Span<T>.GetPinnableReference Method

Definition

Namespace:

System

Assembly:

System.Runtime.dll

Source:

Span.cs

Returns a reference to an object of type T that can be used for pinning.

This method is intended to support .NET compilers and is not intended to be called by user code.

public:
 T % GetPinnableReference();

public ref T GetPinnableReference ();

member this.GetPinnableReference : unit -> 'T

Public Function GetPinnableReference () As T

Returns

T

A reference to the element of the span at index 0, or null if the span is empty.

Examples

The following example demonstrates creating an integer array, pinning it, and writing each element to the console.

using System;

// Note: you must compile this sample using the unsafe flag.
// From the command line, type the following: csc sample.cs /unsafe

public class Example
{
    public static unsafe void Main()
    {
        int[] array = CreateInt32Array();

        // Create a span, pin it, and print its elements.
        Span<int> span = array.AsSpan();
        fixed (int* spanPtr = span)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Span contains {span.Length} elements:");
            for (int i = 0; i < span.Length; i++)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(spanPtr[i]);
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }

        // Create a read-only span, pin it, and print its elements.
        ReadOnlySpan<int> readonlyspan = array.AsSpan();
        fixed (int* readonlyspanPtr = readonlyspan)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"ReadOnlySpan contains {readonlyspan.Length} elements:");
            for (int i = 0; i < readonlyspan.Length; i++)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(readonlyspanPtr[i]);
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }

    private static int[] CreateInt32Array()
    {
        return new int[] { 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 };
    }
}

// The example displays the following output:
//       Span contains 5 elements:
//       100
//       200
//       300
//       400
//       500
//
//       ReadOnlySpan contains 5 elements:
//       100
//       200
//       300
//       400
//       500

#nowarn "9"
#nowarn "51"
open System
open FSharp.NativeInterop

let createInt32Array () =
    [| 100; 200; 300; 400; 500 |]

[<EntryPoint>]
let main _ =
    let array = createInt32Array()

    // Create a span, pin it, and print its elements.
    let span = array.AsSpan()
    let spanPtr = &&span.GetPinnableReference()
    printfn $"Span contains {span.Length} elements:"
    for i = 0 to span.Length - 1 do
        printfn $"{NativePtr.get spanPtr i}"
    printfn ""

    // Create a read-only span, pin it, and print its elements.
    let readonlyspan: ReadOnlySpan<int> = array.AsSpan()
    let readonlyspanPtr = &&readonlyspan.GetPinnableReference()
    
    printfn $"ReadOnlySpan contains {readonlyspan.Length} elements:"
    for i = 0 to readonlyspan.Length - 1 do
        printfn $"{NativePtr.get readonlyspanPtr i}"
    printfn ""
    0

// The example displays the following output:
//       Span contains 5 elements:
//       100
//       200
//       300
//       400
//       500
//
//       ReadOnlySpan contains 5 elements:
//       100
//       200
//       300
//       400
//       500

Remarks

Applications should not directly call GetPinnableReference. Instead, callers should use their language's normal pinning syntax, such as C#'s fixed statement.

If pinning a Span<char>, the resulting char* is not assumed to be null-terminated. This behavior is different from pinning a string, where the resulting char* is guaranteed to be null-terminated.