update ucx

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 21:31:58 +0200

author
Olaf Wintermann <olaf.wintermann@gmail.com>
date
Mon, 13 Oct 2025 21:31:58 +0200
changeset 845
f3ab28ed22e5
parent 844
3106d9ca2f9c
child 846
ffa983c223c1

update ucx

ucx/Makefile file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/allocator.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/array_list.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/compare.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/allocator.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/array_list.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/buffer.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/collection.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/common.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/compare.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/hash_key.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/hash_map.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/iterator.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/json.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/kv_list.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/linked_list.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/list.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/map.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/printf.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/properties.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/streams.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/string.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/test.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/cx/tree.h file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/hash_key.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/hash_map.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/json.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/kv_list.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/linked_list.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/list.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/map.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/mempool.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/properties.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
ucx/string.c file | annotate | diff | comparison | revisions
--- a/ucx/Makefile	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/Makefile	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 SRC += hash_map.c
 SRC += iterator.c
 SRC += linked_list.c
+SRC += kv_list.c
 SRC += list.c
 SRC += map.c
 SRC += printf.c
--- a/ucx/allocator.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/allocator.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
         NULL
 };
 const CxAllocator * const cxStdlibAllocator = &cx_stdlib_allocator;
-const CxAllocator * cxDefaultAllocator = cxStdlibAllocator;
+const CxAllocator * cxDefaultAllocator = &cx_stdlib_allocator;
 
 int cx_reallocate_(
         void **mem,
--- a/ucx/array_list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/array_list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@
                 *target, oldcap, newcap, elem_size, reallocator
         );
         if (newmem == NULL) {
-            return 1;
+            return 1; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
         }
 
         // repair src pointer, if necessary
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@
     return 0;
 }
 
-int cx_array_insert_sorted(
+static int cx_array_insert_sorted_impl(
         void **target,
         size_t *size,
         size_t *capacity,
@@ -343,7 +343,8 @@
         const void *sorted_data,
         size_t elem_size,
         size_t elem_count,
-        CxArrayReallocator *reallocator
+        CxArrayReallocator *reallocator,
+        bool allow_duplicates
 ) {
     // assert pointers
     assert(target != NULL);
@@ -369,6 +370,7 @@
     // store some counts
     size_t old_size = *size;
     size_t old_capacity = *capacity;
+    // the necessary capacity is the worst case assumption, including duplicates
     size_t needed_capacity = old_size + elem_count;
 
     // if we need more than we have, try a reallocation
@@ -418,13 +420,60 @@
                 bptr,
                 cmp_func
         );
+        // binary search gives us the smallest index;
+        // we also want to include equal elements here
+        while (si + copy_len < elem_count
+                && cmp_func(bptr, src+copy_len*elem_size) == 0) {
+            copy_len++;
+        }
 
         // copy the source elements
-        bytes_copied = copy_len * elem_size;
-        memcpy(dest, src, bytes_copied);
-        dest += bytes_copied;
-        src += bytes_copied;
-        si += copy_len;
+        if (copy_len > 0) {
+            if (allow_duplicates) {
+                // we can copy the entire chunk
+                bytes_copied = copy_len * elem_size;
+                memcpy(dest, src, bytes_copied);
+                dest += bytes_copied;
+                src += bytes_copied;
+                si += copy_len;
+                di += copy_len;
+            } else {
+                // first, check the end of the source chunk
+                // for being a duplicate of the bptr
+                const char *end_of_src = src + (copy_len - 1) * elem_size;
+                size_t skip_len = 0;
+                while (copy_len > 0 && cmp_func(bptr, end_of_src) == 0) {
+                    end_of_src -= elem_size;
+                    skip_len++;
+                    copy_len--;
+                }
+                char *last = dest == *target ? NULL : dest - elem_size;
+                // then iterate through the source chunk
+                // and skip all duplicates with the last element in the array
+                size_t more_skipped = 0;
+                for (unsigned j = 0; j < copy_len; j++) {
+                    if (last != NULL && cmp_func(last, src) == 0) {
+                        // duplicate - skip
+                        src += elem_size;
+                        si++;
+                        more_skipped++;
+                    } else {
+                        memcpy(dest, src, elem_size);
+                        src += elem_size;
+                        last = dest;
+                        dest += elem_size;
+                        si++;
+                        di++;
+                    }
+                }
+                // skip the previously identified elements as well
+                src += skip_len * elem_size;
+                si += skip_len;
+                skip_len += more_skipped;
+                // reduce the actual size by the number of skipped elements
+                *size -= skip_len;
+            }
+        }
 
         // when all source elements are in place, we are done
         if (si >= elem_count) break;
@@ -443,20 +492,103 @@
         memmove(dest, bptr, bytes_copied);
         dest += bytes_copied;
         bptr += bytes_copied;
+        di += copy_len;
         bi += copy_len;
     }
 
-    // still source elements left? simply append them
+    // still source elements left?
     if (si < elem_count) {
-        memcpy(dest, src, elem_size * (elem_count - si));
+        if (allow_duplicates) {
+            // duplicates allowed or nothing inserted yet: simply copy everything
+            memcpy(dest, src, elem_size * (elem_count - si));
+        } else {
+            if (dest != *target) {
+                // skip all source elements that equal the last element
+                char *last = dest - elem_size;
+                while (si < elem_count) {
+                    if (last != NULL && cmp_func(last, src) == 0) {
+                        src += elem_size;
+                        si++;
+                        (*size)--;
+                    } else {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            // we must check the elements in the chunk one by one
+            while (si < elem_count) {
+                // find a chain of elements that can be copied
+                size_t copy_len = 1, skip_len = 0;
+                {
+                    const char *left_src = src;
+                    while (si + copy_len < elem_count) {
+                        const char *right_src = left_src + elem_size;
+                        int d = cmp_func(left_src,  right_src);
+                        if (d < 0) {
+                            if (skip_len > 0) {
+                                // new larger element found;
+                                // handle it in the next cycle
+                                break;
+                            }
+                            left_src += elem_size;
+                            copy_len++;
+                        } else if (d == 0) {
+                            left_src += elem_size;
+                            skip_len++;
+                        } else {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                size_t bytes_copied = copy_len * elem_size;
+                memcpy(dest, src, bytes_copied);
+                dest += bytes_copied;
+                src += bytes_copied + skip_len * elem_size;
+                si += copy_len + skip_len;
+                di += copy_len;
+                *size -= skip_len;
+            }
+        }
     }
 
