Pointer Arrays: GLib Reference Manual

## Pointer Arrays Pointer Arrays — arrays of pointers to any type of data, which grow automatically as new elements are added |

## Functions

GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new ()
gpointer * | g_ptr_array_steal ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_sized_new ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_copy ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_full ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_null_terminated ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_take ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_take_null_terminated ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_from_array ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_new_from_null_terminated_array ()
void | g_ptr_array_set_free_func ()
gboolean | g_ptr_array_is_null_terminated ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_ref ()
void | g_ptr_array_unref ()
void | g_ptr_array_add ()
void | g_ptr_array_extend ()
void | g_ptr_array_extend_and_steal ()
void | g_ptr_array_insert ()
gboolean | g_ptr_array_remove ()
gpointer | g_ptr_array_remove_index ()
gboolean | g_ptr_array_remove_fast ()
gpointer | g_ptr_array_remove_index_fast ()
GPtrArray * | g_ptr_array_remove_range ()
gpointer | g_ptr_array_steal_index ()
gpointer | g_ptr_array_steal_index_fast ()
void | g_ptr_array_sort ()
void | g_ptr_array_sort_with_data ()
void | g_ptr_array_sort_values ()
void | g_ptr_array_sort_values_with_data ()
void | g_ptr_array_set_size ()
#define | g_ptr_array_index()
gpointer * | g_ptr_array_free ()
void | g_ptr_array_foreach ()
gboolean | g_ptr_array_find ()
gboolean | g_ptr_array_find_with_equal_func ()

## Types and Values

struct | GPtrArray

## Includes

    #include <gmodule.h>

## Description

Pointer Arrays are similar to Arrays but are used only for storing pointers.

If you remove elements from the array, elements at the end of the array are moved into the space previously occupied by the removed element. This means that you should not rely on the index of particular elements remaining the same. You should also be careful when deleting elements while iterating over the array.

To create a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_new()`.

To add elements to a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_add()`.

To remove elements from a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_remove()`, `g_ptr_array_remove_index()` or `g_ptr_array_remove_index_fast()`.

To access an element of a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_index()`.

To set the size of a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_set_size()`.

To free a pointer array, use `g_ptr_array_free()`.

An example using a GPtrArray:

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    GPtrArray *array;
    gchar *string1 = "one";
    gchar *string2 = "two";
    gchar *string3 = "three";

    array = g_ptr_array_new ();
    g_ptr_array_add (array, (gpointer) string1);
    g_ptr_array_add (array, (gpointer) string2);
    g_ptr_array_add (array, (gpointer) string3);

    if (g_ptr_array_index (array, 0) != (gpointer) string1)
      g_print ("ERROR: got %p instead of %p\n",
               g_ptr_array_index (array, 0), string1);

    g_ptr_array_free (array, TRUE);

## Functions

### g_ptr_array_new ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new (void);

Creates a new GPtrArray with a reference count of 1.

#### Returns

the new GPtrArray

### g_ptr_array_steal ()

    gpointer *
    g_ptr_array_steal (GPtrArray *array,
                       gsize *len);

Frees the data in the array and resets the size to zero, while the underlying array is preserved for use elsewhere and returned to the caller.

Note that if the array is `NULL` terminated this may still return `NULL` if the length of the array was zero and pdata was not yet allocated.

Even if set, the GDestroyNotify function will never be called on the current contents of the array and the caller is responsible for freeing the array elements.

An example of use:

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    g_autoptr(GPtrArray) chunk_buffer = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func (g_bytes_unref);

    // Some part of your application appends a number of chunks to the pointer array.
    g_ptr_array_add (chunk_buffer, g_bytes_new_static ("hello", 5));
    g_ptr_array_add (chunk_buffer, g_bytes_new_static ("world", 5));

    …

    // Periodically, the chunks need to be sent as an array-and-length to some
    // other part of the program.
    GBytes **chunks;
    gsize n_chunks;

    chunks = g_ptr_array_steal (chunk_buffer, &n_chunks);
    for (gsize i = 0; i < n_chunks; i++)
      {
        // Do something with each chunk here, and then free them, since
        // g_ptr_array_steal() transfers ownership of all the elements and the
        // array to the caller.
        …

        g_bytes_unref (chunks[i]);
      }

    g_free (chunks);

    // After calling g_ptr_array_steal(), the pointer array can be reused for the
    // next set of chunks.
    g_assert (chunk_buffer->len == 0);

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray. |
len | pointer to retrieve the number of elements of the original array. | [optional][out]

#### Returns

the element data, which should be freed using `g_free()`. This may be `NULL` if the array doesn’t have any elements (i.e. if `*len` is zero).

