NSAutoreleasePool

Manages temporary objects in mulle-objc. Provides automatic memory management through autorelease pools.

Base Class

None (Root Class)

Instance Variables

NSAutoreleasePool   *_owner;     // Parent pool
void                *_storage;    // Object storage
char                _mulleNameUTF8String[48];  // Pool name

Methods

Pool Management

• +alloc - Creates new pool
• +new - Creates and initializes pool
• -init - Initializes pool
• -drain - Releases pool and contained objects
• -release - Releases pool
• -mulleReleaseAllPoolObjects - Releases all objects but keeps pool

Object Management

• +addObject: - Adds object to current pool
• -addObject: - Adds object to this pool
• +mulleAddObjects:count: - Adds multiple objects
• -mulleAddObjects:count: - Adds multiple objects to this pool

Pool Information

• +mulleDefaultAutoreleasePool - Gets current thread’s top pool
• +mulleParentAutoreleasePool - Gets parent of current pool
• -mulleParentAutoreleasePool - Gets parent pool
• -mulleNameUTF8String - Gets pool name
• -mulleSetNameUTF8String: - Sets pool name

Object Queries

• -mulleContainsObject: - Checks if pool contains object
• -mulleCountObject: - Counts object occurrences
• -mulleCount - Gets total object count

Usage Example

// Create pool
NSAutoreleasePool *pool = [NSAutoreleasePool new];

// Use @autoreleasepool block (preferred)
@autoreleasepool {
    id obj = [[NSObject alloc] init];
    [obj autorelease];
}

// Manual pool management
NSAutoreleasePool *pool = [NSAutoreleasePool new];
id obj = [[NSObject alloc] init];
[obj autorelease];
[pool drain];

// Add objects directly
[NSAutoreleasePool addObject:obj];

// Check pool contents
BOOL hasObj = [pool mulleContainsObject:obj];
NSUInteger count = [pool mulleCountObject:obj];

Important Notes

1. Thread Safety
   • Each thread has its own pool stack
   • Thread-safe for basic operations
   • Pool operations are thread-local
2. Memory Management
   • Pools form a stack (LIFO)
   • Objects released when pool drains
   • Supports nested pools
   • Automatic cleanup on thread exit
3. Implementation Details
   • Not a subclass of NSObject
   • Direct root class implementation
   • Optimized for performance
   • Supports debugging features
4. Best Practices
   • Use @autoreleasepool when possible
   • Keep pool scope as narrow as needed
   • Don’t retain pool objects externally
   • Clean up pools in reverse order
5. Debugging Support
   • Named pools for tracking
   • Object counting and verification
   • Pool hierarchy inspection
   • CSV dump capabilities