1Weak(3)                          OCaml library                         Weak(3)
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NAME

6       Weak - Arrays of weak pointers and hash sets of weak pointers.
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Module

9       Module   Weak
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Documentation

12       Module Weak
13        : sig end
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16       Arrays of weak pointers and hash sets of weak pointers.
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24   Low-level functions
25       type 'a t
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28       The type of arrays of weak pointers (weak arrays).  A weak pointer is a
29       value that the garbage collector may erase whenever the  value  is  not
30       used  any more (through normal pointers) by the program.  Note that fi‐
31       nalisation functions are run before the weak pointers are  erased,  be‐
32       cause  the  finalisation  functions can make values alive again (before
33       4.03 the finalisation functions were run after).
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35       A weak pointer is said to be full if it points to a value, empty if the
36       value was erased by the GC.
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38       Notes:
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40       -Integers are not allocated and cannot be stored in weak arrays.
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42       -Weak  arrays  cannot be marshaled using output_value nor the functions
43       of the Marshal module.
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48       val create : int -> 'a t
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51       Weak.create n returns a new weak array of length n .  All the  pointers
52       are initially empty.
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55       Raises  Invalid_argument  if  n  is  not  comprised  between  zero  and
56       Obj.Ephemeron.max_ephe_length (limits included).
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60       val length : 'a t -> int
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63       Weak.length ar returns the length (number of elements) of ar .
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67       val set : 'a t -> int -> 'a option -> unit
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70       Weak.set ar n (Some el) sets the n th cell of ar to be a (full) pointer
71       to el ; Weak.set ar n None sets the n th cell of ar to empty.
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74       Raises Invalid_argument if n is not in the range 0 to Weak.length a - 1
75       .
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79       val get : 'a t -> int -> 'a option
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82       Weak.get ar n returns None if the n th cell of  ar  is  empty,  Some  x
83       (where x is the value) if it is full.
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86       Raises Invalid_argument if n is not in the range 0 to Weak.length a - 1
87       .
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91       val get_copy : 'a t -> int -> 'a option
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94       Weak.get_copy ar n returns None if the n th cell of ar is empty, Some x
95       (where  x is a (shallow) copy of the value) if it is full.  In addition
96       to pitfalls with mutable values, the interesting difference with get is
97       that  get_copy  does  not  prevent  the incremental GC from erasing the
98       value in its current cycle ( get may delay the erasure to the  next  GC
99       cycle).
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102       Raises Invalid_argument if n is not in the range 0 to Weak.length a - 1
103       .
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105       If the element is a custom block it is not copied.
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109       val check : 'a t -> int -> bool
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112       Weak.check ar n returns true if the n th cell of ar is full,  false  if
113       it is empty.  Note that even if Weak.check ar n returns true , a subse‐
114       quent Weak.get ar n can return None .
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118       val fill : 'a t -> int -> int -> 'a option -> unit
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121       Weak.fill ar ofs len el sets to el all pointers of ar from ofs to ofs +
122       len - 1 .
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125       Raises  Invalid_argument if ofs and len do not designate a valid subar‐
126       ray of a .
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130       val blit : 'a t -> int -> 'a t -> int -> int -> unit
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133       Weak.blit ar1 off1 ar2 off2 len  copies  len  weak  pointers  from  ar1
134       (starting  at  off1  )  to ar2 (starting at off2 ).  It works correctly
135       even if ar1 and ar2 are the same.
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138       Raises Invalid_argument if off1 and len do not designate a valid subar‐
139       ray  of  ar1  , or if off2 and len do not designate a valid subarray of
140       ar2 .
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145   Weak hash sets
146       A weak hash set is a hashed set of values.  Each  value  may  magically
147       disappear  from  the set when it is not used by the rest of the program
148       any more.  This is normally used to share data structures  without  in‐
149       ducing  memory  leaks.   Weak  hash  sets  are defined on values from a
150       Hashtbl.HashedType module; the equal relation  and  hash  function  are
151       taken  from  that  module.   We  will say that v is an instance of x if
152       equal x v is true .
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154       The equal relation must be able to work on a shallow copy of the values
155       and give the same result as with the values themselves.
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157       module type S = sig end
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160       The output signature of the functor Weak.Make .
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163       module Make : functor (H : Hashtbl.HashedType) -> sig end
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166       Functor  building  an  implementation  of  the weak hash set structure.
167       H.equal can't be the physical equality, since only  shallow  copies  of
168       the elements in the set are given to it.
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174OCamldoc                          2022-02-04                           Weak(3)