NAME

   idl_es_decode_buffer - Returns a buffer decoding handle to the IDL
                          encoding services

 SYNOPSIS

   void idl_es_decode_buffer( idl_byte *encoded_data_buffer,
                              idl_ulong_int buffer_size,
                              idl_es_handle_t *es_handle,
                              error_status_t *status );

 PARAMETERS

   Input

   encoded_data_buffer
        The address of the buffer that contains the data to be decoded.

   buffer_size
        The number of bytes of data in the buffer to be decoded.

   Output

   es_handle
        Returns the address of an IDL encoding services handle for use
        by a client or server decoding operation.

   status
        Returns the status code from this routine. This status code
        indicates whether the routine completed successfully or, if
        not, why not.  The possible status codes and their meanings
        include:

        rpc_s_ok       Success.

        rpc_s_ss_bad_buffer
                       Bad buffer operation.

        rpc_s_no_memory
                       Insufficient memory available to complete
                       operation.

 DESCRIPTION

   The IDL encoding services provide client and server RPC applications
   with a method for encoding data types in input parameters into a byte
   stream and decoding data types in output parameters from a byte stream
   without invoking the RPC runtime. Encoding and decoding operations are
   analogous to marshalling and unmarshalling, except that the data is
   stored locally, and is not transmitted over the network. Client and
   server applications can use the IDL encoding services to create
   persistent storage for their data.  Encoding "flattens" complex data
   types into a byte stream for storage on disk, while decoding restores
   the flattened data to complex form.

   The idl_es_decode_buffer() routine belongs to a set of routines that
   return handles to the IDL encoding services for use by client and
   server encoding and decoding operations. The information in the
   handle controls the way in which the IDL encoding services manage
   memory when encoding or decoding data.

   The idl_es_decode_buffer() routine returns a buffer decoding handle,
   which directs the IDL encoding services to decode data from a single
   application-supplied buffer of encoded data.

 RETURNED VALUES

   None.

 RELATED INFORMATION

   Function: idl_es_decode_incremental