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AST Pointer Contexts--Begin and End  

The use of AST_ANNUL ([*]) is not completely foolproof, however. Consider the following:

      CALL AST_SHOW( AST_ZOOMMAP( 2, 5.ODO, ' ', STATUS ), STATUS )

This creates a ZoomMap and displays it on standard output ([*]). Using function invocations as arguments to other routines in this way is very convenient because it avoids the need for intermediate pointer variables. However, the pointer generated by AST_ZOOMMAP is still active, and since we have not stored its value, we cannot use AST_ANNUL to annul it. The ZoomMap will therefore stay around until the end of the program.

A simple way to avoid this problem is to enclose all use of AST routines between calls to AST_BEGIN and AST_END, for example:

      CALL AST_BEGIN( STATUS )
      CALL AST_SHOW( AST_ZOOMMAP( 2, 5.ODO, ' ', STATUS ), STATUS )
      CALL AST_END( STATUS )

When the AST_END call executes, every Object pointer created since the previous AST_BEGIN call is automatically annulled and any Objects left without pointers are deleted. This provides a simple solution to managing Objects and their pointers, and allows you to create Objects very freely without needing to keep detailed track of each one. Because this is so convenient, we implicitly assume that AST_BEGIN and AST_END are used in most of the examples given in this document. Pointer management is not generally shown explicitly unless it is particularly relevant to the point being illustrated.

If necessary, calls to AST_BEGIN and AST_END may be nested, like IF...ENDIF blocks in Fortran, to define a series of AST pointer contexts. Each call to AST_END will then annul only those Object pointers created since the matching call to AST_BEGIN.



next up previous
Next: Exporting and Exempting AST Pointers
Up: An AST Object Primer
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AST A Library for Handling World Coordinate Systems in Astronomy
Starlink User Note 210
R.F. Warren-Smith & D.S. Berry
30th April 2003
E-mail:ussc@star.rl.ac.uk

Copyright (C) 2003 Central Laboratory of the Research Councils