-    // still buffer elements left?
-    // don't worry, we already moved them to the correct place
+    // buffered elements need to be moved when we skipped duplicates
+    size_t total_skipped = new_size - *size;
+    if (bi < new_size && total_skipped > 0) {
+        // move the remaining buffer to the end of the array
+        memmove(dest, bptr, elem_size * (new_size - bi));
+    }
 
     return 0;
 }
 
+int cx_array_insert_sorted(
+        void **target,
+        size_t *size,
+        size_t *capacity,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t elem_size,
+        size_t elem_count,
+        CxArrayReallocator *reallocator
+) {
+    return cx_array_insert_sorted_impl(target, size, capacity,
+        cmp_func, sorted_data, elem_size, elem_count, reallocator, true);
+}
+
+int cx_array_insert_unique(
+        void **target,
+        size_t *size,
+        size_t *capacity,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t elem_size,
+        size_t elem_count,
+        CxArrayReallocator *reallocator
+) {
+    return cx_array_insert_sorted_impl(target, size, capacity,
+        cmp_func, sorted_data, elem_size, elem_count, reallocator, false);
+}
+
 size_t cx_array_binary_search_inf(
         const void *arr,
         size_t size,
@@ -502,6 +634,13 @@
         result = cmp_func(elem, arr_elem);
         if (result == 0) {
             // found it!
+            // check previous elements;
+            // when they are equal, report the smallest index
+            arr_elem -= elem_size;
+            while (pivot_index > 0 && cmp_func(elem, arr_elem) == 0) {
+                pivot_index--;
+                arr_elem -= elem_size;
+            }
             return pivot_index;
         } else if (result < 0) {
             // element is smaller than pivot, continue search left
@@ -700,6 +839,31 @@
     }
 }
 
+static size_t cx_arl_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    // get a correctly typed pointer to the list
+    cx_array_list *arl = (cx_array_list *) list;
+
+    if (cx_array_insert_unique(
+            &arl->data,
+            &list->collection.size,
+            &arl->capacity,
+            list->collection.cmpfunc,
+            sorted_data,
+            list->collection.elem_size,
+            n,
+            &arl->reallocator
+    )) {
+        // array list implementation is "all or nothing"
+        return 0;
+    } else {
+        return n;
+    }
+}
+
 static void *cx_arl_insert_element(
         struct cx_list_s *list,
         size_t index,
@@ -942,6 +1106,7 @@
     if (iter->base.remove) {
         iter->base.remove = false;
         cx_arl_remove(iter->src_handle.m, iter->index, 1, NULL);
+        iter->elem_count--;
     } else {
         iter->index++;
         iter->elem_handle =
@@ -956,6 +1121,7 @@
     if (iter->base.remove) {
         iter->base.remove = false;
         cx_arl_remove(iter->src_handle.m, iter->index, 1, NULL);
+        iter->elem_count--;
     }
     iter->index--;
     if (iter->index < list->base.collection.size) {
@@ -991,6 +1157,7 @@
         cx_arl_insert_element,
         cx_arl_insert_array,
         cx_arl_insert_sorted,
+        cx_arl_insert_unique,
         cx_arl_insert_iter,
         cx_arl_remove,
         cx_arl_clear,
--- a/ucx/compare.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/compare.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -198,6 +198,20 @@
     return cx_vcmp_uint64(a, b);
 }
 
+int cx_vcmp_size(size_t a, size_t b) {
+    if (a == b) {
+        return 0;
+    } else {
+        return a < b ? -1 : 1;
+    }
+}
+
+int cx_cmp_size(const void *i1, const void *i2) {
+    size_t a = *((const size_t *) i1);
+    size_t b = *((const size_t *) i2);
+    return cx_vcmp_size(a, b);
+}
+
 int cx_vcmp_float(float a, float b) {
     if (fabsf(a - b) < 1e-6f) {
         return 0;
--- a/ucx/cx/allocator.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/allocator.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@
 /**
  * Reallocate the previously allocated block in @p mem, making the new block
  * @p n bytes long.
- * This function may return the same pointer that was passed to it, if moving
+ * This function may return the same pointer passed to it if moving
  * the memory was not necessary.
  *
  * @note Re-allocating a block allocated by a different allocator is undefined.
@@ -295,11 +295,11 @@
 /**
  * Reallocate the previously allocated block in @p mem, making the new block
  * @p n bytes long.
- * This function may return the same pointer that was passed to it, if moving
+ * This function may return the same pointer passed to it if moving
  * the memory was not necessary.
  *
  * The size is calculated by multiplying @p nemb and @p size.
- * If that multiplication overflows, this function returns @c NULL and @c errno
+ * If that multiplication overflows, this function returns @c NULL, and @c errno
  * will be set.
  *
  * @note Re-allocating a block allocated by a different allocator is undefined.
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@
  * @note Re-allocating a block allocated by a different allocator is undefined.
  *
  * @par Error handling
- * @c errno will be set, if the underlying realloc function does so.
+ * @c errno will be set if the underlying realloc function does so.
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator
  * @param mem pointer to the pointer to allocated block
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@
  * @note Re-allocating a block allocated by a different allocator is undefined.
  *
  * @par Error handling
- * @c errno will be set, if the underlying realloc function does so.
+ * @c errno will be set if the underlying realloc function does so.
  *
  * @param allocator (@c CxAllocator*) the allocator
  * @param mem (@c void**) pointer to the pointer to allocated block
--- a/ucx/cx/array_list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/array_list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@
 #endif
 
