man3/cfree.3

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  24 .TH CFREE 3 2017-09-15  "" "Linux Programmer's Manual"
  25 .SH NAME
  26 cfree \- free allocated memory
  27 .SH SYNOPSIS
  28 .nf
  29 .PP
  30 .B "#include <stdlib.h>"
  31 .PP
  32 /* In SunOS 4 */
  33 .BI "int cfree(void *" ptr );
  34 .PP
  35 /* In glibc or FreeBSD libcompat */
  36 .BI "void cfree(void *" ptr );
  37 .PP
  38 /* In SCO OpenServer */
  39 .BI "void cfree(char *" ptr ", unsigned " num ", unsigned " size );
  40 .PP
  41 /* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */
  42 .BI "void cfree(void *" ptr ", size_t " nelem ", size_t " elsize );
  43 .fi
  44 .PP
  45 .in -4n
  46 Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see
  47 .BR feature_test_macros (7)):
  48 .in
  49 .PP
  50 .BR cfree ():
  51     Since glibc 2.19:
  52         _DEFAULT_SOURCE
  53     Glibc 2.19 and earlier:
  54         _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE
  55 .SH DESCRIPTION
  56 This function should never be used.
  57 Use
  58 .BR free (3)
  59 instead.
  60 Starting with version 2.26, it has been removed from glibc.
  61 .SS 1-arg cfree
  62 In glibc, the function
  63 .BR cfree ()
  64 is a synonym for
  65 .BR free (3),
  66 "added for compatibility with SunOS".
  67 .PP
  68 Other systems have other functions with this name.
  69 The declaration is sometimes in
  70 .I <stdlib.h>
  71 and sometimes in
  72 .IR <malloc.h> .
  73 .SS 3-arg cfree
  74 Some SCO and Solaris versions have malloc libraries with a 3-argument
  75 .BR cfree (),
  76 apparently as an analog to
  77 .BR calloc (3).
  78 .PP
  79 If you need it while porting something, add
  80 .PP
  81 .in +4n
  82 .EX
  83 #define cfree(p, n, s) free((p))
  84 .EE
  85 .in
  86 .PP
  87 to your file.
  88 .PP
  89 A frequently asked question is "Can I use
  90 .BR free (3)
  91 to free memory allocated with
  92 .BR calloc (3),
  93 or do I need
  94 .BR cfree ()?"
  95 Answer: use
  96 .BR free (3).
  97 .PP
  98 An SCO manual writes: "The cfree routine is provided for compliance
  99 to the iBCSe2 standard and simply calls free.
 100 The num and size
 101 arguments to cfree are not used."
 102 .SH RETURN VALUE
 103 The SunOS version of
 104 .BR cfree ()
 105 (which is a synonym for
 106 .BR free (3))
 107 returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
 108 In case of error,
 109 .I errno
 110 is set to
 111 .BR EINVAL :
 112 the value of
 113 .I ptr
 114 was not a pointer to a block previously allocated by
 115 one of the routines in the
 116 .BR malloc (3)
 117 family.
 118 .SH VERSIONS
 119 The
 120 .BR cfree ()
 121 function was removed
 122 .\" commit 025b33ae84bb8f15b2748a1d8605dca453fce112
 123 from glibc in version 2.26.
 124 .SH ATTRIBUTES
 125 For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see
 126 .BR attributes (7).
 127 .TS
 128 allbox;
 129 lb lb lb
 130 l l l.
 131 Interface       Attribute       Value
 132 T{
 133 .BR cfree ()
 134 T}      Thread safety   MT-Safe /* In glibc */
 135 .TE
 136 .SH CONFORMING TO
 137 The 3-argument version of
 138 .BR cfree ()
 139 as used by SCO conforms to the iBCSe2 standard:
 140 Intel386 Binary Compatibility Specification, Edition 2.
 141 .SH SEE ALSO
 142 .BR malloc (3)