565
1566
1567
1568
1569
1570
1571
1572
1573
1574
1575
1576
1577
1578
1579
1580
1581
1582
1583
1584
1585
1586
1587
1588
1589
1590
1591
1592
1593
1594
1595
1596
1597
1598
1599
1600
1601
1602
1603
1604
1605
1606
1607
1608
1609
1610
1611
1612
1613
1614
1615
1616
1617
1618
1619
1620
1621
1622
1623
1624
1625
1626
1627
1628
1629
1630
1631
1632
1633
1634
1635
1636
1637
1638
1639
1640
1641
1642
1643
1644
1645
1646
1647
1648
1649
1650
1651
1652
1653
1654
1655
1656
1657
1658
1659
1660
1661
1662
1663
1664
1665
1666
1667
1668
1669
1670
1671
1672
1673
1674
1675
1676
1677
1678
1679
1680
1681
1682
1683
1684
1685
1686
1687
1688
1689
1690
1691
1692
1693
1694
1695
1696
1697
1698
1699
1700
1701
1702
1703
1704
1705
1706
1707
1708
1709
1710
1711
1712
1713
1714
1715
1716
1717
1718
1719
1720
1721
1722
1723
1724
1725
1726
1727
1728
1729
1730
1731
1732
1733
1734
1735
1736
1737
1738
1739
1740
1741
1742
1743
1744
1745
1746
1747
1748
1749
1750
1751
1752
1753
1754
1755
1756
1757
1758
1759
1760
1761
1762
1763
1764
1765
1766
1767
1768
1769
1770
1771
1772
1773
1774
1775
1776
1777
1778
1779
1780
1781
1782
1783
1784
1785
1786
1787
1788
1789
1790
1791
1792
1793
1794
1795
1796
1797
1798
1799
1800
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039
2040
2041
2042
2043
2044
2045
2046
2047
2048
2049
2050
2051
2052
2053
2054
2055
2056
2057
2058
2059
2060
2061
2062
2063
2064
2065
2066
2067
2068
2069
2070
2071
2072
2073
2074
2075
2076
2077
2078
2079
2080
2081
2082
2083
2084
2085
2086
2087
2088
2089
2090
2091
2092
2093
2094
2095
2096
2097
2098
2099
2100
2101
2102
2103
2104
2105
2106
2107
2108
2109
2110
2111
2112
2113
2114
2115
2116
2117
2118
2119
2120
2121
2122
2123
2124
2125
2126
2127
2128
2129
2130
2131
2132
2133
2134
2135
2136
2137
2138
2139
2140
2141
2142
2143
2144
2145
2146
2147
2148
2149
2150
2151
2152
2153
2154
2155
2156
2157
2158
2159
2160
2161
2162
2163
2164
2165
2166
2167
2168
2169
2170
2171
2172
2173
2174
2175
2176
2177
2178
2179
2180
2181
2182
2183
2184
2185
2186
2187
2188
2189
2190
2191
2192
2193
2194
2195
2196
2197
2198
2199
2200
2201
2202
2203
2204
2205
2206
2207
2208
2209
2210
2211
2212
2213
2214
2215
2216
2217
2218
2219
2220
2221
2222
2223
2224
2225
2226
2227
2228
2229
2230
2231
2232
2233
2234
2235
2236
2237
2238
2239
2240
2241
2242
2243
2244
2245
2246
2247
2248
2249
2250
2251
2252
2253
2254
2255
2256
2257
2258
2259
2260
2261
2262
2263
2264
2265
2266
2267
2268
2269
2270
2271
2272
2273
2274
2275
@comment !!! describe mmap et al (here?)
@c !!! doc brk/sbrk

@node Memory Allocation, Character Handling, Error Reporting, Top
@chapter Memory Allocation
@c %MENU% Allocating memory dynamically and manipulating it via pointers
@cindex memory allocation
@cindex storage allocation

The GNU system provides several methods for allocating memory space
under explicit program control.  They vary in generality and in
efficiency.

@iftex
@itemize @bullet
@item
The @code{malloc} facility allows fully general dynamic allocation.
@xref{Unconstrained Allocation}.

@item
Obstacks are another facility, less general than @code{malloc} but more
efficient and convenient for stacklike allocation.  @xref{Obstacks}.

@item
The function @code{alloca} lets you allocate storage dynamically that
will be freed automatically.  @xref{Variable Size Automatic}.
@end itemize
@end iftex

@menu
* Memory Concepts::             An introduction to concepts and terminology.
* Dynamic Allocation and C::    How to get different kinds of allocation in C.
* Unconstrained Allocation::    The @code{malloc} facility allows fully general
		 		 dynamic allocation.
* Allocation Debugging::        Finding memory leaks and not freed memory.
* Obstacks::                    Obstacks are less general than malloc
				 but more efficient and convenient.
* Variable Size Automatic::     Allocation of variable-sized blocks
				 of automatic storage that are freed when the
				 calling function returns.
@end menu

@node Memory Concepts
@section Dynamic Memory Allocation Concepts
@cindex dynamic allocation
@cindex static allocation
@cindex automatic allocation

@dfn{Dynamic memory allocation} is a technique in which programs
determine as they are running where to store some information.  You need
dynamic allocation when the number of memory blocks you need, or how
long you continue to need them, depends on the data you are working on.

For example, you may need a block to store a line read from an input file;
since there is no limit to how long a line can be, you must allocate the
storage dynamically and make it dynamically larger as you read more of the
line.

Or, you may need a block for each record or each definition in the input
data; since you can't know in advance how many there will be, you must
allocate a new block for each record or definition as you read it.

When you use dynamic allocation, the allocation of a block of memory is an
action that the program requests explicitly.  You call a function or macro
when you want to allocate space, and specify the size with an argument.  If
you want to free the space, you do so by calling another function or macro.
You can do these things whenever you want, as often as you want.

@node Dynamic Allocation and C
@section Dynamic Allocation and C

The C language supports two kinds of memory allocation through the variables
in C programs:

@itemize @bullet
@item
@dfn{Static allocation} is what happens when you declare a static or
global variable.  Each static or global variable defines one block of
space, of a fixed size.  The space is allocated once, when your program
is started, and is never freed.

@item
@dfn{Automatic allocation} happens when you declare an automatic
variable, such as a function argument or a local variable.  The space
for an automatic variable is allocated when the compound statement
containing the declaration is entered, and is freed when that
compound statement is exited.

In GNU C, the length of the automatic storage can be an expression
that varies.  In other C implementations, it must be a constant.
@end itemize

Dynamic allocation is not supported by C variables; there is no storage
class ``dynamic'', and there can never be a C variable whose value is
stored in dynamically allocated space.  The only way to refer to
dynamically allocated space is through a pointer.  Because it is less
convenient, and because the actual process of dynamic allocation
requires more computation time, programmers generally use dynamic
allocation only when neither static nor automatic allocation will serve.

For example, if you want to allocate dynamically some space to hold a
@code{struct foobar}, you cannot declare a variable of type @code{struct
foobar} whose contents are the dynamically allocated space.  But you can
declare a variable of pointer type @code{struct foobar *} and assign it the
address of the space.  Then you can use the operators @samp{*} and
@samp{->} on this pointer variable to refer to the contents of the space:

@smallexample
@{
  struct foobar *ptr
     = (struct foobar *) malloc (sizeof (struct foobar));
  ptr->name = x;
  ptr->next = current_foobar;
  current_foobar = ptr;
@}
@end smallexample

@node Unconstrained Allocation
@section Unconstrained Allocation
@cindex unconstrained storage allocation
@cindex @code{malloc} function
@cindex heap, dynamic allocation from

The most general dynamic allocation facility is @code{malloc}.  It
allows you to allocate blocks of memory of any size at any time, make
them bigger or smaller at any time, and free the blocks individually at
any time (or never).

@menu
* Basic Allocation::            Simple use of @code{malloc}.
* Malloc Examples::             Examples of @code{malloc}.  @code{xmalloc}.
* Freeing after Malloc::        Use @code{free} to free a block you
				 got with @code{malloc}.
* Changing Block Size::         Use @code{realloc} to make a block
				 bigger or smaller.
* Allocating Cleared Space::    Use @code{calloc} to allocate a
				 block and clear it.
* Efficiency and Malloc::       Efficiency considerations in use of
				 these functions.
* Aligned Memory Blocks::       Allocating specially aligned memory:
				 @code{memalign} and @code{valloc}.
* Malloc Tunable Parameters::   Use @code{mallopt} to adjust allocation
                                 parameters.
* Heap Consistency Checking::   Automatic checking for errors.
* Hooks for Malloc::            You can use these hooks for debugging
				 programs that use @code{malloc}.
* Statistics of Malloc::        Getting information about how much
				 memory your program is using.
* Summary of Malloc::           Summary of @code{malloc} and related functions.
@end menu

@node Basic Allocation
@subsection Basic Storage Allocation
@cindex allocation of memory with @code{malloc}

To allocate a block of memory, call @code{malloc}.  The prototype for
this function is in @file{stdlib.h}.
@pindex stdlib.h

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment ISO
@deftypefun {void *} malloc (size_t @var{size})
This function returns a pointer to a newly allocated block @var{size}
bytes long, or a null pointer if the block could not be allocated.
@end deftypefun

The contents of the block are undefined; you must initialize it yourself
(or use @code{calloc} instead; @pxref{Allocating Cleared Space}).
Normally you would cast the value as a pointer to the kind of object
that you want to store in the block.  Here we show an example of doing
so, and of initializing the space with zeros using the library function
@code{memset} (@pxref{Copying and Concatenation}):

@smallexample
struct foo *ptr;
@dots{}
ptr = (struct foo *) malloc (sizeof (struct foo));
if (ptr == 0) abort ();
memset (ptr, 0, sizeof (struct foo));
@end smallexample

You can store the result of @code{malloc} into any pointer variable
without a cast, because @w{ISO C} automatically converts the type
@code{void *} to another type of pointer when necessary.  But the cast
is necessary in contexts other than assignment operators or if you might
want your code to run in traditional C.