 /**
- * The maximum item size in an array list that fits into stack buffer
- * when swapped.
+ * The maximum item size in an array list that fits into
+ * a stack buffer when swapped.
  */
 cx_attr_export
 extern const unsigned cx_array_swap_sbo_size;
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
 /**
  * Declares variables for an array that can be used with the convenience macros.
  *
- * The size and capacity variables will have @c size_t type.
+ * The size and capacity variables will have type @c size_t.
  * Use #CX_ARRAY_DECLARE_SIZED() to specify a different type.
  *
  * @par Examples
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@
  * const CxAllocator *al = // ...
  * cx_array_initialize_a(al, myarray, 128);
  * // ...
- * cxFree(al, myarray); // don't forget to free with same allocator
+ * cxFree(al, myarray); // remember to free with the same allocator
  * @endcode
  *
  * @param allocator (@c CxAllocator*) the allocator
@@ -230,16 +230,16 @@
  * When @p allocator is @c NULL, the cxDefaultAllocator will be used.
  *
  * When @p stackmem is not @c NULL, the reallocator is supposed to be used
- * @em only for the specific array that is initially located at @p stackmem.
- * When reallocation is needed, the reallocator checks, if the array is
+ * @em only for the specific array initially located at @p stackmem.
+ * When reallocation is needed, the reallocator checks if the array is
  * still located at @p stackmem and copies the contents to the heap.
  *
- * @note Invoking this function with both arguments @c NULL will return a
+ * @note Invoking this function with both arguments being @c NULL will return a
  * reallocator that behaves like #cx_array_default_reallocator.
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator this reallocator shall be based on
  * @param stackmem the address of the array when the array is initially located
- * on the stack or shall not reallocated in place
+ * on the stack or shall not reallocate in place
  * @return an array reallocator
  */
 cx_attr_export
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@
  *
  * The @p width in bytes refers to the size and capacity.
  * Both must have the same width.
- * Supported are 0, 1, 2, and 4, as well as 8 if running on a 64 bit
+ * Supported are 0, 1, 2, and 4, as well as 8 if running on a 64-bit
  * architecture. If set to zero, the native word width is used.
  *
  * @param array a pointer to the target array
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@
  * The elements are copied to the @p target array at the specified @p index,
  * overwriting possible elements. The @p index does not need to be in range of
  * the current array @p size. If the new index plus the number of elements added
- * would extend the array's size, the remaining @p capacity is used.
+ * extends the array's size, the remaining @p capacity is used.
  *
  * If the @p capacity is also insufficient to hold the new data, a reallocation
  * attempt is made with the specified @p reallocator.
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@
  *
  * The @p width in bytes refers to the size and capacity.
  * Both must have the same width.
- * Supported are 0, 1, 2, and 4, as well as 8 if running on a 64 bit
+ * Supported are 0, 1, 2, and 4, as well as 8 if running on a 64-bit
  * architecture. If set to zero, the native word width is used.
  *
  * @param target a pointer to the target array
@@ -586,6 +586,135 @@
 #define cx_array_simple_insert_sorted(array, src, n, cmp_func) \
     cx_array_simple_insert_sorted_a(NULL, array, src, n, cmp_func)
 
