PointerToolkit 1.0.0-preview1

UnsafeRuntime

Provides structs that wrap pointers, Unsafe methods for converting to and from ref pointers of any type, as well as Interlocked and Volatile operations on ref pointers.

Even using the built-in System.Runtime.CompilerServices.Unsafe class, you cannot reinterpret refs to raw pointers for use in calls to methods such as Interlocked.Exchange() or Volatile.Read().

Pointers up to 3 levels of indirection are supported, e.g. void*** and T***. The helper classes UnsafePtr, InterlockedPtr, and VolatilePtr are provided.

We may get this in .NET itself someday, if https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/issues/62342 is approved and landed. Until then, you can use this.

namespace PointerToolkit;

public static unsafe class UnsafePtr
{
    public static ref T As<T>(ref void* source)
        where T : unmanaged;

    public static ref U As<T, U>(ref T* source)
        where T : unmanaged
        where U : unmanaged;

    // etc.
}

public static unsafe class InterlockedPtr
{
    public static void* Exchange(ref void* location1, void* value);

    public static T* Exchange<T>(ref T* location1, T* value)
        where T : unmanaged;

    // etc.
}

public static unsafe class VolatilePtr
{
    public static void* Read(ref void* location);

    public static T* Read<T>(ref T* location)
        where T : unmanaged;

    public static void Write(ref void* location, void* value);

    public static void Write<T>(ref T* location, T* value)
        where T : unmanaged;

    // etc.
}