according to the Fortran standard. */
unsigned pass_as_value:1;
+ /* Reference counter, used for memory management.
+
+ Some symbols may be present in more than one namespace, for example
+ function and subroutine symbols are present both in the outer namespace and
+ the procedure body namespace. Freeing symbols with the namespaces they are
+ in would result in double free for those symbols. This field counts
+ references and is used to delay the memory release until the last reference
+ to the symbol is removed.
+
+ Not every symbol pointer is accounted for reference counting. Fields
+ gfc_symtree::n::sym are, and gfc_finalizer::proc_sym as well. But most of
+ them (dummy arguments, generic list elements, etc) are "weak" pointers;
+ the reference count isn't updated when they are assigned, and they are
+ ignored when the surrounding structure memory is released. This is not a
+ problem because there is always a namespace as surrounding context and
+ symbols have a name they can be referred with in that context, so the
+ namespace keeps the symbol from being freed, keeping the pointer valid.
+ When the namespace ceases to exist, and the symbols with it, the other
+ structures referencing symbols cease to exist as well. */
int refs;
+
struct gfc_namespace *ns; /* namespace containing this symbol */
tree backend_decl;
accept_statement (st);
prog_unit = gfc_new_block;
prog_unit->formal_ns = gfc_current_ns;
- if (prog_unit == prog_unit->formal_ns->proc_name
- && prog_unit->ns != prog_unit->formal_ns)
- prog_unit->refs++;
decl:
/* Read data declaration statements. */