+
+/**
+ * Inserts a sorted array into another sorted array, avoiding duplicates.
+ *
+ * If either the target or the source array is not already sorted with respect
+ * to the specified @p cmp_func, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * If the capacity is insufficient to hold the new data, a reallocation
+ * attempt is made.
+ * You can create your own reallocator by hand, use #cx_array_default_reallocator,
+ * or use the convenience function cx_array_reallocator() to create a custom reallocator.
+ *
+ * @param target a pointer to the target array
+ * @param size a pointer to the size of the target array
+ * @param capacity a pointer to the capacity of the target array
+ * @param cmp_func the compare function for the elements
+ * @param src the source array
+ * @param elem_size the size of one element
+ * @param elem_count the number of elements to insert
+ * @param reallocator the array reallocator to use
+ * (@c NULL defaults to #cx_array_default_reallocator)
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 2, 3, 5)
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_array_insert_unique(
+        void **target,
+        size_t *size,
+        size_t *capacity,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func,
+        const void *src,
+        size_t elem_size,
+        size_t elem_count,
+        CxArrayReallocator *reallocator
+);
+
+/**
+ * Inserts an element into a sorted array if it does not exist.
+ *
+ * If the target array is not already sorted with respect
+ * to the specified @p cmp_func, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * If the capacity is insufficient to hold the new data, a reallocation
+ * attempt is made.
+ *
+ * The \@ SIZE_TYPE is flexible and can be any unsigned integer type.
+ * It is important, however, that @p size and @p capacity are pointers to
+ * variables of the same type.
+ *
+ * @param target (@c void**) a pointer to the target array
+ * @param size (@c SIZE_TYPE*) a pointer to the size of the target array
+ * @param capacity (@c SIZE_TYPE*) a pointer to the capacity of the target array
+ * @param elem_size (@c size_t) the size of one element
+ * @param elem (@c void*) a pointer to the element to add
+ * @param cmp_func (@c cx_cmp_func) the compare function for the elements
+ * @param reallocator (@c CxArrayReallocator*) the array reallocator to use
+ * @retval zero success (also when the element was already present)
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ */
+#define cx_array_add_unique(target, size, capacity, elem_size, elem, cmp_func, reallocator) \
+    cx_array_insert_unique((void**)(target), size, capacity, cmp_func, elem, elem_size, 1, reallocator)
+
+/**
+ * Convenience macro for cx_array_add_unique() with a default
+ * layout and the specified reallocator.
+ *
+ * @param reallocator (@c CxArrayReallocator*) the array reallocator to use
+ * @param array the name of the array (NOT a pointer or alias to the array)
+ * @param elem the element to add (NOT a pointer, address is automatically taken)
+ * @param cmp_func (@c cx_cmp_func) the compare function for the elements
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ * @see CX_ARRAY_DECLARE()
+ * @see cx_array_simple_add_unique()
+ */
+#define cx_array_simple_add_unique_a(reallocator, array, elem, cmp_func) \
+    cx_array_add_unique(&array, &(array##_size), &(array##_capacity), \
+        sizeof((array)[0]), &(elem), cmp_func, reallocator)
+
+/**
+ * Convenience macro for cx_array_add_unique() with a default
+ * layout and the default reallocator.
+ *
+ * @param array the name of the array (NOT a pointer or alias to the array)
+ * @param elem the element to add (NOT a pointer, address is automatically taken)
+ * @param cmp_func (@c cx_cmp_func) the compare function for the elements
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ * @see CX_ARRAY_DECLARE()
+ * @see cx_array_simple_add_unique_a()
+ */
+#define cx_array_simple_add_unique(array, elem, cmp_func) \
+    cx_array_simple_add_unique_a(NULL, array, elem, cmp_func)
+
+/**
+ * Convenience macro for cx_array_insert_unique() with a default
+ * layout and the specified reallocator.
+ *
+ * @param reallocator (@c CxArrayReallocator*) the array reallocator to use
+ * @param array the name of the array (NOT a pointer or alias to the array)
+ * @param src (@c void*) pointer to the source array
+ * @param n (@c size_t) number of elements in the source array
+ * @param cmp_func (@c cx_cmp_func) the compare function for the elements
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ * @see CX_ARRAY_DECLARE()
+ * @see cx_array_simple_insert_unique()
+ */
+#define cx_array_simple_insert_unique_a(reallocator, array, src, n, cmp_func) \
+    cx_array_insert_unique((void**)(&array), &(array##_size), &(array##_capacity), \
+        cmp_func, src, sizeof((array)[0]), n, reallocator)
+
+/**
+ * Convenience macro for cx_array_insert_unique() with a default
+ * layout and the default reallocator.
+ *
+ * @param array the name of the array (NOT a pointer or alias to the array)
+ * @param src (@c void*) pointer to the source array
+ * @param n (@c size_t) number of elements in the source array
+ * @param cmp_func (@c cx_cmp_func) the compare function for the elements
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero failure
+ * @see CX_ARRAY_DECLARE()
+ * @see cx_array_simple_insert_unique_a()
+ */
+#define cx_array_simple_insert_unique(array, src, n, cmp_func) \
+    cx_array_simple_insert_unique_a(NULL, array, src, n, cmp_func)
+
 /**
  * Searches the largest lower bound in a sorted array.
  *
@@ -681,8 +810,8 @@
  *
  * @param arr the array
  * @param elem_size the element size
- * @param idx1 index of first element
- * @param idx2 index of second element
+ * @param idx1 index of the first element
+ * @param idx2 index of the second element
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_export
@@ -697,7 +826,7 @@
  * Allocates an array list for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
  *
  * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
- * copies of the added elements and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
  * to cx_cmp_ptr(), if none is given.
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator for allocating the list memory
--- a/ucx/cx/buffer.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/buffer.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
  * If this flag is enabled, the buffer will automatically free its contents when destroyed.
  *
  * Do NOT set this flag together with #CX_BUFFER_COPY_ON_WRITE. It will be automatically
- * set when the copy-on-write operations is performed.
+ * set when the copy-on-write operation is performed.
  */
 #define CX_BUFFER_FREE_CONTENTS 0x01
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 /**
  * If this flag is enabled, the buffer will allocate new memory when written to.
  *
- * The current contents of the buffer will be copied to the new memory and the flag
+ * The current contents of the buffer will be copied to the new memory, and the flag
  * will be cleared while the #CX_BUFFER_FREE_CONTENTS flag will be set automatically.
  */
 #define CX_BUFFER_COPY_ON_WRITE 0x04
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
     size_t blkmax;
 
