Subroutine

In computer science, a subroutine (function, procedure, or subprogram) is a sequence of code which performs a specific task, as part of a larger program, and is grouped as one or more statement blocks; such code is sometimes collected into software libraries. Subroutines can be "called", thus allowing programs to access the subroutine repeatedly without the subroutine's code having been written more than once. In many programming languages the word function is reserved for subroutines that return a value; however, the C programming language and its programmers view subroutines simply as functions that do not return a value.

Local variables, recursion and re-entrancy

A subprogram may find it useful to make use of a certain amount of "scratch" space; that is, memory used during the execution of that subprogram to hold intermediate results. Variables stored in this scratch space are referred to as local variables, and the scratch space itself is referred to as an activation record. An activation record typically has a return address that tells it where to pass control back to when the subprogram finishes.

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A subprogram may have any number and nature of call sites; in fact, a subprogram may even call itself, causing its execution to suspend while another nested execution of the same subprogram occurs. This is referred to as recursion, and is a useful technique for making some complex algorithms more comprehensible. However, recursion poses a problem if the recursive execution modifies any local variables, because when the suspended execution resumes, it will find that the data stored in its local variables have been lost.

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Early languages like Fortran simply didn't support recursion for this reason. Modern languages almost invariably provide a fresh activation record for every execution of a subprogram; that way, the nested execution is free to modify its local variables without concern for the effect on other suspended executions in progress. As nested calls accumulate, a call stack structure is formed, consisting of one activation record for each suspended subprogram. In fact, this stack structure is virtually ubiquitous, and so activation records are commonly referred to as stack frames.

Related Topics:
Fortran - Call stack - Stack frame

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If a subprogram can function properly even when called while another execution is already in progress, that subprogram is said to be re-entrant. A recursive subprogram must be re-entrant. Re-entrant subprograms are also useful in multi-threaded situations, since multiple threads can call the same subprogram without fear of interfering with each other.

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In a multi-threaded environment, there is generally more than one stack. An environment which fully supports coroutines or lazy evaluation may use data structures other than stacks to store their activation records.

Related Topics:
Multi-threaded - Coroutine - Lazy evaluation

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