Table of Contents

• 1. countdictstack
  • 1.1. Syntax
  • 1.2. Stack Effects
  • 1.3. Description
  • 1.4. PostScript Level
  • 1.5. Examples
  • 1.6. Common Use Cases
    • 1.6.1. Stack Balance Verification
    • 1.6.2. Debugging
    • 1.6.3. Cleanup Verification
  • 1.7. Common Pitfalls
  • 1.8. Error Conditions
  • 1.9. Implementation Notes
  • 1.10. Minimum Stack Depths
  • 1.11. See Also

1. countdictstack

Returns the number of dictionaries currently on the dictionary stack.

1.1. Syntax

– countdictstack → int

1.2. Stack Effects

Table 1. Before

Level	Object
(none)

Table 2. After

Level	Object
0	int (number of dictionaries on dict stack)

1.3. Description

countdictstack counts the number of dictionaries currently on the dictionary stack and pushes this count onto the operand stack.

The count includes all dictionaries: permanent system dictionaries and any pushed by begin.

1.4. PostScript Level

Level 1 and later

1.5. Examples

Basic count

countdictstack  % Typically returns 2 or 3
                % (systemdict, [globaldict,] userdict)

With nested dictionaries

countdictstack  % Returns e.g. 3
dict1 begin
  countdictstack  % Returns 4
  dict2 begin
    countdictstack  % Returns 5
  end
end

Verifying balance

countdictstack /savedCount exch def
dict begin
  % ... operations ...
end
countdictstack savedCount eq  % Should be true

1.6. Common Use Cases

1.6.1. Stack Balance Verification

/withBalancedDict {  % dict proc =>
  countdictstack 3 1 roll
  begin
    stopped { end } if
  end
  countdictstack eq not {
    /dictstackimbalance cvx exec
  } if
} def

1.6.2. Debugging

/showDictStack {
  (Dictionary stack depth: ) print
  countdictstack =
} def

1.6.3. Cleanup Verification

countdictstack /initialDepth exch def
% ... complex operations ...
countdictstack initialDepth sub {
  end  % Pop extra dictionaries
} repeat

1.7. Common Pitfalls

Includes Permanent Dictionaries - Count includes systemdict, globaldict (Level 2), and userdict.

% Minimum stack depth varies by level:
% Level 1: 2 (systemdict, userdict)
% Level 2: 3 (systemdict, globaldict, userdict)

Use for Defensive Programming - Check dictionary stack balance in error handlers.

1.8. Error Conditions

Error	Condition
[stackoverflow]	No room on operand stack (extremely rare)

1.9. Implementation Notes

• Very fast operation (simple counter)

• Does not modify dictionary stack

• Typical maximum depth: 20-250 dictionaries (implementation-dependent)

1.10. Minimum Stack Depths

PostScript Level	Minimum Depth
Level 1	2 (systemdict, userdict)
Level 2	3 (systemdict, globaldict, userdict)

1.11. See Also

• dictstack - Copy dict stack to array

• begin - Push dictionary

• end - Pop dictionary

• currentdict - Get current dictionary

• count - Count operand stack depth