     /**
-     * The target for write function.
+     * The target for the write function.
      */
     void *target;
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@
  * you will need to cast the pointer, and you should set the
  * #CX_BUFFER_COPY_ON_WRITE flag.
  *
- * You need to set the size manually after initialization, if
+ * You need to set the size manually after initialization if
  * you provide @p space which already contains data.
  *
  * When you specify stack memory as @p space and decide to use
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@
  * #CX_BUFFER_COPY_ON_EXTEND flag, instead of the
  * #CX_BUFFER_AUTO_EXTEND flag.
  *
- * @note You may provide @c NULL as argument for @p space.
+ * @note You may provide @c NULL as the argument for @p space.
  * Then this function will allocate the space and enforce
  * the #CX_BUFFER_FREE_CONTENTS flag. In that case, specifying
  * copy-on-write should be avoided, because the allocated
@@ -276,9 +276,6 @@
  * If the #CX_BUFFER_FREE_CONTENTS feature is enabled, this function also destroys
  * the contents. If you @em only want to destroy the contents, use cxBufferDestroy().
  *
- * @remark As with all free() functions, this accepts @c NULL arguments in which
- * case it does nothing.
- *
  * @param buffer the buffer to deallocate
  * @see cxBufferCreate()
  */
@@ -296,7 +293,7 @@
  * #CX_BUFFER_COPY_ON_EXTEND flag, instead of the
  * #CX_BUFFER_AUTO_EXTEND flag.
  *
- * @note You may provide @c NULL as argument for @p space.
+ * @note You may provide @c NULL as the argument for @p space.
  * Then this function will allocate the space and enforce
  * the #CX_BUFFER_FREE_CONTENTS flag.
  *
@@ -327,8 +324,8 @@
  * If auto extension is enabled, the buffer grows, if necessary.
  * In case the auto extension fails, this function returns a non-zero value and
  * no contents are changed.
- * If auto extension is disabled, the contents that do not fit into the buffer
- * are discarded.
+ * When the auto extension is disabled, the contents that do not fit into the
+ * buffer are discarded.
  *
  * If the offset is negative, the contents are shifted to the left where the
  * first @p shift bytes are discarded.
@@ -336,15 +333,15 @@
  * If this value is larger than the buffer size, the buffer is emptied (but
  * not cleared, see the security note below).
  *
- * The buffer position gets shifted alongside with the content but is kept
+ * The buffer position gets shifted alongside the content but is kept
  * within the boundaries of the buffer.
  *
  * @note For situations where @c off_t is not large enough, there are specialized cxBufferShiftLeft() and
- * cxBufferShiftRight() functions using a @c size_t as parameter type.
+ * cxBufferShiftRight() functions using a @c size_t as the parameter type.
  *
  * @attention
  * Security Note: The shifting operation does @em not erase the previously occupied memory cells.
- * But you can easily do that manually, e.g. by calling
+ * But you can do that manually by calling
  * <code>memset(buffer->bytes, 0, shift)</code> for a right shift or
  * <code>memset(buffer->bytes + buffer->size, 0, buffer->capacity - buffer->size)</code>
  * for a left shift.
@@ -517,7 +514,7 @@
  * Writes data to a CxBuffer.
  *
  * If automatic flushing is not enabled, the data is simply written into the
- * buffer at the current position and the position of the buffer is increased
+ * buffer at the current position, and the position of the buffer is increased
  * by the number of bytes written.
  *
  * If flushing is enabled and the buffer needs to flush, the data is flushed to
@@ -526,7 +523,7 @@
  * data in this buffer is shifted to the beginning of this buffer so that the
  * newly available space can be used to append as much data as possible.
  *
- * This function only stops writing more elements, when the flush target and this
+ * This function only stops writing more elements when the flush target and this
  * buffer are both incapable of taking more data or all data has been written.
  *
  * If, after flushing, the number of items that shall be written still exceeds
@@ -534,14 +531,14 @@
  * to the flush target, if possible.
  *
  * The number returned by this function is the number of elements from
- * @c ptr that could be written to either the flush target or the buffer
- * (so it does not include the number of items that had been already in the buffer
- * in were flushed during the process).
+ * @c ptr that could be written to either the flush target or the buffer.
+ * That means it does @em not include the number of items that were already in
+ * the buffer and were also flushed during the process.
  *
  * @attention
  * When @p size is larger than one and the contents of the buffer are not aligned
  * with @p size, flushing stops after all complete items have been flushed, leaving
- * the mis-aligned part in the buffer.
+ * the misaligned part in the buffer.
  * Afterward, this function only writes as many items as possible to the buffer.
  *
  * @note The signature is compatible with the fwrite() family of functions.
@@ -614,19 +611,19 @@
  * at position 200. The flush configuration is
  * @c blkmax=4 and @c blksize=64 .
  * Assume that the entire flush operation is successful.
- * All 200 bytes on the left hand-side from the current
+ * All 200 bytes on the left-hand-side from the current
  * position are written.
- * That means, the size of the buffer is now 140 and the
+ * That means the size of the buffer is now 140 and the
  * position is zero.
  *
  * @par Example 2
  * Same as Example 1, but now the @c blkmax is 1.
- * The size of the buffer is now 276 and the position is 136.
+ * The size of the buffer is now 276, and the position is 136.
  *
  * @par Example 3
  * Same as Example 1, but now assume the flush target
  * only accepts 100 bytes before returning zero.
- * That means, the flush operations manages to flush
+ * That means the flush operation manages to flush
  * one complete block and one partial block, ending
  * up with a buffer with size 240 and position 100.
  *
@@ -636,8 +633,8 @@
  * @remark When the buffer uses copy-on-write, the memory
  * is copied first, before attempting any flush.
  * This is, however, considered an erroneous use of the
- * buffer, because it does not make much sense to put
- * readonly data into an UCX buffer for flushing, instead
+ * buffer because it makes little sense to put
+ * readonly data into an UCX buffer for flushing instead
  * of writing it directly to the target.
  *
  * @param buffer the buffer
@@ -678,9 +675,9 @@
  * The least significant byte of the argument is written to the buffer. If the
  * end of the buffer is reached and #CX_BUFFER_AUTO_EXTEND feature is enabled,
  * the buffer capacity is extended by cxBufferMinimumCapacity(). If the feature
- * is disabled or buffer extension fails, @c EOF is returned.
+ * is disabled or the buffer extension fails, @c EOF is returned.
  *
- * On successful write, the position of the buffer is increased.
+ * On successful writing, the position of the buffer is increased.
  *
  * If you just want to write a null-terminator at the current position, you
  * should use cxBufferTerminate() instead.
@@ -688,7 +685,7 @@
  * @param buffer the buffer to write to
  * @param c the character to write
  * @return the byte that has been written or @c EOF when the end of the stream is
- * reached and automatic extension is not enabled or not possible
+ * reached, and automatic extension is not enabled or not possible
  * @see cxBufferTerminate()
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
--- a/ucx/cx/collection.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/collection.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -142,8 +142,10 @@
 /**
  * Indicates whether the collection can guarantee that the stored elements are currently sorted.
  *
- * This may return false even when the elements are sorted.
- * It is totally up to the implementation of the collection whether it keeps track of the order of its elements.
+ * This may return @c false even when the elements are sorted.
+ * It is totally up to the implementation of the collection when to check if the elements are sorted.
+ * It is usually a good practice to establish this property as an invariant that does not need
+ * to be re-checked on certain operations.
  *
  * @param c a pointer to a struct that contains #CX_COLLECTION_BASE
  * @retval true if the elements are currently sorted wrt. the collection's compare function
--- a/ucx/cx/common.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/common.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
  * <a href="https://uap-core.de/hg/ucx">https://uap-core.de/hg/ucx</a>
  * </p>
  *
- * <h2>LICENCE</h2>
+ * <h2>LICENSE</h2>
  *
  * Copyright 2021 Mike Becker, Olaf Wintermann All rights reserved.
  *
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@
 #endif
 