[transfer full][nullable]

Since: 2.64

### g_ptr_array_sized_new ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_sized_new (guint reserved_size);

Creates a new GPtrArray with `reserved_size` pointers preallocated and a reference count of 1. This avoids frequent reallocation, if you are going to add many pointers to the array. Note however that the size of the array is still 0.

#### Parameters

reserved_size | number of pointers preallocated |

#### Returns

the new GPtrArray

### g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func (GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray with a reference count of 1 and use `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

#### Parameters

element_free_func | A function to free elements with destroy `array` or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.22

### g_ptr_array_copy ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_copy (GPtrArray *array,
                      GCopyFunc func,
                      gpointer user_data);

Makes a full (deep) copy of a GPtrArray.

`func` , as a GCopyFunc, takes two arguments, the data to be copied and a `user_data` pointer. On common processor architectures, it's safe to pass `NULL` as `user_data` if the copy function takes only one argument. You may get compiler warnings from this though if compiling with GCC’s `-Wcast-function-type` warning.

If `func` is `NULL`, then only the pointers (and not what they are pointing to) are copied to the new GPtrArray.

The copy of `array` will have the same GDestroyNotify for its elements as `array` . The copy will also be `NULL` terminated if (and only if) the source array is.

#### Parameters

array | GPtrArray to duplicate |
func | a copy function used to copy every element in the array. | [nullable]
user_data | user data passed to the copy function `func` , or `NULL` |

#### Returns

a deep copy of the initial GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.62

### g_ptr_array_new_full ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_full (guint reserved_size,
                          GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray with `reserved_size` pointers preallocated and a reference count of 1. This avoids frequent reallocation, if you are going to add many pointers to the array. Note however that the size of the array is still 0. It also set `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

#### Parameters

reserved_size | number of pointers preallocated |
element_free_func | A function to free elements with destroy `array` or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.30

### g_ptr_array_new_null_terminated ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_null_terminated (guint reserved_size,
                                     GDestroyNotify element_free_func,
                                     gboolean null_terminated);

Like `g_ptr_array_new_full()` but also allows to set the array to be `NULL` terminated. A `NULL` terminated pointer array has an additional `NULL` pointer after the last element, beyond the current length.

GPtrArray created by other constructors are not automatically `NULL` terminated.

Note that if the `array` 's length is zero and currently no data array is allocated, then pdata will still be `NULL`. `GPtrArray` will only `NULL` terminate pdata, if an actual array is allocated. It does not guarantee that an array is always allocated. In other words, if the length is zero, then pdata may either point to a `NULL` terminated array of length zero or be `NULL`.

#### Parameters

reserved_size | number of pointers preallocated. If `null_terminated` is `TRUE`, the actually allocated buffer size is `reserved_size` plus 1, unless `reserved_size` is zero, in which case no initial buffer gets allocated. |
element_free_func | A function to free elements with destroy `array` or `NULL`. | [nullable]
null_terminated | whether to make the array as `NULL` terminated. |

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.74

### g_ptr_array_new_take ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_take (gpointer *data,
                          gsize len,
                          GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray with `data` as pointers, `len` as length and a reference count of 1.

This avoids having to copy such data manually. After this call, `data` belongs to the GPtrArray and may no longer be modified by the caller. The memory of `data` has to be dynamically allocated and will eventually be freed with `g_free()`.

It also sets `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

Do not use it if `len` is greater than `G_MAXUINT`. GPtrArray stores the length of its data in guint, which may be shorter than gsize.

[skip]

#### Parameters

data | an array of pointers, or `NULL` for an empty array. | [array length=len][transfer full][nullable]
len | the number of pointers in `data` |
element_free_func | A function to free elements on `array` destruction or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_new_take_null_terminated ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_take_null_terminated (gpointer *data,
                                          GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray with `data` as pointers, computing the length of it and setting the reference count to 1.

This avoids having to copy such data manually. After this call, `data` belongs to the GPtrArray and may no longer be modified by the caller. The memory of `data` has to be dynamically allocated and will eventually be freed with `g_free()`.

The length is calculated by iterating through `data` until the first `NULL` element is found.

