STRHASH(3pub)

✨ STRHASH ✨ (that's section 3pub of the C Programmer's Manual, bestie 💅)

okay so real talk, this is a page from the C Programmer's Manual, and it's all about one lil function called strhash. she's a hash function. she hashes strings. that's the whole vibe. 🦋

🎀 NAME 🎀

strhash — a hash function for strings 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <publib.h>
unsigned long strhash(const char *s);

like. that's it. that's the whole entrance. she's lowkey minimal. 👑

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so strhash is a hash function for strings, periodt. it uses an algorithm that tries to be good in most cases, and honestly? it usually is. ✨

but ngl, it is often possible to use a better algorithm — one that takes better into account the characteristics of the data for a given application. so if you've got very specific data with very specific patterns, a custom-tuned hash could genuinely eat. 🍓

However — and this is the part where I hold your hand 🫶 — strhash is often good enough. test it before spending time to develop a better one. don't be out here building a whole bespoke hash function for no reason when the vibe check says this one already slays. no cap.

🔥 RETURN VALUE 🔥

strhash returns the computed hash value. 💫

⚠️ bestie listen. the value is not scaled into any particular range. all values that an unsigned long can take are possible. every single one. so the caller will have to do the scaling himself. that's on you, not on her. 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• publib(3)
• hashtab(3)

go read those too, they're part of the family 💖

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Lars Wirzenius (lars.wirzenius@helsinki.fi) — the icon, the legend, the moment ⭐

and that's the whole page!! 💜 this came to you from Publib, in the C Programmer's Manual, page STRHASH(3pub) — so if you ever need to cite her, that's where she lives. mwah. 🎀✨💅