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(libc.info)Creating Obstacks

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Creating Obstacks
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   The utilities for manipulating obstacks are declared in the header
file `obstack.h'.

 - Data Type: struct obstack
     An obstack is represented by a data structure of type `struct
     obstack'.  This structure has a small fixed size; it records the
     status of the obstack and how to find the space in which objects
     are allocated.  It does not contain any of the objects themselves.
     You should not try to access the contents of the structure
     directly; use only the functions described in this chapter.

   You can declare variables of type `struct obstack' and use them as
obstacks, or you can allocate obstacks dynamically like any other kind
of object.  Dynamic allocation of obstacks allows your program to have a
variable number of different stacks.  (You can even allocate an obstack
structure in another obstack, but this is rarely useful.)

   All the functions that work with obstacks require you to specify
which obstack to use.  You do this with a pointer of type `struct
obstack *'.  In the following, we often say "an obstack" when strictly
speaking the object at hand is such a pointer.

   The objects in the obstack are packed into large blocks called
"chunks".  The `struct obstack' structure points to a chain of the
chunks currently in use.

   The obstack library obtains a new chunk whenever you allocate an
object that won't fit in the previous chunk.  Since the obstack library
manages chunks automatically, you don't need to pay much attention to
them, but you do need to supply a function which the obstack library
should use to get a chunk.  Usually you supply a function which uses
`malloc' directly or indirectly.  You must also supply a function to
free a chunk.  These matters are described in the following section.