It also sets `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

Do not use it if the `data` length is greater than `G_MAXUINT`. GPtrArray stores the length of its data in guint, which may be shorter than gsize.

[skip]

#### Parameters

data | an array of pointers, `NULL` terminated, or `NULL` for an empty array. | [array zero-terminated=1][transfer full][nullable]
element_free_func | a function to free elements on `array` destruction or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_new_from_array ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_from_array (gpointer *data,
                                gsize len,
                                GCopyFunc copy_func,
                                gpointer copy_func_user_data,
                                GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray, copying `len` pointers from `data` , and setting the array’s reference count to 1.

This avoids having to manually add each element one by one.

If `copy_func` is provided, then it is used to copy each element before adding them to the new array. If it is `NULL` then the pointers are copied directly.

It also sets `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

Do not use it if `len` is greater than `G_MAXUINT`. GPtrArray stores the length of its data in guint, which may be shorter than gsize.

[skip]

#### Parameters

data | an array of pointers, or `NULL` for an empty array. | [array length=len][transfer none][nullable]
len | the number of pointers in `data` |
copy_func | a copy function used to copy every element in the array or `NULL`. | [nullable]
copy_func_user_data | user data passed to `copy_func` , or `NULL` |
element_free_func | a function to free elements on `array` destruction or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_new_from_null_terminated_array ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_new_from_null_terminated_array
                                   (gpointer *data,
                                    GCopyFunc copy_func,
                                    gpointer copy_func_user_data,
                                    GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Creates a new GPtrArray copying the pointers from `data` after having computed the length of it and with a reference count of 1. This avoids having to manually add each element one by one. If `copy_func` is provided, then it is used to copy the data in the new array. It also set `element_free_func` for freeing each element when the array is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

Do not use it if the `data` has more than `G_MAXUINT` elements. GPtrArray stores the length of its data in guint, which may be shorter than gsize.

[skip]

#### Parameters

data | an array of pointers, `NULL` terminated; or `NULL` for an empty array. | [array zero-terminated=1][transfer none][nullable]
copy_func | a copy function used to copy every element in the array or `NULL`. | [nullable]
copy_func_user_data | user data passed to `copy_func` , or `NULL` |
element_free_func | a function to free elements on `array` destruction or `NULL`. | [nullable]

#### Returns

A new GPtrArray.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_set_free_func ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_set_free_func (GPtrArray *array,
                               GDestroyNotify element_free_func);

Sets a function for freeing each element when `array` is destroyed either via `g_ptr_array_unref()`, when `g_ptr_array_free()` is called with `free_segment` set to `TRUE` or when removing elements.

#### Parameters

array | A GPtrArray |
element_free_func | A function to free elements with destroy `array` or `NULL`. | [nullable]

Since: 2.22

### g_ptr_array_is_null_terminated ()

    gboolean
    g_ptr_array_is_null_terminated (GPtrArray *array);

Gets whether the `array` was constructed as `NULL`-terminated.

This will only return `TRUE` for arrays constructed by passing `TRUE` to the `null_terminated` argument of `g_ptr_array_new_null_terminated()`. It will not return `TRUE` for normal arrays which have had a `NULL` element appended to them.

#### Parameters

array | the GPtrArray |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the array is made to be `NULL` terminated.

Since: 2.74

### g_ptr_array_ref ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_ref (GPtrArray *array);

Atomically increments the reference count of `array` by one. This function is thread-safe and may be called from any thread.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |

#### Returns

The passed in GPtrArray

Since: 2.22

### g_ptr_array_unref ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_unref (GPtrArray *array);

Atomically decrements the reference count of `array` by one. If the reference count drops to 0, the effect is the same as calling `g_ptr_array_free()` with `free_segment` set to `TRUE`. This function is thread-safe and may be called from any thread.

#### Parameters

array | A GPtrArray |

Since: 2.22

### g_ptr_array_add ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_add (GPtrArray *array,
                     gpointer data);

Adds a pointer to the end of the pointer array. The array will grow in size automatically if necessary.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
data | the pointer to add |

### g_ptr_array_extend ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_extend (GPtrArray *array_to_extend,
                        GPtrArray *array,
                        GCopyFunc func,
                        gpointer user_data);

Adds all pointers of `array` to the end of the array `array_to_extend` . The array will grow in size automatically if needed. `array_to_extend` is modified in-place.