 /**
+ * Inform the compiler that falling through a switch case is intentional.
+ */
+#define cx_attr_fallthrough __attribute__((__fallthrough__))
+
+/**
  * All pointer arguments must be non-NULL.
  */
 #define cx_attr_nonnull __attribute__((__nonnull__))
@@ -184,7 +189,7 @@
  */
 #define cx_attr_cstr_arg(idx)
 /**
- * No support for access attribute in clang.
+ * No support for the access attribute in clang.
  */
 #define cx_attr_access(mode, ...)
 #else
--- a/ucx/cx/compare.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/compare.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
  *
  * All functions from compare.h with the cx_cmp prefix are
  * compatible with this signature and can be used as
- * compare function for collections, or other implementations
+ * compare function for collections or other implementations
  * that need to be type-agnostic.
  *
  * For simple comparisons the cx_vcmp family of functions
@@ -423,6 +423,36 @@
 int cx_vcmp_uint64(uint64_t i1, uint64_t i2);
 
 /**
+ * Compares two integers of type size_t.
+ *
+ * @note the parameters deliberately have type @c void* to be
+ * compatible with #cx_compare_func without the need of a cast.
+ *
+ * @param i1 pointer to size_t one
+ * @param i2 pointer to size_t two
+ * @retval -1 if the left argument is less than the right argument
+ * @retval 0 if both arguments are equal
+ * @retval 1 if the left argument is greater than the right argument
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_cmp_size(const void *i1, const void *i2);
+
+/**
+ * Compares two integers of type size_t.
+ *
+ * @param i1 size_t one
+ * @param i2 size_t two
+ * @retval -1 if the left argument is less than the right argument
+ * @retval 0 if both arguments are equal
+ * @retval 1 if the left argument is greater than the right argument
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_vcmp_size(size_t i1, size_t i2);
+
+/**
  * Compares two real numbers of type float with precision 1e-6f.
  *
  * @note the parameters deliberately have type @c void* to be
--- a/ucx/cx/hash_key.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/hash_key.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -46,14 +46,17 @@
 
 /** Internal structure for a key within a hash map. */
 struct cx_hash_key_s {
-    /** The key data. */
+    /**
+     * The key data.
+     * May be NULL when the hash is collision-free.
+     */
     const void *data;
     /**
      * The key data length.
      */
     size_t len;
     /** The hash value of the key data. */
-    unsigned hash;
+    uint64_t hash;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -80,6 +83,48 @@
 void cx_hash_murmur(CxHashKey *key);
 
 /**
+ * Mixes up a 32-bit integer to be used as a hash.
+ *
+ * This function produces no collisions and has a good statistical distribution.
+ *
+ * @param x the integer
+ * @return the hash
+ */
+cx_attr_export
+uint32_t cx_hash_u32(uint32_t x);
+
+/**
+ * Mixes up a 64-bit integer to be used as a hash.
+ *
+ * This function produces no collisions and has a good statistical distribution.
+ *
+ * @param x the integer
+ * @return the hash
+ */
+cx_attr_export
+uint64_t cx_hash_u64(uint64_t x);
+
+/**
+ * Computes a hash key from a 32-bit integer.
+ *
+ * @param x the integer
+ * @return the hash key
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_export
+CxHashKey cx_hash_key_u32(uint32_t x);
+
+/**
+ * Computes a hash key from a 64-bit integer.
+ *
+ * @param x the integer
+ * @return the hash key
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_export
+CxHashKey cx_hash_key_u64(uint64_t x);
+
+/**
  * Computes a hash key from a string.
  *
  * The string needs to be zero-terminated.
@@ -93,6 +138,24 @@
 CxHashKey cx_hash_key_str(const char *str);
 
 /**
+ * Computes a hash key from a string.
+ *
+ * Use this function when the string is represented
+ * as an unsigned char array.
+ *
+ * The string needs to be zero-terminated.
+ *
+ * @param str the string
+ * @return the hash key
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_cstr_arg(1)
+cx_attr_export
+static inline CxHashKey cx_hash_key_ustr(const unsigned char *str) {
+    return cx_hash_key_str((const char*)str);
+}
+
+/**
  * Computes a hash key from a byte array.
  *
  * @param bytes the array
@@ -115,7 +178,7 @@
  * used for data exchange with different machines.
  *
  * @param obj a pointer to an arbitrary object
- * @param len the length of object in memory
+ * @param len the length of the object in memory
  * @return the hash key
  */
 cx_attr_nodiscard
@@ -140,13 +203,106 @@
 /**
  * Computes a hash key from a UCX string.
  *
+ * @param str the string
+ * @return the hash key
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+static inline CxHashKey cx_hash_key_mutstr(cxmutstr str) {
+    return cx_hash_key(str.ptr, str.length);
+}
+
+/**
+ * The identity function for the CX_HASH_KEY() macro.
+ * You should never need to use this manually.
+ *
+ * @param key the key
+ * @return a copy of the key
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+static inline CxHashKey cx_hash_key_identity(CxHashKey key) {
+    return key;
+}
+
+#ifndef __cplusplus
+/**
+ * Creates a hash key from any of the supported types with implicit length.
+ *
+ * Does nothing when passing a CxHashkey.
+ *
+ * Supported types are UCX strings, zero-terminated C strings,
+ * and 32-bit or 64-bit unsigned integers.
+ *
+ * @param key the key data
+ * @returns the @c CxHashKey
+ */
+#define CX_HASH_KEY(key) _Generic((key), \
+        CxHashKey: cx_hash_key_identity, \
+        cxstring: cx_hash_key_cxstr, \
+        cxmutstr: cx_hash_key_mutstr, \
+        char*: cx_hash_key_str, \
+        const char*: cx_hash_key_str, \
+        unsigned char*: cx_hash_key_ustr, \
+        const unsigned char*: cx_hash_key_ustr, \
+        uint32_t: cx_hash_key_u32, \
+        uint64_t: cx_hash_key_u64) \
+        (key)
+#endif // __cplusplus
+
+/**
+ * Computes a hash key from a UCX string.
+ * Convenience macro that accepts both cxstring and cxmutstr.
+ * @deprecated use the CX_HASH_KEY() macro instead
  * @param str (@c cxstring or @c cxmutstr) the string
  * @return (@c CxHashKey) the hash key
  */
 #define cx_hash_key_cxstr(str) cx_hash_key_cxstr(cx_strcast(str))
 
