Question 1

How do I use C Macro Collections with my own custom struct types?

Accepted Answer

Define macros for your type (e.g., V, PFX, SNAME) and provide a function table with comparators, hashing, or other required operations. The README includes an example with integers, and you can extend it by implementing similar functions for your structs.

Question 2

C Macro Collections vs GLib: which is better for C projects?

Accepted Answer

C Macro Collections is header-only and macro-based, offering type safety and no external dependencies, while GLib is a full-featured library with precompiled binaries but less type safety in C. Choose C Macro Collections for lightweight, type-safe integration; GLib for a broader ecosystem with GUI and networking support.

Question 3

Is C Macro Collections thread-safe?

Accepted Answer

The core collections are not thread-safe by default, but the library includes a Thread-Safe Collections (TSC) sub-library for concurrent operations. You need to explicitly use TSC modules or add external synchronization for thread safety.

Question 4

How to handle errors when operations like push_back fail?

Accepted Answer

Check the return value of functions (e.g., bool for success/failure) and use the collection's flag system to get error codes. The README example shows using cmc_flags_to_str to map error enums to descriptive strings for debugging.

Question 5

Can I use C Macro Collections in embedded systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes, its header-only design and support for custom allocators make it suitable for embedded systems. However, the heap allocation requirement and macro overhead might need careful evaluation for memory-constrained environments.

Question 6

What are the performance benchmarks for C Macro Collections?

Accepted Answer

The library includes a benchmarks folder for testing, but specific numbers aren't detailed in the README. It claims low runtime overhead due to macro-based code generation, but performance can vary based on data types and compiler optimizations.

Question 7

How to iterate over a collection and safely delete elements?

Accepted Answer

Use the provided two-way iterators, but note that structural modifications invalidate iterators. For safe deletion, consider collecting indices or keys first, or use the LinkedList with node-based functions which allow modifications during iteration as per the design decisions.

C Macro Collections

What is C Macro Collections?

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