FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute Class

Definition

Namespace:

System.Runtime.CompilerServices

Assembly:

System.Runtime.dll

Source:

FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute.cs

Fixes the address of a static value type field throughout its lifetime. This class cannot be inherited.

public ref class FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute sealed : Attribute

[System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.Field)]
public sealed class FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute : Attribute

[<System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.Field)>]
type FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute = class
    inherit Attribute

Public NotInheritable Class FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute
Inherits Attribute

Inheritance

Object

Attribute

FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute

Attributes

AttributeUsageAttribute

Examples

The following example illustrates the use of the FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute attribute to pin a static field in memory. It defines an Age structure and initializes two classes that have static fields of type Age. The second class applies FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute to pin the field's address. A number of memory allocations are made before and after these two objects are instantiated and the garbage collector is invoked. The output from the example shows that although the address of the first Age field has changed after garbage collection, the address of the field to which FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute is applied has not.

using System;
using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;

public struct Age {
   public int years;
   public int months;
}

public class FreeClass
{
   public static Age FreeAge;
   
   public static unsafe IntPtr AddressOfFreeAge()
   { 
      fixed (Age* pointer = &FreeAge) 
      { return (IntPtr) pointer; } 
   }
}

public class FixedClass
{
   [FixedAddressValueType]
   public static Age FixedAge;
   
   public static unsafe IntPtr AddressOfFixedAge()
   { 
      fixed (Age* pointer = &FixedAge) 
      { return (IntPtr) pointer; } 
   }   
}

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      AllocateMemory();
      
      // Get addresses of static Age fields.
      IntPtr freePtr1 = FreeClass.AddressOfFreeAge();
      AllocateMemory();
      
      IntPtr fixedPtr1 = FixedClass.AddressOfFixedAge();
      AllocateMemory();

      // Garbage collection.
      GC.Collect();
      GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
      
      // Get addresses of static Age fields after garbage collection.
      IntPtr freePtr2 = FreeClass.AddressOfFreeAge();
      IntPtr fixedPtr2 = FixedClass.AddressOfFixedAge();
        
      // Display addresses before and after garbage collection
      Console.WriteLine("Normal static: {0} -> {1}", freePtr1, freePtr2);
      Console.WriteLine("Pinned static:  {0} -> {1}", fixedPtr1, fixedPtr2);  
   }

   // Allocate memory for 100,000 objects.
   static public void AllocateMemory()
   {
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 100000; ctr++)
      {
         object o = new object();      
      }
   }
}
// The example displays output similar to the following:
//       Normal static: 19932420 -> 19863704
//       Pinned static:  19985508 -> 19985508

Remarks

Use the FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute attribute to mark static value types as pinned upon creation.

This attribute is used by the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler.

Static value type fields are created as boxed objects. This means that their address can change as garbage collection is performed. When you apply this attribute to a static value type, its address remains constant during its lifetime.

Constructors

FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute()

Initializes a new instance of the FixedAddressValueTypeAttribute class.

Properties

TypeId

When implemented in a derived class, gets a unique identifier for this Attribute. (Inherited from Attribute)

Methods

Equals(Object)	Returns a value that indicates whether this instance is equal to a specified object. (Inherited from Attribute)
GetHashCode()	Returns the hash code for this instance. (Inherited from Attribute)
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
IsDefaultAttribute()	When overridden in a derived class, indicates whether the value of this instance is the default value for the derived class. (Inherited from Attribute)
Match(Object)	When overridden in a derived class, returns a value that indicates whether this instance equals a specified object. (Inherited from Attribute)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object)