Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!qucdn!spraggej
Organization: Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Wednesday, 17 Apr 1991 17:44:04 EDT
From: John G. Spragge <SPRAGGEJ@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Message-ID: <91107.174405SPRAGGEJ@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: need dynamic array on heap
References: <1991Apr12.234843.9031@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <4816@gumby.Altos.COM>
 <7294@vice.ICO.TEK.COM>

In article <7294@vice.ICO.TEK.COM>, bobb@vice.ICO.TEK.COM (Bob Beauchaine) says:
>
>  type byte_buf = array[1..64000] of byte;
>       byte_buf_ptr = ^byte_buf;
>
>  var  buffer : pointer;
>  .
>  .
>  getmem(buffer,somesize); { Allocate only as many bytes as you need }
>  byte_buf_ptr(buffer)^[2] := somevalue;

Actually, since GETMEM takes ANY pointer type, you don't need
the typecast. You don't have to allocate enough memory for the
structure you're loading; you just have to be sure your code
will manage dynamic structures correctly.

disclaimer: Queen's University supplies me with computer services, not
            my opinions.

John G. Spragge