[fpc-devel] Redefine FillChar() to use out parameter instead

[Florian Klaempfl]

Vinzent Höfler schrieb:
> Florian Klaempfl <florian at freepascal.org>:
> 
>> Vinzent Höfler schrieb:
>>> Florian Klaempfl <florian at freepascal.org>:
>>>
>>>> A VAROUT parameter could have the same semantics as VAR except that the
>>>> compiler does not expect that it is needed that it is initialized. But
>>>> be warned: with such a parameter type you can easily create memory
>> leaks
>>>> with automated types like ansistrings.
>>> I don't understand the issue. 
>> Indeed, I noticed :)
> 
> Care to explain why the programmer can easily determine something which seems to be an unsolvable problem for the compiler, although both have exactly the same information?

Because a VAROUT parameter would be simply overwritten by the callee
even if it contains a valid automated type:

procedure p(varout v : ansistring);
begin
  v:='asdf';
end;


var
  s : string;
begin
  s:='asdf';
  s:=s+s;
  p(s); <-- memory leak, s+s is never freed
end;

OUT does prevent this because s is cleaned up before p is entered. OTOH,
OUT causes a crash if s is filled with garbage.