[fpc-pascal] Function to create a record ? <solved>

[Steve Litt]

Travis Siegel via fpc-pascal said on Sun, 4 Jun 2023 19:38:44 +0000

>
>On 6/4/2023 1:37 PM, Steve Litt via fpc-pascal wrote:
>> Henry Vermaak via fpc-pascal said on Fri, 2 Jun 2023 09:38:17 +0100
>>  
>>> On Fri, 2 Jun 2023 at 01:36, Steve Litt via fpc-pascal
>>> <fpc-pascal at lists.freepascal.org> wrote:  
>>>>          fillchar(junkvar, junkvar_size, 'b');
>>>>          person := modperson(person, 'Martin');
>>>>          person := modperson(person2, 'Maria');  
>>> Maybe a typo? (E.g. person2 := modperson(person2, 'Maria'))
>>>
>>> Henry  
>> Thanks Henry!
>>
>> You're right: Changing the second person := to person2 := did just
>> what I wanted it to do.
>>
>> Because returning a local array or string as a function return in C
>> leads to horrible intermittents due to the local going out of scope
>> and relinquishing the local's stack, which can then be overwritten,
>> I added a procedure, a function, and a main program statement which
>> each consumed two million bytes of local variables, and the person
>> and person2 didn't get overwritten. Very cool.
>>
>> When I increased the huge local vars to three million bytes, the
>> program segfaulted. I figure I just ran it out of stack, but until I
>> did, the huge local vars didn't trash the contents of person and
>> person2.
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>>
>> SteveT


>Depending on the compiler *not* to overwrite local variables is most 
>certainly the wrong way to go with this.  You really should create 
>either a global record/object, or use functions to pass around the 
>information you need.  Expecting the operating system to keep local 
>variables after the area goes out of scope is just begging for errors 
>later on when the compiler/os treatment of said areas changes.

Thanks Travis,

This is the info I was asking for. Yeah, passing the local as a
function return worked, but because of a horrible experience doing that
in C, I was suspicious and leery of actually using that technique.

I'll just use new and dispose.

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt 
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