Remember that when allocating space for a string, the argument to
@code{malloc} must be one plus the length of the string.  This is
because a string is terminated with a null character that doesn't count
in the ``length'' of the string but does need space.  For example:

@smallexample
char *ptr;
@dots{}
ptr = (char *) malloc (length + 1);
@end smallexample

@noindent
@xref{Representation of Strings}, for more information about this.

@node Malloc Examples
@subsection Examples of @code{malloc}

If no more space is available, @code{malloc} returns a null pointer.
You should check the value of @emph{every} call to @code{malloc}.  It is
useful to write a subroutine that calls @code{malloc} and reports an
error if the value is a null pointer, returning only if the value is
nonzero.  This function is conventionally called @code{xmalloc}.  Here
it is:

@smallexample
void *
xmalloc (size_t size)
@{
  register void *value = malloc (size);
  if (value == 0)
    fatal ("virtual memory exhausted");
  return value;
@}
@end smallexample

Here is a real example of using @code{malloc} (by way of @code{xmalloc}).
The function @code{savestring} will copy a sequence of characters into
a newly allocated null-terminated string:

@smallexample
@group
char *
savestring (const char *ptr, size_t len)
@{
  register char *value = (char *) xmalloc (len + 1);
  value[len] = '\0';
  return (char *) memcpy (value, ptr, len);
@}
@end group
@end smallexample

The block that @code{malloc} gives you is guaranteed to be aligned so
that it can hold any type of data.  In the GNU system, the address is
always a multiple of eight on most systems, and a multiple of 16 on
64-bit systems.  Only rarely is any higher boundary (such as a page
boundary) necessary; for those cases, use @code{memalign} or
@code{valloc} (@pxref{Aligned Memory Blocks}).

Note that the memory located after the end of the block is likely to be
in use for something else; perhaps a block already allocated by another
call to @code{malloc}.  If you attempt to treat the block as longer than
you asked for it to be, you are liable to destroy the data that
@code{malloc} uses to keep track of its blocks, or you may destroy the
contents of another block.  If you have already allocated a block and
discover you want it to be bigger, use @code{realloc} (@pxref{Changing
Block Size}).

@node Freeing after Malloc
@subsection Freeing Memory Allocated with @code{malloc}
@cindex freeing memory allocated with @code{malloc}
@cindex heap, freeing memory from

When you no longer need a block that you got with @code{malloc}, use the
function @code{free} to make the block available to be allocated again.
The prototype for this function is in @file{stdlib.h}.
@pindex stdlib.h

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment ISO
@deftypefun void free (void *@var{ptr})
The @code{free} function deallocates the block of storage pointed at
by @var{ptr}.
@end deftypefun

@comment stdlib.h
@comment Sun
@deftypefun void cfree (void *@var{ptr})
This function does the same thing as @code{free}.  It's provided for
backward compatibility with SunOS; you should use @code{free} instead.
@end deftypefun

Freeing a block alters the contents of the block.  @strong{Do not expect to
find any data (such as a pointer to the next block in a chain of blocks) in
the block after freeing it.}  Copy whatever you need out of the block before
freeing it!  Here is an example of the proper way to free all the blocks in
a chain, and the strings that they point to:

@smallexample
struct chain
  @{
    struct chain *next;
    char *name;
  @}

void
free_chain (struct chain *chain)
@{
  while (chain != 0)
    @{
      struct chain *next = chain->next;
      free (chain->name);
      free (chain);
      chain = next;
    @}
@}
@end smallexample

Occasionally, @code{free} can actually return memory to the operating
system and make the process smaller.  Usually, all it can do is allow a
later call to @code{malloc} to reuse the space.  In the meantime, the
space remains in your program as part of a free-list used internally by
@code{malloc}.

There is no point in freeing blocks at the end of a program, because all
of the program's space is given back to the system when the process
terminates.

@node Changing Block Size
@subsection Changing the Size of a Block
@cindex changing the size of a block (@code{malloc})

Often you do not know for certain how big a block you will ultimately need
at the time you must begin to use the block.  For example, the block might
be a buffer that you use to hold a line being read from a file; no matter
how long you make the buffer initially, you may encounter a line that is
longer.

You can make the block longer by calling @code{realloc}.  This function
is declared in @file{stdlib.h}.
@pindex stdlib.h

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment ISO
@deftypefun {void *} realloc (void *@var{ptr}, size_t @var{newsize})
The @code{realloc} function changes the size of the block whose address is
@var{ptr} to be @var{newsize}.

Since the space after the end of the block may be in use, @code{realloc}
may find it necessary to copy the block to a new address where more free
space is available.  The value of @code{realloc} is the new address of the
block.  If the block needs to be moved, @code{realloc} copies the old
contents.

If you pass a null pointer for @var{ptr}, @code{realloc} behaves just
like @samp{malloc (@var{newsize})}.  This can be convenient, but beware
that older implementations (before @w{ISO C}) may not support this
behavior, and will probably crash when @code{realloc} is passed a null
pointer.
@end deftypefun

Like @code{malloc}, @code{realloc} may return a null pointer if no
memory space is available to make the block bigger.  When this happens,
the original block is untouched; it has not been modified or relocated.

In most cases it makes no difference what happens to the original block
when @code{realloc} fails, because the application program cannot continue
when it is out of memory, and the only thing to do is to give a fatal error
message.  Often it is convenient to write and use a subroutine,
conventionally called @code{xrealloc}, that takes care of the error message
as @code{xmalloc} does for @code{malloc}:

@smallexample
void *
xrealloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
@{
  register void *value = realloc (ptr, size);
  if (value == 0)
    fatal ("Virtual memory exhausted");
  return value;
@}
@end smallexample

You can also use @code{realloc} to make a block smaller.  The reason you
would do this is to avoid tying up a lot of memory space when only a little
is needed.
@comment The following is no longer true with the new malloc.
@comment But it seems wise to keep the warning for other implementations.
In several allocation implementations, making a block smaller sometimes
necessitates copying it, so it can fail if no other space is available.

If the new size you specify is the same as the old size, @code{realloc}
is guaranteed to change nothing and return the same address that you gave.

@node Allocating Cleared Space
@subsection Allocating Cleared Space

The function @code{calloc} allocates memory and clears it to zero.  It
is declared in @file{stdlib.h}.
@pindex stdlib.h

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment ISO
@deftypefun {void *} calloc (size_t @var{count}, size_t @var{eltsize})
This function allocates a block long enough to contain a vector of
@var{count} elements, each of size @var{eltsize}.  Its contents are
cleared to zero before @code{calloc} returns.
@end deftypefun

You could define @code{calloc} as follows:

@smallexample
void *
calloc (size_t count, size_t eltsize)
@{
  size_t size = count * eltsize;
  void *value = malloc (size);
  if (value != 0)
    memset (value, 0, size);
  return value;
@}
@end smallexample

But in general, it is not guaranteed that @code{calloc} calls
@code{malloc} internally.  Therefore, if an application provides its own
@code{malloc}/@code{realloc}/@code{free} outside the C library, it
should always define @code{calloc}, too.

@node Efficiency and Malloc
@subsection Efficiency Considerations for @code{malloc}
@cindex efficiency and @code{malloc}

@ignore

@c No longer true, see below instead.
To make the best use of @code{malloc}, it helps to know that the GNU
version of @code{malloc} always dispenses small amounts of memory in
blocks whose sizes are powers of two.  It keeps separate pools for each
power of two.  This holds for sizes up to a page size.  Therefore, if
you are free to choose the size of a small block in order to make
@code{malloc} more efficient, make it a power of two.
@c !!! xref getpagesize

Once a page is split up for a particular block size, it can't be reused
for another size unless all the blocks in it are freed.  In many
programs, this is unlikely to happen.  Thus, you can sometimes make a
program use memory more efficiently by using blocks of the same size for
many different purposes.

When you ask for memory blocks of a page or larger, @code{malloc} uses a
different strategy; it rounds the size up to a multiple of a page, and
it can coalesce and split blocks as needed.

The reason for the two strategies is that it is important to allocate
and free small blocks as fast as possible, but speed is less important
for a large block since the program normally spends a fair amount of
time using it.  Also, large blocks are normally fewer in number.
Therefore, for large blocks, it makes sense to use a method which takes
more time to minimize the wasted space.

@end ignore

As opposed to other versions, the @code{malloc} in GNU libc does not
round up block sizes to powers of two, neither for large nor for small
sizes.  Neighboring chunks can be coalesced on a @code{free} no matter
what their size is.  This makes the implementation suitable for all
kinds of allocation patterns without generally incurring high memory
waste through fragmentation.

Very large blocks (much larger than a page) are allocated with
@code{mmap} (anonymous or via @code{/dev/zero}) by this implementation.
This has the great advantage that these chunks are returned to the
system immediately when they are freed.  Therefore, it cannot happen
that a large chunk becomes ``locked'' in between smaller ones and even
after calling @code{free} wastes memory.  The size threshold for
@code{mmap} to be used can be adjusted with @code{mallopt}.  The use of
@code{mmap} can also be disabled completely.

@node Aligned Memory Blocks
@subsection Allocating Aligned Memory Blocks

@cindex page boundary
@cindex alignment (with @code{malloc})
@pindex stdlib.h
The address of a block returned by @code{malloc} or @code{realloc} in
the GNU system is always a multiple of eight (or sixteen on 64-bit
systems).  If you need a block whose address is a multiple of a higher
power of two than that, use @code{memalign} or @code{valloc}.  These
functions are declared in @file{stdlib.h}.

