"CArray" (Compiled Type)

"CArray"::[type]

represents an array type compatible with C, containing elements of the specified type.

Details

"CArray"::[t] is equivalent to t* in C.
Objects with type "CArray" are not automatically memory managed, and must be manually freed.
"CArray" can be used when interfacing with external libraries that are compatible with C.
Internally, objects with type "CArray" are represented with pointers.

Constructors

Unless wrapped with "Managed", C arrays constructed with CreateTypeInstance are not automatically memory managed, and must be manually freed with DeleteObject. »
CreateTypeInstance["CArray"::[type],len] constructs a C array with length len.
CreateTypeInstance["CArray"::[type],carr,len] constructs a copy of the C array carr with length len.
CreateTypeInstance["CArray"::[type],array] constructs a C array containing elements of the given array. Supported array types include "ListVector", "NumericArray" and "PackedArray".
CreateTypeInstance["Managed"::["CArray"::[type]],…] constructs a memory-managed C array.

Properties

Information[carr,"ElementType"] for carr of type "CArray"::[type] gives type .
FromRawPointer[carr,offset] indexes the C array carr. Indexes start with 0.

Conversions

Arrays

Array types can be Cast to managed C arrays. Supported array types include "ListVector", "NumericArray" and "PackedArray".

"RawPointer" and "OpaqueRawPointer"

Cast can be used to bitcast C arrays to and from raw pointers.

Runtime Errors

Indexing is an unsafe operation, and indexing past the end of a C array can lead to crashes.

Examples

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Basic Examples (2)

Create a memory-managed C array, and then access one of its elements:

Represent a function from an external library that takes a C array as an argument:

Compile a program that creates a C array and calls the function:

Possible Issues (1)

C arrays created outside of a "Managed" object are not automatically memory managed, and must be freed manually. Compile a function that creates unmanaged C arrays:

The function leaks memory:

Use DeleteObject to manually free the C arrays:

The resulting function does not leak memory:

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