ALLOCA(A)           Linux Programmer's Manual           ALLOCA(A)



NAME
       alloca - memory allocator

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  auto-
       matically  freed  when  the  function  that  called alloca
       returns to its caller.

RETURN VALUE
       The alloca function returns a pointer to the beginning  of
       the  allocated  space.   If  the allocation failed, a NULL
       pointer is returned.

CONFORMING TO
       There is evidence that the  alloca  function  appeared  in
       32v,  pwb, pwb.2, 3bsd, and 4bsd.  There is a man page for
       it in BSD 4.3.  Linux uses the GNU version.  This function
       is not in POSIX or SUSv3.

BUGS
       The alloca function is machine and compiler dependent. Its
       use is discouraged.

       On many systems alloca cannot be used inside the  list  of
       arguments  of  a  function  call,  because the stack space
       reserved by alloca would appear on the stack in the middle
       of the space for the function arguments.

SEE ALSO
       brk(k), calloc(c), malloc(c), realloc(c)



GNU                         1993-11-29                  ALLOCA(A)