# MPI_Pack_size

Returns the upper bound on the amount of space needed to pack a message

## Synopsis

    int MPI_Pack_size(int incount, MPI_Datatype datatype, MPI_Comm comm, int *size)

## Input Parameters

incount
  count argument to packing call (integer)
datatype
  datatype argument to packing call (handle)
comm
  communicator argument to packing call (handle)

## Output Parameters

size
  upper bound on size of packed message, in bytes (integer)

## Notes

The MPI standard document describes this in terms of `MPI_Pack`, but it applies to both `MPI_Pack` and `MPI_Unpack`. That is, the value `size` is the maximum that is needed by either `MPI_Pack` or `MPI_Unpack`.

## Thread and Interrupt Safety

This routine is thread-safe. This means that this routine may be safely used by multiple threads without the need for any user-provided thread locks. However, the routine is not interrupt safe. Typically, this is due to the use of memory allocation routines such as `malloc` or other non-MPICH runtime routines that are themselves not interrupt-safe.

## Notes for Fortran

All MPI routines in Fortran (except for `MPI_WTIME` and `MPI_WTICK`) have an additional argument `ierr` at the end of the argument list. `ierr` is an integer and has the same meaning as the return value of the routine in C. In Fortran, MPI routines are subroutines, and are invoked with the `call` statement.

All MPI objects (e.g., `MPI_Datatype`, `MPI_Comm`) are of type `INTEGER` in Fortran.

## Errors

All MPI routines (except `MPI_Wtime` and `MPI_Wtick`) return an error value; C routines as the value of the function and Fortran routines in the last argument. Before the value is returned, the current MPI error handler is called. By default, this error handler aborts the MPI job. The error handler may be changed with `MPI_Comm_set_errhandler` (for communicators), `MPI_File_set_errhandler` (for files), and `MPI_Win_set_errhandler` (for RMA windows). The MPI-1 routine `MPI_Errhandler_set` may be used but its use is deprecated. The predefined error handler `MPI_ERRORS_RETURN` may be used to cause error values to be returned. Note that MPI does not guarentee that an MPI program can continue past an error; however, MPI implementations will attempt to continue whenever possible.

MPI_SUCCESS
  No error; MPI routine completed successfully.

MPI_ERR_COMM
  Invalid communicator. A common error is to use a null communicator in a call (not even allowed in `MPI_Comm_rank`).

MPI_ERR_TYPE
  Invalid datatype argument. Additionally, this error can occur if an uncommitted MPI_Datatype (see `MPI_Type_commit`) is used in a communication call.

MPI_ERR_ARG
  Invalid argument. Some argument is invalid and is not identified by a specific error class (e.g., `MPI_ERR_RANK`).