With the GNU library, you can use @code{free} to free the blocks that
@code{memalign} and @code{valloc} return.  That does not work in BSD,
however---BSD does not provide any way to free such blocks.

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment BSD
@deftypefun {void *} memalign (size_t @var{boundary}, size_t @var{size})
The @code{memalign} function allocates a block of @var{size} bytes whose
address is a multiple of @var{boundary}.  The @var{boundary} must be a
power of two!  The function @code{memalign} works by allocating a
somewhat larger block, and then returning an address within the block
that is on the specified boundary.
@end deftypefun

@comment malloc.h stdlib.h
@comment BSD
@deftypefun {void *} valloc (size_t @var{size})
Using @code{valloc} is like using @code{memalign} and passing the page size
as the value of the second argument.  It is implemented like this:

@smallexample
void *
valloc (size_t size)
@{
  return memalign (getpagesize (), size);
@}
@end smallexample
@c !!! xref getpagesize
@end deftypefun

@node Malloc Tunable Parameters
@subsection Malloc Tunable Parameters

You can adjust some parameters for dynamic memory allocation with the
@code{mallopt} function.  This function is the general SVID/XPG
interface, defined in @file{malloc.h}.
@pindex malloc.h

@deftypefun int mallopt (int @var{param}, int @var{value})
When calling @code{mallopt}, the @var{param} argument specifies the
parameter to be set, and @var{value} the new value to be set.  Possible
choices for @var{param}, as defined in @file{malloc.h}, are:

@table @code
@item M_TRIM_THRESHOLD
This is the minimum size (in bytes) of the top-most, releaseable chunk
that will cause @code{sbrk} to be called with a negative argument in
order to return memory to the system.
@item M_TOP_PAD
This parameter determines the amount of extra memory to obtain from the
system when a call to @code{sbrk} is required.  It also specifies the
number of bytes to retain when shrinking the heap by calling @code{sbrk}
with a negative argument.  This provides the necessary hysteresis in
heap size such that excessive amounts of system calls can be avoided.
@item M_MMAP_THRESHOLD
All chunks larger than this value are allocated outside the normal
heap, using the @code{mmap} system call.  This way it is guaranteed
that the memory for these chunks can be returned to the system on
@code{free}.
@item M_MMAP_MAX
The maximum number of chunks to allocate with @code{mmap}.  Setting this
to zero disables all use of @code{mmap}.
@end table

@end deftypefun

@node Heap Consistency Checking
@subsection Heap Consistency Checking

@cindex heap consistency checking
@cindex consistency checking, of heap

You can ask @code{malloc} to check the consistency of dynamic storage by
using the @code{mcheck} function.  This function is a GNU extension,
declared in @file{mcheck.h}.
@pindex mcheck.h

@comment mcheck.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun int mcheck (void (*@var{abortfn}) (enum mcheck_status @var{status}))
Calling @code{mcheck} tells @code{malloc} to perform occasional
consistency checks.  These will catch things such as writing
past the end of a block that was allocated with @code{malloc}.

The @var{abortfn} argument is the function to call when an inconsistency
is found.  If you supply a null pointer, then @code{mcheck} uses a
default function which prints a message and calls @code{abort}
(@pxref{Aborting a Program}).  The function you supply is called with
one argument, which says what sort of inconsistency was detected; its
type is described below.

It is too late to begin allocation checking once you have allocated
anything with @code{malloc}.  So @code{mcheck} does nothing in that
case.  The function returns @code{-1} if you call it too late, and
@code{0} otherwise (when it is successful).

The easiest way to arrange to call @code{mcheck} early enough is to use
the option @samp{-lmcheck} when you link your program; then you don't
need to modify your program source at all.  Alternatively you might use
a debugger to insert a call to @code{mcheck} whenever the program is
started, for example these gdb commands will automatically call @code{mcheck}
whenever the program starts:

@smallexample
(gdb) break main
Breakpoint 1, main (argc=2, argv=0xbffff964) at whatever.c:10
(gdb) command 1
Type commands for when breakpoint 1 is hit, one per line.
End with a line saying just "end".
>call mcheck(0)
>continue
>end
(gdb) ...
@end smallexample

This will however only work if no initialization function of any object
involved calls any of the @code{malloc} functions since @code{mcheck}
must be called before the first such function.

@end deftypefun

@deftypefun {enum mcheck_status} mprobe (void *@var{pointer})
The @code{mprobe} function lets you explicitly check for inconsistencies
in a particular allocated block.  You must have already called
@code{mcheck} at the beginning of the program, to do its occasional
checks; calling @code{mprobe} requests an additional consistency check
to be done at the time of the call.

The argument @var{pointer} must be a pointer returned by @code{malloc}
or @code{realloc}.  @code{mprobe} returns a value that says what
inconsistency, if any, was found.  The values are described below.
@end deftypefun

@deftp {Data Type} {enum mcheck_status}
This enumerated type describes what kind of inconsistency was detected
in an allocated block, if any.  Here are the possible values:

@table @code
@item MCHECK_DISABLED
@code{mcheck} was not called before the first allocation.
No consistency checking can be done.
@item MCHECK_OK
No inconsistency detected.
@item MCHECK_HEAD
The data immediately before the block was modified.
This commonly happens when an array index or pointer
is decremented too far.
@item MCHECK_TAIL
The data immediately after the block was modified.
This commonly happens when an array index or pointer
is incremented too far.
@item MCHECK_FREE
The block was already freed.
@end table
@end deftp

Another possibility to check for and guard against bugs in the use of
@code{malloc}, @code{realloc} and @code{free} is to set the environment
variable @code{MALLOC_CHECK_}.  When @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} is set, a
special (less efficient) implementation is used which is designed to be
tolerant against simple errors, such as double calls of @code{free} with
the same argument, or overruns of a single byte (off-by-one bugs).  Not
all such errors can be protected against, however, and memory leaks can
result.  If @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} is set to @code{0}, any detected heap
corruption is silently ignored; if set to @code{1}, a diagnostic is
printed on @code{stderr}; if set to @code{2}, @code{abort} is called
immediately.  This can be useful because otherwise a crash may happen
much later, and the true cause for the problem is then very hard to
track down.

So, what's the difference between using @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} and linking
with @samp{-lmcheck}?  @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} is orthogonal with respect to
@samp{-lmcheck}.  @samp{-lmcheck} has been added for backward
compatibility.  Both @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} and @samp{-lmcheck} should
uncover the same bugs - but using @code{MALLOC_CHECK_} you don't need to
recompile your application.

@node Hooks for Malloc
@subsection Storage Allocation Hooks
@cindex allocation hooks, for @code{malloc}

The GNU C library lets you modify the behavior of @code{malloc},
@code{realloc}, and @code{free} by specifying appropriate hook
functions.  You can use these hooks to help you debug programs that use
dynamic storage allocation, for example.

The hook variables are declared in @file{malloc.h}.
@pindex malloc.h

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@defvar __malloc_hook
The value of this variable is a pointer to the function that
@code{malloc} uses whenever it is called.  You should define this
function to look like @code{malloc}; that is, like:

@smallexample
void *@var{function} (size_t @var{size}, void *@var{caller})
@end smallexample

The value of @var{caller} is the return address found on the stack when
the @code{malloc} function was called.  This value allows you to trace
the memory consumption of the program.
@end defvar

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@defvar __realloc_hook
The value of this variable is a pointer to function that @code{realloc}
uses whenever it is called.  You should define this function to look
like @code{realloc}; that is, like:

@smallexample
void *@var{function} (void *@var{ptr}, size_t @var{size}, void *@var{caller})
@end smallexample

The value of @var{caller} is the return address found on the stack when
the @code{realloc} function was called.  This value allows to trace the
memory consumption of the program.
@end defvar

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@defvar __free_hook
The value of this variable is a pointer to function that @code{free}
uses whenever it is called.  You should define this function to look
like @code{free}; that is, like:

@smallexample
void @var{function} (void *@var{ptr}, void *@var{caller})
@end smallexample

The value of @var{caller} is the return address found on the stack when
the @code{free} function was called.  This value allows to trace the
memory consumption of the program.
@end defvar

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@defvar __memalign_hook
The value of this variable is a pointer to function that @code{memalign}
uses whenever it is called.  You should define this function to look
like @code{memalign}; that is, like:

@smallexample
void *@var{function} (size_t @var{size}, size_t @var{alignment})
@end smallexample
@end defvar

You must make sure that the function you install as a hook for one of
these functions does not call that function recursively without restoring
the old value of the hook first!  Otherwise, your program will get stuck
in an infinite recursion.  Before calling the function recursively, one
should make sure to restore all the hooks to their previous value.  When
coming back from the recursive call, all the hooks should be resaved
since a hook might modify itself.

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@defvar __malloc_initialize_hook
The value of this variable is a pointer to a function that is called
once when the malloc implementation is initialized.  This is a weak
variable, so it can be overridden in the application with a definition
like the following:

@smallexample
void (*@var{__malloc_initialize_hook}) (void) = my_init_hook;
@end smallexample
@end defvar

An issue to look out for is the time at which the malloc hook functions
can be safely installed.  If the hook functions call the malloc-related
functions recursively, it is necessary that malloc has already properly
initialized itself at the time when @code{__malloc_hook} etc. is
assigned to.  On the other hand, if the hook functions provide a
complete malloc implementation of their own, it is vital that the hooks
are assigned to @emph{before} the very first @code{malloc} call has
completed, because otherwise a chunk obtained from the ordinary,
un-hooked malloc may later be handed to @code{__free_hook}, for example.