+/**
+ * Compare function for hash keys.
+ *
+ * @param left the first key
+ * @param right the second key
+ * @return zero when the keys equal, non-zero when they differ
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_hash_key_cmp(const CxHashKey *left, const CxHashKey *right);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 } // extern "C"
+
+// ----------------------------------------------------------
+// Overloads of CX_HASH_KEY (the C++ version of a _Generic)
+// ----------------------------------------------------------
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(CxHashKey key) {
+    return key;
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(cxstring str) {
+    return cx_hash_key_cxstr(str);
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(cxmutstr str) {
+    return cx_hash_key_mutstr(str);
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(const char *str) {
+    return cx_hash_key_str(str);
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(const unsigned char *str) {
+    return cx_hash_key_ustr(str);
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(uint32_t key) {
+    return cx_hash_key_u32(key);
+}
+
+static inline CxHashKey CX_HASH_KEY(uint64_t key) {
+    return cx_hash_key_u64(key);
+}
 #endif
 
 #endif // UCX_HASH_KEY_H
--- a/ucx/cx/hash_map.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/hash_map.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@
  * copies of the added elements.
  *
  * @note Iterators provided by this hash map implementation provide the remove operation.
- * The index value of an iterator is incremented when the iterator advanced without removal.
+ * The index value of an iterator is incremented when the iterator advanced without
+ * removing an entry.
  * In other words, when the iterator is finished, @c index==size .
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator to use
@@ -99,7 +100,8 @@
  * copies of the added elements.
  *
  * @note Iterators provided by this hash map implementation provide the remove operation.
- * The index value of an iterator is incremented when the iterator advanced without removal.
+ * The index value of an iterator is incremented when the iterator advanced without
+ * removing an entry.
  * In other words, when the iterator is finished, @c index==size .
  *
  * @param itemsize (@c size_t) the size of one element
@@ -111,10 +113,10 @@
  * Increases the number of buckets, if necessary.
  *
  * The load threshold is @c 0.75*buckets. If the element count exceeds the load
- * threshold, the map will be rehashed. Otherwise, no action is performed and
+ * threshold, the map will be rehashed. Otherwise, no action is performed, and
  * this function simply returns 0.
  *
- * The rehashing process ensures, that the number of buckets is at least
+ * The rehashing process ensures that the number of buckets is at least
  * 2.5 times the element count. So there is enough room for additional
  * elements without the need of another soon rehashing.
  *
--- a/ucx/cx/iterator.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/iterator.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -70,6 +70,10 @@
      */
     void (*next)(void *);
     /**
+     * Original implementation in case the function needs to be wrapped.
+     */
+    void (*next_impl)(void *);
+    /**
      * Indicates whether this iterator may remove elements.
      */
     bool mutating;
@@ -141,7 +145,7 @@
  * Iterator type.
  *
  * An iterator points to a certain element in a (possibly unbounded) chain of elements.
- * Iterators that are based on collections (which have a defined "first" element), are supposed
+ * Iterators that are based on collections (which have a defined "first" element) are supposed
  * to be "position-aware", which means that they keep track of the current index within the collection.
  *
  * @note Objects that are pointed to by an iterator are always mutable through that iterator. However,
@@ -178,7 +182,7 @@
 #define cxIteratorNext(iter) (iter).base.next(&iter)
 
 /**
- * Flags the current element for removal, if this iterator is mutating.
+ * Flags the current element for removal if this iterator is mutating.
  *
  * Does nothing for non-mutating iterators.
  *
@@ -210,7 +214,7 @@
 /**
  * Creates an iterator for the specified plain array.
  *
- * The @p array can be @c NULL in which case the iterator will be immediately
+ * The @p array can be @c NULL, in which case the iterator will be immediately
  * initialized such that #cxIteratorValid() returns @c false.
  *
  * This iterator yields the addresses of the array elements.
@@ -244,7 +248,7 @@
  * moving all subsequent elements by one. Usually, when the order of elements is
  * not important, this parameter should be set to @c false.
  *
- * The @p array can be @c NULL in which case the iterator will be immediately
+ * The @p array can be @c NULL, in which case the iterator will be immediately
  * initialized such that #cxIteratorValid() returns @c false.
  *
  *
@@ -268,9 +272,9 @@
  * Creates an iterator for the specified plain pointer array.
  *
  * This iterator assumes that every element in the array is a pointer
- * and yields exactly those pointers during iteration (while in contrast
- * an iterator created with cxIterator() would return the addresses
- * of those pointers within the array).
+ * and yields exactly those pointers during iteration (on the other
+ * hand, an iterator created with cxIterator() would return the
+ * addresses of those pointers within the array).
  *
  * @param array a pointer to the array (can be @c NULL)
  * @param elem_count the number of elements in the array
--- a/ucx/cx/json.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/json.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -90,11 +90,11 @@
      */
     CX_JSON_TOKEN_STRING,
     /**
-     * A number token that can be represented as integer.
+     * A number token that can be represented as an integer.
      */
     CX_JSON_TOKEN_INTEGER,
     /**
-     * A number token that cannot be represented as integer.
+     * A number token that cannot be represented as an integer.
      */
     CX_JSON_TOKEN_NUMBER,
     /**
@@ -196,11 +196,11 @@
  */
 typedef struct cx_mutstr_s CxJsonString;
 /**
- * Type alias for a number that can be represented as 64-bit signed integer.
+ * Type alias for a number that can be represented as a 64-bit signed integer.
  */
 typedef int64_t CxJsonInteger;
 /**
- * Type alias for number that is not an integer.
+ * Type alias for a number that is not an integer.
  */
 typedef double CxJsonNumber;
 /**
@@ -272,27 +272,27 @@
      */
     union {
         /**
-         * The array data if type is #CX_JSON_ARRAY.
+         * The array data if the type is #CX_JSON_ARRAY.
          */
         CxJsonArray array;
         /**
-         * The object data if type is #CX_JSON_OBJECT.
+         * The object data if the type is #CX_JSON_OBJECT.
          */
         CxJsonObject object;
         /**
-         * The string data if type is #CX_JSON_STRING.
+         * The string data if the type is #CX_JSON_STRING.
          */
         CxJsonString string;
         /**
-         * The integer if type is #CX_JSON_INTEGER.
+         * The integer if the type is #CX_JSON_INTEGER.
          */
         CxJsonInteger integer;
         /**
-         * The number if type is #CX_JSON_NUMBER.
+         * The number if the type is #CX_JSON_NUMBER.
          */
         CxJsonNumber number;
         /**
-         * The literal type if type is #CX_JSON_LITERAL.
+         * The literal type if the type is #CX_JSON_LITERAL.
          */
         CxJsonLiteral literal;
     } value;
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@
 };
 
