Last modified: 10 April 2013
Name: H5Odecr_refcount
Signature:
herr_t H5Odecr_refcount( hid_t object_id )

Purpose:
Decrements an object reference count.

Description:
H5Odecr_refcount decrements the hard link reference count for an object. It should be used any time a user-defined link that references an object by address is deleted. In general, H5Oincr_refcount will have been used previously, when the link was created.

An object’s reference count is the number of hard links in the file that point to that object. See the “Programming Model” section of the “HDF5 Groups” chapter in the HDF5 User’s Guide for a more complete discussion of reference counts.

If a user application needs to determine an object’s reference count, an H5Oget_info call is required; the reference count is returned in the rc field of the H5O_info_t struct.

Warning: This function must be used with care!
Improper use can lead to inaccessible data, wasted space in the file, or file corruption.

Parameters:

Returns:
Returns a non-negative value if successful; otherwise returns a negative value.

Fortran90 Interface: h5odecr_refcount_f

History:
Release     C
1.8.11 Fortran subroutine introduced in this release.
1.8.0 Function introduced in this release.