In both cases, the problem can be solved by setting up the hooks from
within a user-defined function pointed to by
@code{__malloc_initialize_hook}---then the hooks will be set up safely
at the right time.

Here is an example showing how to use @code{__malloc_hook} and
@code{__free_hook} properly.  It installs a function that prints out
information every time @code{malloc} or @code{free} is called.  We just
assume here that @code{realloc} and @code{memalign} are not used in our
program.

@smallexample
/* Global variables used to hold underlaying hook values.  */
static void *(*old_malloc_hook) (size_t);
static void (*old_free_hook) (void*);

/* Prototypes for our hooks.  */
static void *my_init_hook (void);
static void *my_malloc_hook (size_t);
static void my_free_hook (void*);

/* Override initializing hook from the C library. */
void (*__malloc_initialize_hook) (void) = my_init_hook;

static void
my_init_hook (void)
@{
  old_malloc_hook = __malloc_hook;
  old_free_hook = __free_hook;
  __malloc_hook = my_malloc_hook;
  __free_hook = my_free_hook;
@}

static void *
my_malloc_hook (size_t size)
@{
  void *result;
  /* Restore all old hooks */
  __malloc_hook = old_malloc_hook;
  __free_hook = old_free_hook;
  /* Call recursively */
  result = malloc (size);
  /* Save underlaying hooks */
  old_malloc_hook = __malloc_hook;
  old_free_hook = __free_hook;
  /* @r{@code{printf} might call @code{malloc}, so protect it too.} */
  printf ("malloc (%u) returns %p\n", (unsigned int) size, result);
  /* Restore our own hooks */
  __malloc_hook = my_malloc_hook;
  __free_hook = my_free_hook;
  return result;
@}

static void *
my_free_hook (void *ptr)
@{
  /* Restore all old hooks */
  __malloc_hook = old_malloc_hook;
  __free_hook = old_free_hook;
  /* Call recursively */
  free (ptr);
  /* Save underlaying hooks */
  old_malloc_hook = __malloc_hook;
  old_free_hook = __free_hook;
  /* @r{@code{printf} might call @code{free}, so protect it too.} */
  printf ("freed pointer %p\n", ptr);
  /* Restore our own hooks */
  __malloc_hook = my_malloc_hook;
  __free_hook = my_free_hook;
@}

main ()
@{
  ...
@}
@end smallexample

The @code{mcheck} function (@pxref{Heap Consistency Checking}) works by
installing such hooks.

@c __morecore, __after_morecore_hook are undocumented
@c It's not clear whether to document them.

@node Statistics of Malloc
@subsection Statistics for Storage Allocation with @code{malloc}

@cindex allocation statistics
You can get information about dynamic storage allocation by calling the
@code{mallinfo} function.  This function and its associated data type
are declared in @file{malloc.h}; they are an extension of the standard
SVID/XPG version.
@pindex malloc.h

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@deftp {Data Type} {struct mallinfo}
This structure type is used to return information about the dynamic
storage allocator.  It contains the following members:

@table @code
@item int arena
This is the total size of memory allocated with @code{sbrk} by
@code{malloc}, in bytes.

@item int ordblks
This is the number of chunks not in use.  (The storage allocator
internally gets chunks of memory from the operating system, and then
carves them up to satisfy individual @code{malloc} requests; see
@ref{Efficiency and Malloc}.)

@item int smblks
This field is unused.

@item int hblks
This is the total number of chunks allocated with @code{mmap}.

@item int hblkhd
This is the total size of memory allocated with @code{mmap}, in bytes.

@item int usmblks
This field is unused.

@item int fsmblks
This field is unused.

@item int uordblks
This is the total size of memory occupied by chunks handed out by
@code{malloc}.

@item int fordblks
This is the total size of memory occupied by free (not in use) chunks.

@item int keepcost
This is the size of the top-most releaseable chunk that normally
borders the end of the heap (i.e. the ``brk'' of the process).

@end table
@end deftp

@comment malloc.h
@comment SVID
@deftypefun {struct mallinfo} mallinfo (void)
This function returns information about the current dynamic memory usage
in a structure of type @code{struct mallinfo}.
@end deftypefun

@node Summary of Malloc
@subsection Summary of @code{malloc}-Related Functions

Here is a summary of the functions that work with @code{malloc}:

@table @code
@item void *malloc (size_t @var{size})
Allocate a block of @var{size} bytes.  @xref{Basic Allocation}.

@item void free (void *@var{addr})
Free a block previously allocated by @code{malloc}.  @xref{Freeing after
Malloc}.

@item void *realloc (void *@var{addr}, size_t @var{size})
Make a block previously allocated by @code{malloc} larger or smaller,
possibly by copying it to a new location.  @xref{Changing Block Size}.

@item void *calloc (size_t @var{count}, size_t @var{eltsize})
Allocate a block of @var{count} * @var{eltsize} bytes using
@code{malloc}, and set its contents to zero.  @xref{Allocating Cleared
Space}.

@item void *valloc (size_t @var{size})
Allocate a block of @var{size} bytes, starting on a page boundary.
@xref{Aligned Memory Blocks}.

@item void *memalign (size_t @var{size}, size_t @var{boundary})
Allocate a block of @var{size} bytes, starting on an address that is a
multiple of @var{boundary}.  @xref{Aligned Memory Blocks}.

@item int mallopt (int @var{param}, int @var{value})
Adjust a tunable parameter.  @xref{Malloc Tunable Parameters}.

@item int mcheck (void (*@var{abortfn}) (void))
Tell @code{malloc} to perform occasional consistency checks on
dynamically allocated memory, and to call @var{abortfn} when an
inconsistency is found.  @xref{Heap Consistency Checking}.

@item void *(*__malloc_hook) (size_t @var{size}, void *@var{caller})
A pointer to a function that @code{malloc} uses whenever it is called.

@item void *(*__realloc_hook) (void *@var{ptr}, size_t @var{size}, void *@var{caller})
A pointer to a function that @code{realloc} uses whenever it is called.

@item void (*__free_hook) (void *@var{ptr}, void *@var{caller})
A pointer to a function that @code{free} uses whenever it is called.

@item void (*__memalign_hook) (size_t @var{size}, size_t @var{alignment})
A pointer to a function that @code{memalign} uses whenever it is called.

@item struct mallinfo mallinfo (void)
Return information about the current dynamic memory usage.
@xref{Statistics of Malloc}.
@end table

@node Allocation Debugging
@section Allocation Debugging
@cindex allocation debugging
@cindex malloc debugger

A complicated task when programming with languages which do not use
garbage collected dynamic memory allocation is to find memory leaks.
Long running programs must assure that dynamically allocated objects are
freed at the end of their lifetime.  If this does not happen the system
runs out of memory, sooner or later.

The @code{malloc} implementation in the GNU C library provides some
simple means to detect such leaks and obtain some information to find
the location.  To do this the application must be started in a special
mode which is enabled by an environment variable.  There are no speed
penalties for the program if the debugging mode is not enabled.

@menu
* Tracing malloc::               How to install the tracing functionality.
* Using the Memory Debugger::    Example programs excerpts.
* Tips for the Memory Debugger:: Some more or less clever ideas.
* Interpreting the traces::      What do all these lines mean?
@end menu

@node Tracing malloc
@subsection How to install the tracing functionality

@comment mcheck.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void mtrace (void)
When the @code{mtrace} function is called it looks for an environment
variable named @code{MALLOC_TRACE}.  This variable is supposed to
contain a valid file name.  The user must have write access.  If the
file already exists it is truncated.  If the environment variable is not
set or it does not name a valid file which can be opened for writing
nothing is done.  The behaviour of @code{malloc} etc. is not changed.
For obvious reasons this also happens if the application is installed
with the SUID or SGID bit set.

If the named file is successfully opened @code{mtrace} installs special
handlers for the functions @code{malloc}, @code{realloc}, and
@code{free} (@pxref{Hooks for Malloc}).  From now on all uses of these
functions are traced and protocolled into the file.  There is now of
course a speed penalty for all calls to the traced functions so tracing
should not be enabled during their normal use.

This function is a GNU extension and generally not available on other
systems.  The prototype can be found in @file{mcheck.h}.
@end deftypefun

@comment mcheck.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void muntrace (void)
The @code{muntrace} function can be called after @code{mtrace} was used
to enable tracing the @code{malloc} calls.  If no (succesful) call of
@code{mtrace} was made @code{muntrace} does nothing.

Otherwise it deinstalls the handlers for @code{malloc}, @code{realloc},
and @code{free} and then closes the protocol file.  No calls are
protocolled anymore and the program runs again at full speed.

This function is a GNU extension and generally not available on other
systems.  The prototype can be found in @file{mcheck.h}.
@end deftypefun

@node Using the Memory Debugger
@subsection Example program excerpts

Even though the tracing functionality does not influence the runtime
behaviour of the program it is not a good idea to call @code{mtrace} in
all programs.  Just imagine that you debug a program using @code{mtrace}
and all other programs used in the debugging session also trace their
@code{malloc} calls.  The output file would be the same for all programs
and thus is unusable.  Therefore one should call @code{mtrace} only if
compiled for debugging.  A program could therefore start like this:

@example
#include <mcheck.h>

int
main (int argc, char *argv[])
@{
#ifdef DEBUGGING
  mtrace ();
#endif
  @dots{}
@}
@end example

This is all what is needed if you want to trace the calls during the
whole runtime of the program.  Alternatively you can stop the tracing at
any time with a call to @code{muntrace}.  It is even possible to restart
the tracing again with a new call to @code{mtrace}.  But this can cause
unreliable results since there may be calls of the functions which are
not called.  Please note that not only the application uses the traced
functions, also libraries (including the C library itself) use these
functions.

