[SOLVED] Filling an array with unknown size in fortran90

Filling an array with unknown size in fortran90

I want to fill an array with unknown size in fortran90. This is the equivalent code in MATLAB :

for i=1:10
 A[i] = i
end

I know that i can pass the size, but How can i do this in fortran90 without passing the size of the array. I read that we can use pointers, but i really dont know how to deal with pointers

Solution

I understand you want to start adding elements to an array before you know the final size of the array.

As an example, you want to read values from a file until you reach the end of the file, not knowing how many values there are.

There are three ways I can think of:

Create an array of sufficient size, and remember the final value.

 integer :: a(200), n
 n = 1
 do
     a(n) = <value>
     if (<finished>) exit
     n = n + 1
 end do

 <use a(1:n)>

Create two allocatable arrays, when you reach the end of one, make the other bigger, and swap them:

 integer, allocatable :: a(:), tmp(:)
 integer :: i, n
 n = 8
 allocate(a(n))
 i = 1
 do
     if (i > n) then 
         allocate(tmp(2*n))
         tmp(1:n) = a(:)
         call move_alloc(tmp, a)
         n = n * 2
     end if
     a(i) = <value>
     if (<finished>) exit
     i = i + 1
 end do
 allocate(tmp(i))
 tmp(:) = a(1:i)
 call move_alloc(tmp, a)

I do no longer recommend this. Pointers can be confusing and create weird and hard-to-debug bugs. But I leave it in for posterity: Create a linked list (here using a stack)

 type t_node
     integer :: value
     type(t_node), pointer :: next => NULL()
 end type t_node

 type(t_node), pointer :: list, tmp
 integer, allocatable :: a(:), i, n

 nullify(list)
 nullify(tmp)

 do
      allocate(tmp)
      tmp % value = <value>
      tmp % next => list
      list => tmp
      nullify(tmp)
      if (<finished>) exit
      n = n + 1
 end do
 allocate(a(n))
 do i = n, 1, -1
     a(i) = list % value
     tmp => list
     list => list % next
     deallocate(tmp)
 end do