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ALLOCA(3)		 BSD Library Functions Manual		     ALLOCA(3)

NAME
     alloca -- memory allocator

LIBRARY
     Standard C	Library	(libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS
     #include <stdlib.h>

     void *
     alloca(size_t size);

DESCRIPTION
     The alloca() function allocates size bytes	of space in the	stack frame of
     the caller.  This temporary space is automatically	freed on return.

RETURN VALUES
     The alloca() function returns a pointer to	the beginning of the allocated
     space.

SEE ALSO
     brk(2), calloc(3),	getpagesize(3),	malloc(3), realloc(3)

HISTORY
     The alloca() function appeared in Version 32V AT&T	UNIX.

BUGS
     The alloca() function is machine and compiler dependent; its use is dis-
     couraged.

     The alloca() function is slightly unsafe because it cannot	ensure that
     the pointer returned points to a valid and	usable block of	memory.	 The
     allocation	made may exceed	the bounds of the stack, or even go further
     into other	objects	in memory, and alloca()	cannot determine such an er-
     ror.  Avoid alloca() with large unbounded allocations.

BSD			       September 5, 2006			   BSD

NAME | LIBRARY | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | RETURN VALUES | SEE ALSO | HISTORY | BUGS

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