What's the difference between:

>import core.stdc.stdlib : malloc;
>auto x = malloc(s)[0..s];
and
>auto x = cast(T)malloc(s);
?

I have been using the last but I saw in some code examples, like this[1] the first being used. What's the difference? in the first one bounds checking is performed, giving an error right away, right? whereas the cast would just turn the null into the class reference and manual check need to be done later. Is that the reason?

[1]: https://wiki.dlang.org/Memory_Management#Explicit_Class_Instance_Allocation

On Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 20:15:39 UTC, Jack wrote:
> What's the difference between:
>
>>import core.stdc.stdlib : malloc;
>>auto x = malloc(s)[0..s];
> and
>>auto x = cast(T)malloc(s);
> ?
>
> I have been using the last but I saw in some code examples, like this[1] the first being used. What's the difference? in the first one bounds checking is performed, giving an error right away, right? whereas the cast would just turn the null into the class reference and manual check need to be done later. Is that the reason?
>
> [1]: https://wiki.dlang.org/Memory_Management#Explicit_Class_Instance_Allocation

The difference is that the first version gives you a `void[]`, and the second version gives you a `T`. Neither version does any bounds checking.

Generally, you'd use the first version if you don't yet know what kind of object is going to be stored in the allocated memory (for example, if you're writing an allocator[1]), and the second version if you do know the type.

[1] https://dlang.org/phobos/std_experimental_allocator_building_blocks.html

On 10/14/20 1:15 PM, Jack wrote:

>> auto x = malloc(s)[0..s];

> https://wiki.dlang.org/Memory_Management#Explicit_Class_Instance_Allocation

Note that 'x' is passed to emplace() at that link and emplace() requires a slice. That's why the a slice is made from the pointer returned by malloc().

Ali

On Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 21:12:13 UTC, Paul Backus wrote:
> On Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 20:15:39 UTC, Jack wrote:
>> [...]
>
> The difference is that the first version gives you a `void[]`, and the second version gives you a `T`. Neither version does any bounds checking.
>
> Generally, you'd use the first version if you don't yet know what kind of object is going to be stored in the allocated memory (for example, if you're writing an allocator[1]), and the second version if you do know the type.
>
> [1] https://dlang.org/phobos/std_experimental_allocator_building_blocks.html

My bad, the first one doesn't perform bounds-checking.So it just depends on context, where you are going to use the result from malloc()

On Thursday, 15 October 2020 at 01:22:54 UTC, Ali Çehreli wrote:
> On 10/14/20 1:15 PM, Jack wrote:
>
> >> auto x = malloc(s)[0..s];
>
> > 
> https://wiki.dlang.org/Memory_Management#Explicit_Class_Instance_Allocation
>
> Note that 'x' is passed to emplace() at that link and emplace() requires a slice. That's why the a slice is made from the pointer returned by malloc().
>
> Ali

make sense, thanks