Lesson plan

Pointer swizzling

In computer science, pointer swizzling is the conversion of references based on name or position into direct pointer references (memory addresses). It is typically performed during deserialization or loading of a relocatable object from a disk file, such as an executable file or pointer-based data structure. The reverse operation, replacing memory pointers with position-independent symbols or positions, is sometimes referred to as unswizzling, and is performed during serialization (saving). Alternatively, both operations can also be referred to as swizzling.

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Article summary

In computer science, pointer swizzling is the conversion of references based on name or position into direct pointer references (memory addresses). It is typically performed during deserialization or loading of a relocatable object from a disk file, such as an executable file or pointer-based data structure. The reverse operation, replacing memory pointers with position-independent symbols or positions, is sometimes referred to as unswizzling, and is performed during serialization (saving). Alternatively, both operations can also be referred to as swizzling.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.