[fpc-pascal] Empty record inside another record ?

[Skybuck Flying]

To me it seems like some kind of trick, to extend a record at runtime.

The empty record field, functions as a sort of offset/label/pointer if you 
will to the new fields that will will be extended to the record by simply 
allocating more memory then the size of the record.

Then this "label"/"field" can be used as a sort of offset, by typecasting it 
to some extension record type.

Could be pretty handy, quite impressive trick.

However, is it safe to use ?

I cannot find anything in the documentation about this ?

Seems to be an old trick as well.

Gonna copy this stuff and ask on free pascal compiler list, maybe they know 
something about this ;) I wonder if free pascal supports this trick as well 
;)

Bye,
  Skybuck.

"Skybuck Flying" <spam at hotmail.com> wrote in message 
news:83db1$47b60dc9$541983fa$8366 at cache6.tilbu1.nb.home.nl...
> Hello,
>
> What's going on here:
>
> type
> TsomeRecord = record
>  SomeField : integer;
>  SomeEmptyRecord : record end;
> end;
>
> How can SomeEmptyRecord be usefully used ?
>
> What is it ?
>
> SizeOf(TsomeRecord) returns 4, kinda weird ?!
>
> Bye,
>  Skybuck.
>
>