`func` , as a GCopyFunc, takes two arguments, the data to be copied and a `user_data` pointer. On common processor architectures, it's safe to pass `NULL` as `user_data` if the copy function takes only one argument. You may get compiler warnings from this though if compiling with GCC’s `-Wcast-function-type` warning.

If `func` is `NULL`, then only the pointers (and not what they are pointing to) are copied to the new GPtrArray.

Whether `array_to_extend` is `NULL` terminated stays unchanged by this function.

#### Parameters

array_to_extend | a GPtrArray. |
array | a GPtrArray to add to the end of `array_to_extend` . | [transfer none]
func | a copy function used to copy every element in the array. | [nullable]
user_data | user data passed to the copy function `func` , or `NULL` |

Since: 2.62

### g_ptr_array_extend_and_steal ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_extend_and_steal (GPtrArray *array_to_extend,
                                  GPtrArray *array);

Adds all the pointers in `array` to the end of `array_to_extend` , transferring ownership of each element from `array` to `array_to_extend` and modifying `array_to_extend` in-place. `array` is then freed.

As with `g_ptr_array_free()`, `array` will be destroyed if its reference count is 1. If its reference count is higher, it will be decremented and the length of `array` set to zero.

#### Parameters

array_to_extend | a GPtrArray. | [transfer none]
array | a GPtrArray to add to the end of `array_to_extend` . | [transfer container]

Since: 2.62

### g_ptr_array_insert ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_insert (GPtrArray *array,
                        gint index_,
                        gpointer data);

Inserts an element into the pointer array at the given index. The array will grow in size automatically if necessary.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index to place the new element at, or -1 to append |
data | the pointer to add. |

Since: 2.40

### g_ptr_array_remove ()

    gboolean
    g_ptr_array_remove (GPtrArray *array,
                        gpointer data);

Removes the first occurrence of the given pointer from the pointer array. The following elements are moved down one place. If `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function it is called for the removed element.

It returns `TRUE` if the pointer was removed, or `FALSE` if the pointer was not found.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
data | the pointer to remove |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the pointer is removed, `FALSE` if the pointer is not found in the array

### g_ptr_array_remove_index ()

    gpointer
    g_ptr_array_remove_index (GPtrArray *array,
                              guint index_);

Removes the pointer at the given index from the pointer array. The following elements are moved down one place. If `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function it is called for the removed element. If so, the return value from this function will potentially point to freed memory (depending on the GDestroyNotify implementation).

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index of the pointer to remove |

#### Returns

the pointer which was removed.

[nullable]

### g_ptr_array_remove_fast ()

    gboolean
    g_ptr_array_remove_fast (GPtrArray *array,
                             gpointer data);

Removes the first occurrence of the given pointer from the pointer array. The last element in the array is used to fill in the space, so this function does not preserve the order of the array. But it is faster than `g_ptr_array_remove()`. If `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function it is called for the removed element.

It returns `TRUE` if the pointer was removed, or `FALSE` if the pointer was not found.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
data | the pointer to remove |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the pointer was found in the array

### g_ptr_array_remove_index_fast ()

    gpointer
    g_ptr_array_remove_index_fast (GPtrArray *array,
                                   guint index_);

Removes the pointer at the given index from the pointer array. The last element in the array is used to fill in the space, so this function does not preserve the order of the array. But it is faster than `g_ptr_array_remove_index()`. If `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function it is called for the removed element. If so, the return value from this function will potentially point to freed memory (depending on the GDestroyNotify implementation).

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index of the pointer to remove |

#### Returns

the pointer which was removed.

[nullable]

### g_ptr_array_remove_range ()

    GPtrArray *
    g_ptr_array_remove_range (GPtrArray *array,
                              guint index_,
                              guint length);

Removes the given number of pointers starting at the given index from a GPtrArray. The following elements are moved to close the gap. If `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function it is called for the removed elements.

#### Parameters

array | a `GPtrArray` |
index_ | the index of the first pointer to remove |
length | the number of pointers to remove |

#### Returns

the `array`

Since: 2.4

### g_ptr_array_steal_index ()

    gpointer
    g_ptr_array_steal_index (GPtrArray *array,
                             guint index_);

Removes the pointer at the given index from the pointer array. The following elements are moved down one place. The GDestroyNotify for `array` is *not* called on the removed element; ownership is transferred to the caller of this function.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index of the pointer to steal |

#### Returns

the pointer which was removed.

