Baseoffset

Baseoffset is a term used in computing to denote a fixed reference point from which another position is measured. It represents the distance or offset from a defined base reference, and is typically expressed in bytes or elements. The final address or position is often computed as base plus offset.

In memory addressing, baseoffset is used for pointer arithmetic and field access within complex data structures. For example, the address of a member within a struct is the base address of the struct plus the member’s base offset. In C, the offsetof macro provides the base offset of a member from the start of the structure. This concept underpins how contiguous memory layouts are navigated and accessed efficiently.

In binary file formats and executables, base offsets indicate where sections or data begin inside a loaded image. Relocation tables adjust these offsets if the image is loaded at a different base address, ensuring pointers still reference the correct data after loading.

Other contexts include binary streaming, serialized data, and database records, where a baseoffset helps locate a particular field or record within a larger payload. It can be fixed or computed at run time by a loader, serializer, or interpretation layer.

Relation to other terms: the base offset is distinct from the base address. The base address is the actual starting location in memory or on disk, while the offset is the distance from that base to the target. Understanding baseoffset aids in low-level data access, memory layout analysis, and file format interpretation.

See also: offset, base address, offsetof, relocation.