CFREE(3)                            Linux Programmer's Manual                            CFREE(3)



NAME
       cfree - free allocated memory

SYNOPSIS
       #include <stdlib.h>

       /* In SunOS 4 */
       int cfree(void *ptr);

       /* In glibc or FreeBSD libcompat */
       void cfree(void *ptr);

       /* In SCO OpenServer */
       void cfree(char *ptr, unsigned num, unsigned size);

       /* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */
       void cfree(void *ptr, size_t nelem, size_t elsize);

   Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):

       cfree(): _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE

DESCRIPTION
       This function should never be used.  Use free(3) instead.

   1-arg cfree
       In  glibc,  the  function  cfree() is a synonym for free(3), "added for compatibility with
       SunOS".

       Other systems have other functions with  this  name.   The  declaration  is  sometimes  in
       <stdlib.h> and sometimes in <malloc.h>.

   3-arg cfree
       Some  SCO and Solaris versions have malloc libraries with a 3-argument cfree(), apparently
       as an analog to calloc(3).

       If you need it while porting something, add

           #define cfree(p, n, s) free((p))

       to your file.

       A frequently asked question is "Can I use free(3) to free memory allocated with calloc(3),
       or do I need cfree()?"  Answer: use free(3).

       An SCO manual writes: "The cfree routine is provided for compliance to the iBCSe2 standard
       and simply calls free.  The num and size arguments to cfree are not used."

RETURN VALUE
       The SunOS version of cfree() (which is a synonym for free(3)) returns 1 on success  and  0
       on  failure.  In case of error, errno is set to EINVAL: the value of ptr was not a pointer
       to a block previously allocated by one of the routines in the malloc(3) family.

CONFORMING TO
       The 3-argument version of cfree() as used by SCO conforms to the iBCSe2 standard: Intel386
       Binary Compatibility Specification, Edition 2.

SEE ALSO
       malloc(3)

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 3.74 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



                                            2007-07-26                                   CFREE(3)