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Heap allocation (HeapAllocation)

Embedded Swift is designed to fit constrained environments. In some cases, it is valuable to ensure that certain programs (or parts of programs) to not allocation memory. The HeapAllocation diagnostic group is disabled by default, but can be enabled to identify places in an Embedded Swift program that allocate memory. This includes:

Overview

  • Creation of instances of class types:

    class C { }
func createC() -> C { return C() } // warning: creating an instance of type 'C' involves heap allocation

  • Direct allocation of memory through UnsafeMutablePointer or similar:

    let p = UnsafeMutableBufferPointer<Double>.allocate(capacity: count) // warning: explicit heap allocation

  • Forming an escaping closure that has captures:

    func acceptClosure(body: @escaping () -> Void) { }

func passClosure(i: Int) {
  acceptClosure { // warning: escaping closure involves heap allocation
    print(i)
  }
}

  • Invoking an asynchronous function:

    func f() async { }

func g(i: Int) async {
  await f()
  print(i) // warning: async call involves heap allocation
}

  • Forming a key path that captures values:

    func getPath<T>(index: Int) -> KeyPath<[T], T> {
  return \[T].[index] // warning: a key path that captures 1 value requires a heap allocationa key
}

  • Forming an any type that requires heap allocation, for example because a large value type is being stored into it:

    protocol P { }
struct BigType: P { ... }

func formP() -> any P {
  return BigType() // warning: boxing a value of type 'BigType' into an 'any P' involves heap allocation
}

  • Forming an indirect enum case:

    enum ComputationTree {
  case literal(Double)
  indirect case binaryOperation(BinaryOperator, ComputationTree, ComputationTree)
}

lett add = ComputationTree.binaryOperation(.add, lhs, rhs) // warning: requires heap allocation

See Also