Improve performance of the nc_reclaim_data and nc_copy_data functions. #2699
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re: Issue #2685
re: PR #2179
As noted in PR #2179, the old code did not allow for reclaiming instances of types, nor for properly copying them. That PR provided new functions capable of reclaiming/copying instances of arbitrary types.
However, as noted by Issue #2685, using these most general functions resulted in a significant performance degradation, even for common cases.
This PR attempts to mitigate the cost of using the general reclaim/copy functions in two ways.
First, the previous functions operating at the top level by using ncid and typeid arguments. These functions were augmented with equivalent versions that used the netcdf-c library internal data structures to allow direct access to needed information. These new functions are used internally to the library.
The second mitigation involves optimizing the internal functions by providing early tests for common cases. This avoids unnecessary recursive function calls.
The overall result is a significant improvement in speed by a factor of roughly twenty -- your mileage may vary. These optimized functions are still not as fast as the original (more limited) functions, but they are getting close. Additional optimizations are possible. But the cost is a significant "uglification" of the code that I deemed a step too far, at least for now.
Misc. Changes