nshader_base.h

Foundation header providing memory allocation hooks and binary format constants.

Purpose

Enables custom memory allocators for embedded/game engines with strict memory requirements. Defines the binary format version for forward compatibility.

Memory Allocation

// Override before any nshader calls
nshader_set_memory_fns(my_malloc, my_free, my_calloc, my_realloc);

Default implementations use standard library functions. Override is not thread-safe; call once at startup before any nshader operations.

All internal allocations route through these functions:

• nshader_malloc(size) - allocate
• nshader_free(ptr) - deallocate
• nshader_calloc(num, size) - allocate zeroed
• nshader_realloc(ptr, new_size) - resize

Format Constants

Constant	Value	Description
NSHADER_MAGIC	0x5244534E	“NSDR” in little-endian; file identifier
NSHADER_VERSION	1	Binary format version

API Visibility

NSHADER_API macro handles symbol visibility:

• Shared builds: dllexport/dllimport on Windows, visibility(“default”) on GCC
• Static builds: no decoration

When to Use

• Integrating with custom allocator (game engines, embedded)
• Building as shared library (define NSHADER_SHARED, NSHADER_EXPORTS)
• Checking binary format compatibility