IMalloc
A version of this page is also available for
4/8/2010
This interface allocates, frees, and manages memory.
When to Implement
In general, you should not implement IMalloc, instead use the COM implementation, which is guaranteed to be thread-safe in managing task memory. You get a pointer to the COM task allocator object's IMalloc through a call to the CoGetMalloc function.
When to Use
Call the methods of IMalloc to allocate and manage memory. The COM libraries and object handlers also call the IMalloc methods to manage memory.
Object handlers should call CoGetMalloc to get a pointer to the IMalloc implementation on the task allocator object and use the implementation of those methods to manage task memory.
The IMalloc methods Alloc, Free, and Realloc are similar to the C library functions malloc, free, and realloc. For debugging, refer to the functions CoRegisterMallocSpy and CoRevokeMallocSpy.
Methods
The following table shows the methods for this interface in the order that the compiler calls the methods. Like all COM interfaces, this interface inherits the methods for the IUnknown interface.
IUnknown method | Description |
---|---|
Returns pointers to supported interfaces. |
|
Increments reference count. |
|
Decrements reference count. |
IMalloc method | Description |
---|---|
Allocates a block of memory. |
|
Changes the size of a previously allocated block of memory. |
|
Frees a previously allocated block of memory. |
|
Returns the size in bytes of a previously allocated block of memory. |
|
Determines whether this instance of IMalloc was used to allocate the specified block of memory. |
|
Minimizes the heap by releasing unused memory to the operating system. |
Remarks
To determine whether the platform supports this interface, see Determining Supported COM APIs.
Requirements
Header | objidl.h, objidl.idl |
Library | ole32.lib |
Windows Embedded CE | Windows CE 3.0 and later |
Windows Mobile | Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and later |
See Also
Reference
CoGetMalloc
CoRegisterMallocSpy
CoRevokeMallocSpy
IMallocSpy