This last point is also why it is no good idea to call @code{muntrace}
before the program terminated.  The libraries are informed about the
termination of the program only after the program returns from
@code{main} or calls @code{exit} and so cannot free the memory they use
before this time.

So the best thing one can do is to call @code{mtrace} as the very first
function in the program and never call @code{muntrace}.  So the program
traces almost all uses of the @code{malloc} functions (except those
calls which are executed by constructors of the program or used
libraries).

@node Tips for the Memory Debugger
@subsection Some more or less clever ideas

You know the situation.  The program is prepared for debugging and in
all debugging sessions it runs well.  But once it is started without
debugging the error shows up.  A typical example is a memory leak that
becomes visible only when we turn off the debugging.  If you foresee
such situations you can still win.  Simply use something equivalent to
the following little program:

@example
#include <mcheck.h>
#include <signal.h>

static void
enable (int sig)
@{
  mtrace ();
  signal (SIGUSR1, enable);
@}

static void
disable (int sig)
@{
  muntrace ();
  signal (SIGUSR2, disable);
@}

int
main (int argc, char *argv[])
@{
  @dots{}

  signal (SIGUSR1, enable);
  signal (SIGUSR2, disable);

  @dots{}
@}
@end example

I.e., the user can start the memory debugger any time s/he wants if the
program was started with @code{MALLOC_TRACE} set in the environment.
The output will of course not show the allocations which happened before
the first signal but if there is a memory leak this will show up
nevertheless.

@node Interpreting the traces
@subsection Interpreting the traces

If you take a look at the output it will look similar to this:

@example
= Start
@ [0x8048209] - 0x8064cc8
@ [0x8048209] - 0x8064ce0
@ [0x8048209] - 0x8064cf8
@ [0x80481eb] + 0x8064c48 0x14
@ [0x80481eb] + 0x8064c60 0x14
@ [0x80481eb] + 0x8064c78 0x14
@ [0x80481eb] + 0x8064c90 0x14
= End
@end example

What this all means is not really important since the trace file is not
meant to be read by a human.  Therefore no attention is given to
readability.  Instead there is a program which comes with the GNU C
library which interprets the traces and outputs a summary in an
user-friendly way.  The program is called @code{mtrace} (it is in fact a
Perl script) and it takes one or two arguments.  In any case the name of
the file with the trace output must be specified.  If an optional
argument precedes the name of the trace file this must be the name of
the program which generated the trace.

@example
drepper$ mtrace tst-mtrace log
No memory leaks.
@end example

In this case the program @code{tst-mtrace} was run and it produced a
trace file @file{log}.  The message printed by @code{mtrace} shows there
are no problems with the code, all allocated memory was freed
afterwards.

If we call @code{mtrace} on the example trace given above we would get a
different outout:

@example
drepper$ mtrace errlog
- 0x08064cc8 Free 2 was never alloc'd 0x8048209
- 0x08064ce0 Free 3 was never alloc'd 0x8048209
- 0x08064cf8 Free 4 was never alloc'd 0x8048209

Memory not freed:
-----------------
   Address     Size     Caller
0x08064c48     0x14  at 0x80481eb
0x08064c60     0x14  at 0x80481eb
0x08064c78     0x14  at 0x80481eb
0x08064c90     0x14  at 0x80481eb
@end example

We have called @code{mtrace} with only one argument and so the script
has no chance to find out what is meant with the addresses given in the
trace.  We can do better:

@example
drepper$ mtrace tst errlog
- 0x08064cc8 Free 2 was never alloc'd /home/drepper/tst.c:39
- 0x08064ce0 Free 3 was never alloc'd /home/drepper/tst.c:39
- 0x08064cf8 Free 4 was never alloc'd /home/drepper/tst.c:39

Memory not freed:
-----------------
   Address     Size     Caller
0x08064c48     0x14  at /home/drepper/tst.c:33
0x08064c60     0x14  at /home/drepper/tst.c:33
0x08064c78     0x14  at /home/drepper/tst.c:33
0x08064c90     0x14  at /home/drepper/tst.c:33
@end example

Suddenly the output makes much more sense and the user can see
immediately where the function calls causing the trouble can be found.

Interpreting this output is not complicated.  There are at most two
different situations being detected.  First, @code{free} was called for
pointers which were never returned by one of the allocation functions.
This is usually a very bad problem and what this looks like is shown in
the first three lines of the output.  Situations like this are quite
rare and if they appear they show up very drastically: the program
normally crashes.

The other situation which is much harder to detect are memory leaks.  As
you can see in the output the @code{mtrace} function collects all this
information and so can say that the program calls an allocation function
from line 33 in the source file @file{/home/drepper/tst-mtrace.c} four
times without freeing this memory before the program terminates.
Whether this is a real problem remains to be investigated.

@node Obstacks
@section Obstacks
@cindex obstacks

An @dfn{obstack} is a pool of memory containing a stack of objects.  You
can create any number of separate obstacks, and then allocate objects in
specified obstacks.  Within each obstack, the last object allocated must
always be the first one freed, but distinct obstacks are independent of
each other.

Aside from this one constraint of order of freeing, obstacks are totally
general: an obstack can contain any number of objects of any size.  They
are implemented with macros, so allocation is usually very fast as long as
the objects are usually small.  And the only space overhead per object is
the padding needed to start each object on a suitable boundary.

@menu
* Creating Obstacks::		How to declare an obstack in your program.
* Preparing for Obstacks::	Preparations needed before you can
				 use obstacks.
* Allocation in an Obstack::    Allocating objects in an obstack.
* Freeing Obstack Objects::     Freeing objects in an obstack.
* Obstack Functions::		The obstack functions are both
				 functions and macros.
* Growing Objects::             Making an object bigger by stages.
* Extra Fast Growing::		Extra-high-efficiency (though more
				 complicated) growing objects.
* Status of an Obstack::        Inquiries about the status of an obstack.
* Obstacks Data Alignment::     Controlling alignment of objects in obstacks.
* Obstack Chunks::              How obstacks obtain and release chunks;
				 efficiency considerations.
* Summary of Obstacks::
@end menu

@node Creating Obstacks
@subsection Creating Obstacks

The utilities for manipulating obstacks are declared in the header
file @file{obstack.h}.
@pindex obstack.h

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftp {Data Type} {struct obstack}
An obstack is represented by a data structure of type @code{struct
obstack}.  This structure has a small fixed size; it records the status
of the obstack and how to find the space in which objects are allocated.
It does not contain any of the objects themselves.  You should not try
to access the contents of the structure directly; use only the functions
described in this chapter.
@end deftp

You can declare variables of type @code{struct obstack} and use them as
obstacks, or you can allocate obstacks dynamically like any other kind
of object.  Dynamic allocation of obstacks allows your program to have a
variable number of different stacks.  (You can even allocate an
obstack structure in another obstack, but this is rarely useful.)

All the functions that work with obstacks require you to specify which
obstack to use.  You do this with a pointer of type @code{struct obstack
*}.  In the following, we often say ``an obstack'' when strictly
speaking the object at hand is such a pointer.

The objects in the obstack are packed into large blocks called
@dfn{chunks}.  The @code{struct obstack} structure points to a chain of
the chunks currently in use.

The obstack library obtains a new chunk whenever you allocate an object
that won't fit in the previous chunk.  Since the obstack library manages
chunks automatically, you don't need to pay much attention to them, but
you do need to supply a function which the obstack library should use to
get a chunk.  Usually you supply a function which uses @code{malloc}
directly or indirectly.  You must also supply a function to free a chunk.
These matters are described in the following section.

@node Preparing for Obstacks
@subsection Preparing for Using Obstacks

Each source file in which you plan to use the obstack functions
must include the header file @file{obstack.h}, like this:

@smallexample
#include <obstack.h>
@end smallexample

@findex obstack_chunk_alloc
@findex obstack_chunk_free
Also, if the source file uses the macro @code{obstack_init}, it must
declare or define two functions or macros that will be called by the
obstack library.  One, @code{obstack_chunk_alloc}, is used to allocate
the chunks of memory into which objects are packed.  The other,
@code{obstack_chunk_free}, is used to return chunks when the objects in
them are freed.  These macros should appear before any use of obstacks
in the source file.

Usually these are defined to use @code{malloc} via the intermediary
@code{xmalloc} (@pxref{Unconstrained Allocation}).  This is done with
the following pair of macro definitions:

@smallexample
#define obstack_chunk_alloc xmalloc
#define obstack_chunk_free free
@end smallexample

@noindent
Though the storage you get using obstacks really comes from @code{malloc},
using obstacks is faster because @code{malloc} is called less often, for
larger blocks of memory.  @xref{Obstack Chunks}, for full details.

At run time, before the program can use a @code{struct obstack} object
as an obstack, it must initialize the obstack by calling
@code{obstack_init}.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun int obstack_init (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Initialize obstack @var{obstack-ptr} for allocation of objects.  This
function calls the obstack's @code{obstack_chunk_alloc} function.  If
allocation of memory fails, the function pointed to by
@code{obstack_alloc_failed_handler} is called.  The @code{obstack_init}
function always returns 1 (Compatibility notice: Former versions of
obstack returned 0 if allocation failed).
@end deftypefun

Here are two examples of how to allocate the space for an obstack and
initialize it.  First, an obstack that is a static variable:

@smallexample
static struct obstack myobstack;
@dots{}
obstack_init (&myobstack);
@end smallexample

@noindent
Second, an obstack that is itself dynamically allocated:

@smallexample
struct obstack *myobstack_ptr
  = (struct obstack *) xmalloc (sizeof (struct obstack));

obstack_init (myobstack_ptr);
@end smallexample

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@defvar obstack_alloc_failed_handler
The value of this variable is a pointer to a function that
@code{obstack} uses when @code{obstack_chunk_alloc} fails to allocate
memory.  The default action is to print a message and abort.
You should supply a function that either calls @code{exit}
(@pxref{Program Termination}) or @code{longjmp} (@pxref{Non-Local
Exits}) and doesn't return.