[transfer full][nullable]

Since: 2.58

### g_ptr_array_steal_index_fast ()

    gpointer
    g_ptr_array_steal_index_fast (GPtrArray *array,
                                  guint index_);

Removes the pointer at the given index from the pointer array. The last element in the array is used to fill in the space, so this function does not preserve the order of the array. But it is faster than `g_ptr_array_steal_index()`. The GDestroyNotify for `array` is *not* called on the removed element; ownership is transferred to the caller of this function.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index of the pointer to steal |

#### Returns

the pointer which was removed.

[transfer full][nullable]

Since: 2.58

### g_ptr_array_sort ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_sort (GPtrArray *array,
                      GCompareFunc compare_func);

Sorts the array, using `compare_func` which should be a `qsort()`-style comparison function (returns less than zero for first arg is less than second arg, zero for equal, greater than zero if first arg is greater than second arg).

Note that the comparison function for `g_ptr_array_sort()` doesn't take the pointers from the array as arguments, it takes pointers to the pointers in the array.

Use `g_ptr_array_sort_values()` if you want to use normal GCompareFuncs, otherwise here is a full example of use:

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    typedef struct
    {
      gchar *name;
      gint size;
    } FileListEntry;

    static gint
    sort_filelist (gconstpointer a, gconstpointer b)
    {
      const FileListEntry *entry1 = *((FileListEntry **) a);
      const FileListEntry *entry2 = *((FileListEntry **) b);

      return g_ascii_strcasecmp (entry1->name, entry2->name);
    }

    …
    g_autoptr (GPtrArray) file_list = NULL;

    // initialize file_list array and load with many FileListEntry entries
    ...
    // now sort it with
    g_ptr_array_sort (file_list, sort_filelist);

This is guaranteed to be a stable sort since version 2.32.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
compare_func | comparison function |

### g_ptr_array_sort_with_data ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_sort_with_data (GPtrArray *array,
                                GCompareDataFunc compare_func,
                                gpointer user_data);

Like `g_ptr_array_sort()`, but the comparison function has an extra user data argument.

Note that the comparison function for `g_ptr_array_sort_with_data()` doesn't take the pointers from the array as arguments, it takes pointers to the pointers in the array.

Use `g_ptr_array_sort_values_with_data()` if you want to use normal GCompareDataFuncs, otherwise here is a full example of use:

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    typedef enum { SORT_NAME, SORT_SIZE } SortMode;

    typedef struct
    {
      gchar *name;
      gint size;
    } FileListEntry;

    static gint
    sort_filelist (gconstpointer a, gconstpointer b, gpointer user_data)
    {
      gint order;
      const SortMode sort_mode = GPOINTER_TO_INT (user_data);
      const FileListEntry *entry1 = *((FileListEntry **) a);
      const FileListEntry *entry2 = *((FileListEntry **) b);

      switch (sort_mode)
        {
        case SORT_NAME:
          order = g_ascii_strcasecmp (entry1->name, entry2->name);
          break;
        case SORT_SIZE:
          order = entry1->size - entry2->size;
          break;
        default:
          order = 0;
          break;
        }
      return order;
    }

    ...
    g_autoptr (GPtrArray) file_list = NULL;
    SortMode sort_mode;

    // initialize file_list array and load with many FileListEntry entries
    ...
    // now sort it with
    sort_mode = SORT_NAME;
    g_ptr_array_sort_with_data (file_list,
                                sort_filelist,
                                GINT_TO_POINTER (sort_mode));

This is guaranteed to be a stable sort since version 2.32.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
compare_func | comparison function |
user_data | data to pass to `compare_func` |

### g_ptr_array_sort_values ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_sort_values (GPtrArray *array,
                             GCompareFunc compare_func);

Sorts the array, using `compare_func` which should be a `qsort()`-style comparison function (returns less than zero for first arg is less than second arg, zero for equal, greater than zero if first arg is greater than second arg).

This is guaranteed to be a stable sort.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
compare_func | a GCompareFunc comparison function |

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_sort_values_with_data ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_sort_values_with_data (GPtrArray *array,
                                       GCompareDataFunc compare_func,
                                       gpointer user_data);

Like `g_ptr_array_sort_values()`, but the comparison function has an extra user data argument.

