Provided by: pvm-dev_3.4.6-3.2_amd64 
NAME
pvm_pack - Pack the active message buffer with arrays of prescribed data type.
SYNOPSIS
C
int info = pvm_packf( const char *fmt, ... )
int info = pvm_pkbyte( char *xp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkcplx( float *cp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkdcplx( double *zp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkdouble( double *dp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkfloat( float *fp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkint( int *ip, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkuint( unsigned int *ip, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkushort( unsigned short *ip, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkulong( unsigned long *ip, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pklong( long *ip, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkshort( short *jp, int nitem, int stride )
int info = pvm_pkstr( char *sp )
Fortran
call pvmfpack( what, xp, nitem, stride, info )
PARAMETERS
fmt Printf-like format expression specifying what to pack. (See discussion).
nitem The total number of items to be packed (not the number of bytes).
stride The stride to be used when packing the items. For example, if stride = 2 in pvm_pkcplx, then
every other complex number will be packed.
xp Pointer to the beginning of a block of bytes. Can be any data type, but must match the
corresponding unpack data type.
cp Complex array at least nitem*stride items long.
zp Double precision complex array at least nitem*stride items long.
dp Double precision real array at least nitem*stride items long.
fp Real array at least nitem*stride items long.
ip Integer array at least nitem*stride items long.
jp Integer*2 array at least nitem*stride items long.
sp Pointer to a null terminated character string.
what Integer specifying the type of data being packed.
what options
STRING 0 REAL4 4
BYTE1 1 COMPLEX8 5
INTEGER2 2 REAL8 6
INTEGER4 3 COMPLEX16 7
info Integer status code returned by the routine. Values less than zero indicate an error.
DESCRIPTION
Each of the pvm_pk* routines packs an array of the given data type into the active send buffer. The
arguments for each of the routines are a pointer to the first item to be packed, nitem which is the total
number of items to pack from this array, and stride which is the stride to use when packing.
An exception is pvm_pkstr() which by definition packs a NULL terminated character string and thus does
not need nitem or stride arguments. The Fortran routine pvmfpack( STRING, ... ) expects nitem to be the
number of characters in the string and stride to be 1.
A null string ("") can be packed; this is just a string with no characters before the terminating '\0'.
However, packing a null string pointer, (char *)0, is not allowed.
If the packing is successful, info will be 0. If some error occurs then info will be < 0.
A single variable (not an array) can be packed by setting nitem = 1 and stride = 1.
The routine pvm_packf() uses a printf-like format expression to specify what and how to pack data into
the send buffer. All variables are passed as addresses if count and stride are specified otherwise,
variables are assumed to be values. A BNF-like description of the format syntax is:
format : null | init | format fmt
init : null | '%' '+'
fmt : '%' count stride modifiers fchar
fchar : 'c' | 'd' | 'f' | 'x' | 's'
count : null | [0-9]+ | '*'
stride : null | '.' ( [0-9]+ | '*' )
modifiers : null | modifiers mchar
mchar : 'h' | 'l' | 'u'
Formats:
+ means initsend - must match an int (how) in the param list.
c pack/unpack bytes
d integers
f float
x complex float
s string
Modifiers:
h short (int)
l long (int, float, complex float)
u unsigned (int)
’*' count or stride must match an int in the param list.
Future extensions to the what argument in pvmfpack will include 64 bit types when XDR encoding of these
types is available. Meanwhile users should be aware that precision can be lost when passing data from a
64 bit machine like a Cray to a 32 bit machine like a SPARCstation. As a mnemonic the what argument name
includes the number of bytes of precision to expect. By setting encoding to PVMRAW (see pvmfinitsend)
data can be transferred between two 64 bit machines with full precision even if the PVM configuration is
heterogeneous.
Messages should be unpacked exactly like they were packed to insure data integrity. Packing integers and
unpacking them as floats will often fail because a type encoding will have occurred transferring the data
between heterogeneous hosts. Packing 10 integers and 100 floats then trying to unpack only 3 integers and
the 100 floats will also fail.
EXAMPLES
C:
info = pvm_initsend( PvmDataDefault );
info = pvm_pkstr( "initial data" );
info = pvm_pkint( &size, 1, 1 );
info = pvm_pkint( array, size, 1 );
info = pvm_pkdouble( matrix, size*size, 1 );
msgtag = 3 ;
info = pvm_send( tid, msgtag );
int count, *iarry;
double darry[4];
pvm_packf("%+ %d %*d %4lf", PvmDataRaw, count, count, iarry, darry);
Fortran:
CALL PVMFINITSEND(PVMRAW, INFO)
CALL PVMFPACK( INTEGER4, NSIZE, 1, 1, INFO )
CALL PVMFPACK( STRING, 'row 5 of NXN matrix', 19, 1, INFO )
CALL PVMFPACK( REAL8, A(5,1), NSIZE, NSIZE , INFO )
CALL PVMFSEND( TID, MSGTAG, INFO )
WARNINGS
Strings cannot be packed when using the PvmDataInPlace encoding, due to limitations in the
implementation. Attempting to pack a string using pvm_pkstr or pvm_packf will cause error code
PvmNotImpl to be returned.
ERRORS
PvmNoMem
Malloc has failed. Message buffer size has exceeded the available memory on this host.
PvmNoBuf
There is no active send buffer to pack into. Try calling pvm_initsend before packing message.
PvmOverflow
Attempt to pack a value too large. E.g. packing an 8-byte long with XDR encoding if the value
won't fit into 4 bytes.
SEE ALSO
pvm_initsend(3PVM), pvm_unpack(3PVM), pvm_send(3PVM), pvm_recv(3PVM), pvm_pkmesg(3PVM)
30 August, 1993 PACK(3PVM)