@smallexample
void my_obstack_alloc_failed (void)
@dots{}
obstack_alloc_failed_handler = &my_obstack_alloc_failed;
@end smallexample

@end defvar

@node Allocation in an Obstack
@subsection Allocation in an Obstack
@cindex allocation (obstacks)

The most direct way to allocate an object in an obstack is with
@code{obstack_alloc}, which is invoked almost like @code{malloc}.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_alloc (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
This allocates an uninitialized block of @var{size} bytes in an obstack
and returns its address.  Here @var{obstack-ptr} specifies which obstack
to allocate the block in; it is the address of the @code{struct obstack}
object which represents the obstack.  Each obstack function or macro
requires you to specify an @var{obstack-ptr} as the first argument.

This function calls the obstack's @code{obstack_chunk_alloc} function if
it needs to allocate a new chunk of memory; it calls
@code{obstack_alloc_failed_handler} if allocation of memory by
@code{obstack_chunk_alloc} failed.
@end deftypefun

For example, here is a function that allocates a copy of a string @var{str}
in a specific obstack, which is in the variable @code{string_obstack}:

@smallexample
struct obstack string_obstack;

char *
copystring (char *string)
@{
  size_t len = strlen (string) + 1;
  char *s = (char *) obstack_alloc (&string_obstack, len);
  memcpy (s, string, len);
  return s;
@}
@end smallexample

To allocate a block with specified contents, use the function
@code{obstack_copy}, declared like this:

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_copy (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
This allocates a block and initializes it by copying @var{size}
bytes of data starting at @var{address}.  It calls
@code{obstack_alloc_failed_handler} if allocation of memory by
@code{obstack_chunk_alloc} failed.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_copy0 (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
Like @code{obstack_copy}, but appends an extra byte containing a null
character.  This extra byte is not counted in the argument @var{size}.
@end deftypefun

The @code{obstack_copy0} function is convenient for copying a sequence
of characters into an obstack as a null-terminated string.  Here is an
example of its use:

@smallexample
char *
obstack_savestring (char *addr, int size)
@{
  return obstack_copy0 (&myobstack, addr, size);
@}
@end smallexample

@noindent
Contrast this with the previous example of @code{savestring} using
@code{malloc} (@pxref{Basic Allocation}).

@node Freeing Obstack Objects
@subsection Freeing Objects in an Obstack
@cindex freeing (obstacks)

To free an object allocated in an obstack, use the function
@code{obstack_free}.  Since the obstack is a stack of objects, freeing
one object automatically frees all other objects allocated more recently
in the same obstack.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_free (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{object})
If @var{object} is a null pointer, everything allocated in the obstack
is freed.  Otherwise, @var{object} must be the address of an object
allocated in the obstack.  Then @var{object} is freed, along with
everything allocated in @var{obstack} since @var{object}.
@end deftypefun

Note that if @var{object} is a null pointer, the result is an
uninitialized obstack.  To free all storage in an obstack but leave it
valid for further allocation, call @code{obstack_free} with the address
of the first object allocated on the obstack:

@smallexample
obstack_free (obstack_ptr, first_object_allocated_ptr);
@end smallexample

Recall that the objects in an obstack are grouped into chunks.  When all
the objects in a chunk become free, the obstack library automatically
frees the chunk (@pxref{Preparing for Obstacks}).  Then other
obstacks, or non-obstack allocation, can reuse the space of the chunk.

@node Obstack Functions
@subsection Obstack Functions and Macros
@cindex macros

The interfaces for using obstacks may be defined either as functions or
as macros, depending on the compiler.  The obstack facility works with
all C compilers, including both @w{ISO C} and traditional C, but there are
precautions you must take if you plan to use compilers other than GNU C.

If you are using an old-fashioned @w{non-ISO C} compiler, all the obstack
``functions'' are actually defined only as macros.  You can call these
macros like functions, but you cannot use them in any other way (for
example, you cannot take their address).

Calling the macros requires a special precaution: namely, the first
operand (the obstack pointer) may not contain any side effects, because
it may be computed more than once.  For example, if you write this:

@smallexample
obstack_alloc (get_obstack (), 4);
@end smallexample

@noindent
you will find that @code{get_obstack} may be called several times.
If you use @code{*obstack_list_ptr++} as the obstack pointer argument,
you will get very strange results since the incrementation may occur
several times.

In @w{ISO C}, each function has both a macro definition and a function
definition.  The function definition is used if you take the address of the
function without calling it.  An ordinary call uses the macro definition by
default, but you can request the function definition instead by writing the
function name in parentheses, as shown here:

@smallexample
char *x;
void *(*funcp) ();
/* @r{Use the macro}.  */
x = (char *) obstack_alloc (obptr, size);
/* @r{Call the function}.  */
x = (char *) (obstack_alloc) (obptr, size);
/* @r{Take the address of the function}.  */
funcp = obstack_alloc;
@end smallexample

@noindent
This is the same situation that exists in @w{ISO C} for the standard library
functions.  @xref{Macro Definitions}.

@strong{Warning:} When you do use the macros, you must observe the
precaution of avoiding side effects in the first operand, even in @w{ISO C}.

If you use the GNU C compiler, this precaution is not necessary, because
various language extensions in GNU C permit defining the macros so as to
compute each argument only once.

@node Growing Objects
@subsection Growing Objects
@cindex growing objects (in obstacks)
@cindex changing the size of a block (obstacks)

Because storage in obstack chunks is used sequentially, it is possible to
build up an object step by step, adding one or more bytes at a time to the
end of the object.  With this technique, you do not need to know how much
data you will put in the object until you come to the end of it.  We call
this the technique of @dfn{growing objects}.  The special functions
for adding data to the growing object are described in this section.

You don't need to do anything special when you start to grow an object.
Using one of the functions to add data to the object automatically
starts it.  However, it is necessary to say explicitly when the object is
finished.  This is done with the function @code{obstack_finish}.

The actual address of the object thus built up is not known until the
object is finished.  Until then, it always remains possible that you will
add so much data that the object must be copied into a new chunk.

While the obstack is in use for a growing object, you cannot use it for
ordinary allocation of another object.  If you try to do so, the space
already added to the growing object will become part of the other object.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_blank (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
The most basic function for adding to a growing object is
@code{obstack_blank}, which adds space without initializing it.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{data}, int @var{size})
To add a block of initialized space, use @code{obstack_grow}, which is
the growing-object analogue of @code{obstack_copy}.  It adds @var{size}
bytes of data to the growing object, copying the contents from
@var{data}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_grow0 (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{data}, int @var{size})
This is the growing-object analogue of @code{obstack_copy0}.  It adds
@var{size} bytes copied from @var{data}, followed by an additional null
character.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_1grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, char @var{c})
To add one character at a time, use the function @code{obstack_1grow}.
It adds a single byte containing @var{c} to the growing object.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_ptr_grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{data})
Adding the value of a pointer one can use the function
@code{obstack_ptr_grow}.  It adds @code{sizeof (void *)} bytes
containing the value of @var{data}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_int_grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{data})
A single value of type @code{int} can be added by using the
@code{obstack_int_grow} function.  It adds @code{sizeof (int)} bytes to
the growing object and initializes them with the value of @var{data}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_finish (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
When you are finished growing the object, use the function
@code{obstack_finish} to close it off and return its final address.

Once you have finished the object, the obstack is available for ordinary
allocation or for growing another object.

This function can return a null pointer under the same conditions as
@code{obstack_alloc} (@pxref{Allocation in an Obstack}).
@end deftypefun

When you build an object by growing it, you will probably need to know
afterward how long it became.  You need not keep track of this as you grow
the object, because you can find out the length from the obstack just
before finishing the object with the function @code{obstack_object_size},
declared as follows:

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun int obstack_object_size (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This function returns the current size of the growing object, in bytes.
Remember to call this function @emph{before} finishing the object.
After it is finished, @code{obstack_object_size} will return zero.
@end deftypefun

If you have started growing an object and wish to cancel it, you should
finish it and then free it, like this:

@smallexample
obstack_free (obstack_ptr, obstack_finish (obstack_ptr));
@end smallexample

@noindent
This has no effect if no object was growing.

@cindex shrinking objects
You can use @code{obstack_blank} with a negative size argument to make
the current object smaller.  Just don't try to shrink it beyond zero
length---there's no telling what will happen if you do that.

@node Extra Fast Growing
@subsection Extra Fast Growing Objects
@cindex efficiency and obstacks

The usual functions for growing objects incur overhead for checking
whether there is room for the new growth in the current chunk.  If you
are frequently constructing objects in small steps of growth, this
overhead can be significant.

You can reduce the overhead by using special ``fast growth''
functions that grow the object without checking.  In order to have a
robust program, you must do the checking yourself.  If you do this checking
in the simplest way each time you are about to add data to the object, you
have not saved anything, because that is what the ordinary growth
functions do.  But if you can arrange to check less often, or check
more efficiently, then you make the program faster.

