Overview of External Memory

Quxlang provides IBC pointers and references for access to external data. For example, an IBC pointer can expose an external packet through its binary layout:

::packet IBC_STRUCT
{
  .sequence VAR U32;
}

::read_sequence FUNCTION(@address ADDRESS): U32
{
  VAR packet_view IBC CONST->packet :=
    IBC_PUN#(IBC CONST->packet)(@ADDR address);
  RETURN packet_view->.sequence;
}

The caller must supply a valid address with the required layout and alignment. IBC_LOAD#T and IBC_WRITE#T transfer values directly; IBC_GETADDR exports a pointer as an address. These four operations require runtime execution.

IBC qualification propagates through field and element access. Adding or removing it on a pointer or reference requires an explicit cast. It is intended for external data and does not change the active-type and lifetime rules for ordinary Quxlang objects.

See the External Memory Reference.