What are the uses of the malloc function in the C language?
The malloc function in C language is mainly used for dynamically allocating memory space. Its main purposes include:
- Dynamic memory allocation: The malloc function allows for the dynamic allocation of memory space of a specified size during program execution, meeting the memory space requirements during runtime.
- Allocate memory for an array: You can use the malloc function to allocate a specified size of memory space for the array, which allows for dynamic changes in the array length.
- Dynamic creation of data structures: The malloc function can be used to dynamically create data structures at runtime, such as linked lists and trees.
- The return value of a function: The function can use the malloc function to dynamically allocate memory and return a pointer, so that it can be used outside the function.
It is important to remember to use the free function after using the malloc function to release dynamically allocated memory in a timely manner in order to avoid memory leaks.