The function @code{obstack_room} returns the amount of room available
in the current chunk.  It is declared as follows:

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun int obstack_room (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This returns the number of bytes that can be added safely to the current
growing object (or to an object about to be started) in obstack
@var{obstack} using the fast growth functions.
@end deftypefun

While you know there is room, you can use these fast growth functions
for adding data to a growing object:

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_1grow_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, char @var{c})
The function @code{obstack_1grow_fast} adds one byte containing the
character @var{c} to the growing object in obstack @var{obstack-ptr}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_ptr_grow_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{data})
The function @code{obstack_ptr_grow_fast} adds @code{sizeof (void *)}
bytes containing the value of @var{data} to the growing object in
obstack @var{obstack-ptr}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_int_grow_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{data})
The function @code{obstack_int_grow_fast} adds @code{sizeof (int)} bytes
containing the value of @var{data} to the growing object in obstack
@var{obstack-ptr}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun void obstack_blank_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
The function @code{obstack_blank_fast} adds @var{size} bytes to the
growing object in obstack @var{obstack-ptr} without initializing them.
@end deftypefun

When you check for space using @code{obstack_room} and there is not
enough room for what you want to add, the fast growth functions
are not safe.  In this case, simply use the corresponding ordinary
growth function instead.  Very soon this will copy the object to a
new chunk; then there will be lots of room available again.

So, each time you use an ordinary growth function, check afterward for
sufficient space using @code{obstack_room}.  Once the object is copied
to a new chunk, there will be plenty of space again, so the program will
start using the fast growth functions again.

Here is an example:

@smallexample
@group
void
add_string (struct obstack *obstack, const char *ptr, int len)
@{
  while (len > 0)
    @{
      int room = obstack_room (obstack);
      if (room == 0)
        @{
          /* @r{Not enough room. Add one character slowly,}
             @r{which may copy to a new chunk and make room.}  */
          obstack_1grow (obstack, *ptr++);
          len--;
        @}
      else
        @{
          if (room > len)
            room = len;
          /* @r{Add fast as much as we have room for.} */
          len -= room;
          while (room-- > 0)
            obstack_1grow_fast (obstack, *ptr++);
        @}
    @}
@}
@end group
@end smallexample

@node Status of an Obstack
@subsection Status of an Obstack
@cindex obstack status
@cindex status of obstack

Here are functions that provide information on the current status of
allocation in an obstack.  You can use them to learn about an object while
still growing it.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_base (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This function returns the tentative address of the beginning of the
currently growing object in @var{obstack-ptr}.  If you finish the object
immediately, it will have that address.  If you make it larger first, it
may outgrow the current chunk---then its address will change!

If no object is growing, this value says where the next object you
allocate will start (once again assuming it fits in the current
chunk).
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun {void *} obstack_next_free (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This function returns the address of the first free byte in the current
chunk of obstack @var{obstack-ptr}.  This is the end of the currently
growing object.  If no object is growing, @code{obstack_next_free}
returns the same value as @code{obstack_base}.
@end deftypefun

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefun int obstack_object_size (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This function returns the size in bytes of the currently growing object.
This is equivalent to

@smallexample
obstack_next_free (@var{obstack-ptr}) - obstack_base (@var{obstack-ptr})
@end smallexample
@end deftypefun

@node Obstacks Data Alignment
@subsection Alignment of Data in Obstacks
@cindex alignment (in obstacks)

Each obstack has an @dfn{alignment boundary}; each object allocated in
the obstack automatically starts on an address that is a multiple of the
specified boundary.  By default, this boundary is 4 bytes.

To access an obstack's alignment boundary, use the macro
@code{obstack_alignment_mask}, whose function prototype looks like
this:

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefn Macro int obstack_alignment_mask (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
The value is a bit mask; a bit that is 1 indicates that the corresponding
bit in the address of an object should be 0.  The mask value should be one
less than a power of 2; the effect is that all object addresses are
multiples of that power of 2.  The default value of the mask is 3, so that
addresses are multiples of 4.  A mask value of 0 means an object can start
on any multiple of 1 (that is, no alignment is required).

The expansion of the macro @code{obstack_alignment_mask} is an lvalue,
so you can alter the mask by assignment.  For example, this statement:

@smallexample
obstack_alignment_mask (obstack_ptr) = 0;
@end smallexample

@noindent
has the effect of turning off alignment processing in the specified obstack.
@end deftypefn

Note that a change in alignment mask does not take effect until
@emph{after} the next time an object is allocated or finished in the
obstack.  If you are not growing an object, you can make the new
alignment mask take effect immediately by calling @code{obstack_finish}.
This will finish a zero-length object and then do proper alignment for
the next object.

@node Obstack Chunks
@subsection Obstack Chunks
@cindex efficiency of chunks
@cindex chunks

Obstacks work by allocating space for themselves in large chunks, and
then parceling out space in the chunks to satisfy your requests.  Chunks
are normally 4096 bytes long unless you specify a different chunk size.
The chunk size includes 8 bytes of overhead that are not actually used
for storing objects.  Regardless of the specified size, longer chunks
will be allocated when necessary for long objects.

The obstack library allocates chunks by calling the function
@code{obstack_chunk_alloc}, which you must define.  When a chunk is no
longer needed because you have freed all the objects in it, the obstack
library frees the chunk by calling @code{obstack_chunk_free}, which you
must also define.

These two must be defined (as macros) or declared (as functions) in each
source file that uses @code{obstack_init} (@pxref{Creating Obstacks}).
Most often they are defined as macros like this:

@smallexample
#define obstack_chunk_alloc malloc
#define obstack_chunk_free free
@end smallexample

Note that these are simple macros (no arguments).  Macro definitions with
arguments will not work!  It is necessary that @code{obstack_chunk_alloc}
or @code{obstack_chunk_free}, alone, expand into a function name if it is
not itself a function name.

If you allocate chunks with @code{malloc}, the chunk size should be a
power of 2.  The default chunk size, 4096, was chosen because it is long
enough to satisfy many typical requests on the obstack yet short enough
not to waste too much memory in the portion of the last chunk not yet used.

@comment obstack.h
@comment GNU
@deftypefn Macro int obstack_chunk_size (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
This returns the chunk size of the given obstack.
@end deftypefn

Since this macro expands to an lvalue, you can specify a new chunk size by
assigning it a new value.  Doing so does not affect the chunks already
allocated, but will change the size of chunks allocated for that particular
obstack in the future.  It is unlikely to be useful to make the chunk size
smaller, but making it larger might improve efficiency if you are
allocating many objects whose size is comparable to the chunk size.  Here
is how to do so cleanly:

@smallexample
if (obstack_chunk_size (obstack_ptr) < @var{new-chunk-size})
  obstack_chunk_size (obstack_ptr) = @var{new-chunk-size};
@end smallexample

@node Summary of Obstacks
@subsection Summary of Obstack Functions

Here is a summary of all the functions associated with obstacks.  Each
takes the address of an obstack (@code{struct obstack *}) as its first
argument.

@table @code
@item void obstack_init (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Initialize use of an obstack.  @xref{Creating Obstacks}.

@item void *obstack_alloc (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
Allocate an object of @var{size} uninitialized bytes.
@xref{Allocation in an Obstack}.

@item void *obstack_copy (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
Allocate an object of @var{size} bytes, with contents copied from
@var{address}.  @xref{Allocation in an Obstack}.

@item void *obstack_copy0 (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
Allocate an object of @var{size}+1 bytes, with @var{size} of them copied
from @var{address}, followed by a null character at the end.
@xref{Allocation in an Obstack}.

@item void obstack_free (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{object})
Free @var{object} (and everything allocated in the specified obstack
more recently than @var{object}).  @xref{Freeing Obstack Objects}.

@item void obstack_blank (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
Add @var{size} uninitialized bytes to a growing object.
@xref{Growing Objects}.

@item void obstack_grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
Add @var{size} bytes, copied from @var{address}, to a growing object.
@xref{Growing Objects}.

@item void obstack_grow0 (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, void *@var{address}, int @var{size})
Add @var{size} bytes, copied from @var{address}, to a growing object,
and then add another byte containing a null character.  @xref{Growing
Objects}.

@item void obstack_1grow (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, char @var{data-char})
Add one byte containing @var{data-char} to a growing object.
@xref{Growing Objects}.

@item void *obstack_finish (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Finalize the object that is growing and return its permanent address.
@xref{Growing Objects}.

@item int obstack_object_size (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Get the current size of the currently growing object.  @xref{Growing
Objects}.

@item void obstack_blank_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, int @var{size})
Add @var{size} uninitialized bytes to a growing object without checking
that there is enough room.  @xref{Extra Fast Growing}.

@item void obstack_1grow_fast (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr}, char @var{data-char})
Add one byte containing @var{data-char} to a growing object without
checking that there is enough room.  @xref{Extra Fast Growing}.

@item int obstack_room (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Get the amount of room now available for growing the current object.
@xref{Extra Fast Growing}.

@item int obstack_alignment_mask (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
The mask used for aligning the beginning of an object.  This is an
lvalue.  @xref{Obstacks Data Alignment}.

@item int obstack_chunk_size (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
The size for allocating chunks.  This is an lvalue.  @xref{Obstack Chunks}.

@item void *obstack_base (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Tentative starting address of the currently growing object.
@xref{Status of an Obstack}.

@item void *obstack_next_free (struct obstack *@var{obstack-ptr})
Address just after the end of the currently growing object.
@xref{Status of an Obstack}.
@end table

@node Variable Size Automatic
@section Automatic Storage with Variable Size
@cindex automatic freeing
@cindex @code{alloca} function
@cindex automatic storage with variable size

The function @code{alloca} supports a kind of half-dynamic allocation in
which blocks are allocated dynamically but freed automatically.

Allocating a block with @code{alloca} is an explicit action; you can
allocate as many blocks as you wish, and compute the size at run time.  But
all the blocks are freed when you exit the function that @code{alloca} was
called from, just as if they were automatic variables declared in that
function.  There is no way to free the space explicitly.

