refcount proc

Format

refcount(Object)

Args

Object: The object to get a reference count for

Returns

A count of references for the object.

This gets a reference count for a value, not including the reference that was placed on the stack while evaluating this proc.

A return value of 0 can mean one of several things: Either this was the last reference and the object was subsequently deleted after refcount(), or the value doesn’t support reference counting.

Note

A nonzero return value does not necessarily mean the object will be deleted when its count reaches zero; mobs for instance will not be soft-deleted by the garbage collector if their key var is set, and some objects like clients and areas never soft-delete. A zero value also does not necessarily mean the object is immortal; it may be transient, like the args list in a proc that only lives as long as that copy of the proc lives.

See also