This is guaranteed to be a stable sort.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
compare_func | a GCompareDataFunc comparison function |
user_data | data to pass to `compare_func` |

Since: 2.76

### g_ptr_array_set_size ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_set_size (GPtrArray *array,
                          gint length);

Sets the size of the array. When making the array larger, newly-added elements will be set to `NULL`. When making it smaller, if `array` has a non-`NULL` GDestroyNotify function then it will be called for the removed elements.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
length | the new length of the pointer array |

### g_ptr_array_index()

    #define             g_ptr_array_index(array,index_)

Returns the pointer at the given index of the pointer array.

This does not perform bounds checking on the given `index_` , so you are responsible for checking it against the array length.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
index_ | the index of the pointer to return |

#### Returns

the pointer at the given index

### g_ptr_array_free ()

    gpointer *
    g_ptr_array_free (GPtrArray *array,
                      gboolean free_seg);

Frees the memory allocated for the GPtrArray. If `free_seg` is `TRUE` it frees the memory block holding the elements as well. Pass `FALSE` if you want to free the GPtrArray wrapper but preserve the underlying array for use elsewhere. If the reference count of `array` is greater than one, the GPtrArray wrapper is preserved but the size of `array` will be set to zero.

If array contents point to dynamically-allocated memory, they should be freed separately if `free_seg` is `TRUE` and no GDestroyNotify function has been set for `array` .

Note that if the array is `NULL` terminated and `free_seg` is `FALSE` then this will always return an allocated `NULL` terminated buffer. If pdata is previously `NULL`, a new buffer will be allocated.

This function is not thread-safe. If using a GPtrArray from multiple threads, use only the atomic `g_ptr_array_ref()` and `g_ptr_array_unref()` functions.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
free_seg | if `TRUE` the actual pointer array is freed as well |

#### Returns

the pointer array if `free_seg` is `FALSE`, otherwise `NULL`. The pointer array should be freed using `g_free()`.

[transfer full][nullable]

### g_ptr_array_foreach ()

    void
    g_ptr_array_foreach (GPtrArray *array,
                         GFunc func,
                         gpointer user_data);

Calls a function for each element of a GPtrArray. `func` must not add elements to or remove elements from the array.

#### Parameters

array | a GPtrArray |
func | the function to call for each array element |
user_data | user data to pass to the function |

Since: 2.4

### g_ptr_array_find ()

    gboolean
    g_ptr_array_find (GPtrArray *haystack,
                      gconstpointer needle,
                      guint *index_);

Checks whether `needle` exists in `haystack` . If the element is found, `TRUE` is returned and the element’s index is returned in `index_` (if non-`NULL`). Otherwise, `FALSE` is returned and `index_` is undefined. If `needle` exists multiple times in `haystack` , the index of the first instance is returned.

This does pointer comparisons only. If you want to use more complex equality checks, such as string comparisons, use `g_ptr_array_find_with_equal_func()`.

[skip]

#### Parameters

haystack | pointer array to be searched |
needle | pointer to look for |
index_ | return location for the index of the element, if found. | [optional][out]

#### Returns

`TRUE` if `needle` is one of the elements of `haystack`

Since: 2.54

### g_ptr_array_find_with_equal_func ()

    gboolean
    g_ptr_array_find_with_equal_func (GPtrArray *haystack,
                                      gconstpointer needle,
                                      GEqualFunc equal_func,
                                      guint *index_);

Checks whether `needle` exists in `haystack` , using the given `equal_func` . If the element is found, `TRUE` is returned and the element’s index is returned in `index_` (if non-`NULL`). Otherwise, `FALSE` is returned and `index_` is undefined. If `needle` exists multiple times in `haystack` , the index of the first instance is returned.

`equal_func` is called with the element from the array as its first parameter, and `needle` as its second parameter. If `equal_func` is `NULL`, pointer equality is used.

[skip]

#### Parameters

haystack | pointer array to be searched |
needle | pointer to look for |
equal_func | the function to call for each element, which should return `TRUE` when the desired element is found; or `NULL` to use pointer equality. | [nullable]
index_ | return location for the index of the element, if found. | [optional][out]

#### Returns

`TRUE` if `needle` is one of the elements of `haystack`

Since: 2.54

## Types and Values

### struct GPtrArray

    struct GPtrArray {
      gpointer *pdata;
      guint	    len;
    };

Contains the public fields of a pointer array.

#### Members

gpointer *`pdata`; | points to the array of pointers, which may be moved when the array grows |
guint `len`; | number of pointers in the array |