The prototype for @code{alloca} is in @file{stdlib.h}.  This function is
a BSD extension.
@pindex stdlib.h

@comment stdlib.h
@comment GNU, BSD
@deftypefun {void *} alloca (size_t @var{size});
The return value of @code{alloca} is the address of a block of @var{size}
bytes of storage, allocated in the stack frame of the calling function.
@end deftypefun

Do not use @code{alloca} inside the arguments of a function call---you
will get unpredictable results, because the stack space for the
@code{alloca} would appear on the stack in the middle of the space for
the function arguments.  An example of what to avoid is @code{foo (x,
alloca (4), y)}.
@c This might get fixed in future versions of GCC, but that won't make
@c it safe with compilers generally.

@menu
* Alloca Example::              Example of using @code{alloca}.
* Advantages of Alloca::        Reasons to use @code{alloca}.
* Disadvantages of Alloca::     Reasons to avoid @code{alloca}.
* GNU C Variable-Size Arrays::  Only in GNU C, here is an alternative
				 method of allocating dynamically and
				 freeing automatically.
@end menu

@node Alloca Example
@subsection @code{alloca} Example

As an example of the use of @code{alloca}, here is a function that opens
a file name made from concatenating two argument strings, and returns a
file descriptor or minus one signifying failure:

@smallexample
int
open2 (char *str1, char *str2, int flags, int mode)
@{
  char *name = (char *) alloca (strlen (str1) + strlen (str2) + 1);
  stpcpy (stpcpy (name, str1), str2);
  return open (name, flags, mode);
@}
@end smallexample

@noindent
Here is how you would get the same results with @code{malloc} and
@code{free}:

@smallexample
int
open2 (char *str1, char *str2, int flags, int mode)
@{
  char *name = (char *) malloc (strlen (str1) + strlen (str2) + 1);
  int desc;
  if (name == 0)
    fatal ("virtual memory exceeded");
  stpcpy (stpcpy (name, str1), str2);
  desc = open (name, flags, mode);
  free (name);
  return desc;
@}
@end smallexample

As you can see, it is simpler with @code{alloca}.  But @code{alloca} has
other, more important advantages, and some disadvantages.

@node Advantages of Alloca
@subsection Advantages of @code{alloca}

Here are the reasons why @code{alloca} may be preferable to @code{malloc}:

@itemize @bullet
@item
Using @code{alloca} wastes very little space and is very fast.  (It is
open-coded by the GNU C compiler.)

@item
Since @code{alloca} does not have separate pools for different sizes of
block, space used for any size block can be reused for any other size.
@code{alloca} does not cause storage fragmentation.

@item
@cindex longjmp
Nonlocal exits done with @code{longjmp} (@pxref{Non-Local Exits})
automatically free the space allocated with @code{alloca} when they exit
through the function that called @code{alloca}.  This is the most
important reason to use @code{alloca}.

To illustrate this, suppose you have a function
@code{open_or_report_error} which returns a descriptor, like
@code{open}, if it succeeds, but does not return to its caller if it
fails.  If the file cannot be opened, it prints an error message and
jumps out to the command level of your program using @code{longjmp}.
Let's change @code{open2} (@pxref{Alloca Example}) to use this
subroutine:@refill

@smallexample
int
open2 (char *str1, char *str2, int flags, int mode)
@{
  char *name = (char *) alloca (strlen (str1) + strlen (str2) + 1);
  stpcpy (stpcpy (name, str1), str2);
  return open_or_report_error (name, flags, mode);
@}
@end smallexample

@noindent
Because of the way @code{alloca} works, the storage it allocates is
freed even when an error occurs, with no special effort required.

By contrast, the previous definition of @code{open2} (which uses
@code{malloc} and @code{free}) would develop a storage leak if it were
changed in this way.  Even if you are willing to make more changes to
fix it, there is no easy way to do so.
@end itemize

@node Disadvantages of Alloca
@subsection Disadvantages of @code{alloca}

@cindex @code{alloca} disadvantages
@cindex disadvantages of @code{alloca}
These are the disadvantages of @code{alloca} in comparison with
@code{malloc}:

@itemize @bullet
@item
If you try to allocate more storage than the machine can provide, you
don't get a clean error message.  Instead you get a fatal signal like
the one you would get from an infinite recursion; probably a
segmentation violation (@pxref{Program Error Signals}).

@item
Some non-GNU systems fail to support @code{alloca}, so it is less
portable.  However, a slower emulation of @code{alloca} written in C
is available for use on systems with this deficiency.
@end itemize

@node GNU C Variable-Size Arrays
@subsection GNU C Variable-Size Arrays
@cindex variable-sized arrays

In GNU C, you can replace most uses of @code{alloca} with an array of
variable size.  Here is how @code{open2} would look then:

@smallexample
int open2 (char *str1, char *str2, int flags, int mode)
@{
  char name[strlen (str1) + strlen (str2) + 1];
  stpcpy (stpcpy (name, str1), str2);
  return open (name, flags, mode);
@}
@end smallexample

But @code{alloca} is not always equivalent to a variable-sized array, for
several reasons:

@itemize @bullet
@item
A variable size array's space is freed at the end of the scope of the
name of the array.  The space allocated with @code{alloca}
remains until the end of the function.

@item
It is possible to use @code{alloca} within a loop, allocating an
additional block on each iteration.  This is impossible with
variable-sized arrays.
@end itemize

@strong{Note:} If you mix use of @code{alloca} and variable-sized arrays
within one function, exiting a scope in which a variable-sized array was
declared frees all blocks allocated with @code{alloca} during the
execution of that scope.

@ignore
@c This was never actually implemented.  -zw
@node Relocating Allocator
@section Relocating Allocator

@cindex relocating memory allocator
Any system of dynamic memory allocation has overhead: the amount of
space it uses is more than the amount the program asks for.  The
@dfn{relocating memory allocator} achieves very low overhead by moving
blocks in memory as necessary, on its own initiative.

@c @menu
@c * Relocator Concepts::		How to understand relocating allocation.
@c * Using Relocator::		Functions for relocating allocation.
@c @end menu

@node Relocator Concepts
@subsection Concepts of Relocating Allocation

@ifinfo
The @dfn{relocating memory allocator} achieves very low overhead by
moving blocks in memory as necessary, on its own initiative.
@end ifinfo

When you allocate a block with @code{malloc}, the address of the block
never changes unless you use @code{realloc} to change its size.  Thus,
you can safely store the address in various places, temporarily or
permanently, as you like.  This is not safe when you use the relocating
memory allocator, because any and all relocatable blocks can move
whenever you allocate memory in any fashion.  Even calling @code{malloc}
or @code{realloc} can move the relocatable blocks.

@cindex handle
For each relocatable block, you must make a @dfn{handle}---a pointer
object in memory, designated to store the address of that block.  The
relocating allocator knows where each block's handle is, and updates the
address stored there whenever it moves the block, so that the handle
always points to the block.  Each time you access the contents of the
block, you should fetch its address anew from the handle.

To call any of the relocating allocator functions from a signal handler
is almost certainly incorrect, because the signal could happen at any
time and relocate all the blocks.  The only way to make this safe is to
block the signal around any access to the contents of any relocatable
block---not a convenient mode of operation.  @xref{Nonreentrancy}.

@node Using Relocator
@subsection Allocating and Freeing Relocatable Blocks

@pindex malloc.h
In the descriptions below, @var{handleptr} designates the address of the
handle.  All the functions are declared in @file{malloc.h}; all are GNU
extensions.

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@c @deftypefun {void *} r_alloc (void **@var{handleptr}, size_t @var{size})
This function allocates a relocatable block of size @var{size}.  It
stores the block's address in @code{*@var{handleptr}} and returns
a non-null pointer to indicate success.

If @code{r_alloc} can't get the space needed, it stores a null pointer
in @code{*@var{handleptr}}, and returns a null pointer.
@end deftypefun

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@c @deftypefun void r_alloc_free (void **@var{handleptr})
This function is the way to free a relocatable block.  It frees the
block that @code{*@var{handleptr}} points to, and stores a null pointer
in @code{*@var{handleptr}} to show it doesn't point to an allocated
block any more.
@end deftypefun

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@c @deftypefun {void *} r_re_alloc (void **@var{handleptr}, size_t @var{size})
The function @code{r_re_alloc} adjusts the size of the block that
@code{*@var{handleptr}} points to, making it @var{size} bytes long.  It
stores the address of the resized block in @code{*@var{handleptr}} and
returns a non-null pointer to indicate success.

If enough memory is not available, this function returns a null pointer
and does not modify @code{*@var{handleptr}}.
@end deftypefun
@end ignore

@ignore
@comment No longer available...

@comment @node Memory Warnings
@comment @section Memory Usage Warnings
@comment @cindex memory usage warnings
@comment @cindex warnings of memory almost full

@pindex malloc.c
You can ask for warnings as the program approaches running out of memory
space, by calling @code{memory_warnings}.  This tells @code{malloc} to
check memory usage every time it asks for more memory from the operating
system.  This is a GNU extension declared in @file{malloc.h}.

@comment malloc.h
@comment GNU
@comment @deftypefun void memory_warnings (void *@var{start}, void (*@var{warn-func}) (const char *))
Call this function to request warnings for nearing exhaustion of virtual
memory.

The argument @var{start} says where data space begins, in memory.  The
allocator compares this against the last address used and against the
limit of data space, to determine the fraction of available memory in
use.  If you supply zero for @var{start}, then a default value is used
which is right in most circumstances.

For @var{warn-func}, supply a function that @code{malloc} can call to
warn you.  It is called with a string (a warning message) as argument.
Normally it ought to display the string for the user to read.
@end deftypefun

The warnings come when memory becomes 75% full, when it becomes 85%
full, and when it becomes 95% full.  Above 95% you get another warning
each time memory usage increases.

@end ignore