<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968"><title>Chapter 5. Memory Management</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="ecl.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The ECL manual"><link rel="up" href="pt02.html" title="Part II. Extensions and libraries"><link rel="prev" href="ch19s02.html" title="4.2. MP Reference"><link rel="next" href="ch20s02.html" title="5.2. Boehm-Weiser garbage collector"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 5. Memory Management</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch19s02.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Part II. Extensions and libraries</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch20s02.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 5. Memory Management"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="ext.memory"></a>Chapter 5. Memory Management</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20.html#ext.memory.intro">5.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20s02.html">5.2. Boehm-Weiser garbage collector</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20s03.html">5.3. Memory limits</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20s04.html">5.4. Memory Conditions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20s05.html">5.5. Finalization</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="ch20s06.html">5.6. Memory Management Reference</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re29.html"><code class="classname">ext:stack-overflow</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Stack overflow condition.</span></dt><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re30.html"><code class="classname">ext:storage-exhausted</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Memory overflow condition.</span></dt><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re31.html"><code class="function">ext:get-finalizer</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Return finalizer associated to an object.</span></dt><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re32.html"><code class="function">ext:get-limit</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Query a memory or stack limit.</span></dt><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re33.html"><code class="function">ext:set-finalizer</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Associate a finalizer to an object.</span></dt><dt><span class="refentrytitle"><a href="re34.html"><code class="function">ext:set-limit</code></a></span><span class="refpurpose"> — Set a memory or stack limit.</span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section" title="5.1. Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="ext.memory.intro"></a>5.1. Introduction</h2></div></div></div><p><span class="application">ECL</span> relies on the Boehm-Weiser garbage collector for handling memory, creating and destroying objects, and handling finalization of objects that are no longer reachable. The use of a garbage collector, and in particular the use of a portable one, imposes certain restrictions that may appear odd for C/C++ programmers.</p><p>In this section we will discuss garbage collection, how <span class="application">ECL</span> configures and uses the memory management library, what users may expect, how to handle the memory and how to control the process by which objects are deleted.</p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch19s02.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="pt02.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch20s02.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">4.2. MP Reference </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> 5.2. Boehm-Weiser garbage collector</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