 /**
- * Status codes for the json interface.
+ * Status codes for the JSON interface.
  */
 enum cx_json_status {
     /**
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@
     /**
      * The input ends unexpectedly.
      *
-     * Refill the buffer with cxJsonFill() to complete the json data.
+     * Refill the buffer with cxJsonFill() to complete the JSON data.
      */
     CX_JSON_INCOMPLETE_DATA,
     /**
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@
      * You can use this enumerator to check for all "good" status results
      * by checking if the status is less than @c CX_JSON_OK.
      *
-     * A "good" status means, that you can refill data and continue parsing.
+     * A "good" status means that you can refill data and continue parsing.
      */
     CX_JSON_OK,
     /**
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@
      */
     CX_JSON_BUFFER_ALLOC_FAILED,
     /**
-     * Allocating memory for a json value failed.
+     * Allocating memory for a JSON value failed.
      */
     CX_JSON_VALUE_ALLOC_FAILED,
     /**
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@
 };
 
 /**
- * Typedef for the json status enum.
+ * Typedef for the JSON status enum.
  */
 typedef enum cx_json_status CxJsonStatus;
 
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@
     /**
      * The maximum number of fractional digits in a number value.
      * The default value is 6 and values larger than 15 are reduced to 15.
-     * Note, that the actual number of digits may be lower, depending on the concrete number.
+     * Note that the actual number of digits may be lower, depending on the concrete number.
      */
     uint8_t frac_max_digits;
     /**
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@
 };
 
 /**
- * Typedef for the json writer.
+ * Typedef for the JSON writer.
  */
 typedef struct cx_json_writer_s CxJsonWriter;
 
@@ -496,9 +496,8 @@
  * that the data is only partially written when an error occurs with no
  * way to indicate how much data was written.
  * To avoid this problem, you can use a CxBuffer as @p target which is
- * unlikely to fail a write operation and either use the buffer's flush
- * feature to relay the data or use the data in the buffer manually to
- * write it to the actual target.
+ * unlikely to fail a write operation. You can, for example, use the buffer's flush
+ * feature to relay the data.
  *
  * @param target the buffer or stream where to write to
  * @param value the value that shall be written
@@ -517,9 +516,9 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * Initializes the json interface.
+ * Initializes the JSON interface.
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  * @param allocator the allocator that shall be used for the produced values
  * @see cxJsonDestroy()
  */
@@ -528,9 +527,9 @@
 void cxJsonInit(CxJson *json, const CxAllocator *allocator);
 
 /**
- * Destroys the json interface.
+ * Destroys the JSON interface.
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  * @see cxJsonInit()
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
@@ -538,12 +537,12 @@
 void cxJsonDestroy(CxJson *json);
 
 /**
- * Destroys and re-initializes the json interface.
+ * Destroys and re-initializes the JSON interface.
  *
- * You might want to use this, to reset the parser after
+ * You might want to use this to reset the parser after
  * encountering a syntax error.
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 static inline void cxJsonReset(CxJson *json) {
@@ -563,7 +562,7 @@
  * the additional data is appended - inevitably leading to
  * an allocation of a new buffer and copying the previous contents.
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  * @param buf the source buffer
  * @param len the length of the source buffer
  * @retval zero success
@@ -575,36 +574,20 @@
 cx_attr_export
 int cxJsonFilln(CxJson *json, const char *buf, size_t len);
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-} // extern "C"
 
+/**
+ * Internal function, do not use.
+ *
+ * @param json the JSON interface
+ * @param str the string
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero internal allocation error
+ */
 cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxJsonFill(
-        CxJson *json,
-        cxstring str
-) {
+static inline int cx_json_fill(CxJson *json, cxstring str) {
     return cxJsonFilln(json, str.ptr, str.length);
 }
 
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxJsonFill(
-        CxJson *json,
-        cxmutstr str
-) {
-    return cxJsonFilln(json, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cxJsonFill(
-        CxJson *json,
-        const char *str
-) {
-    return cxJsonFilln(json, str, strlen(str));
-}
-
-extern "C" {
-#else // __cplusplus
 /**
  * Fills the input buffer.
  *
@@ -616,53 +599,13 @@
  * the additional data is appended - inevitably leading to
  * an allocation of a new buffer and copying the previous contents.
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  * @param str the source string
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero internal allocation error
  * @see cxJsonFilln()
  */
-#define cxJsonFill(json, str) _Generic((str), \
-    cxstring: cx_json_fill_cxstr,             \
-    cxmutstr: cx_json_fill_mutstr,            \
-    char*: cx_json_fill_str,                  \
-    const char*: cx_json_fill_str)            \
-    (json, str)
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxJsonFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_json_fill_cxstr(
-        CxJson *json,
-        cxstring str
-) {
-    return cxJsonFilln(json, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxJsonFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_json_fill_mutstr(
-        CxJson *json,
-        cxmutstr str
-) {
-    return cxJsonFilln(json, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxJsonFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cx_json_fill_str(
-        CxJson *json,
-        const char *str
-) {
-    return cxJsonFilln(json, str, strlen(str));
-}
-#endif
+#define cxJsonFill(json, str) cx_json_fill(json, cx_strcast(str))
 
 /**
  * Creates a new (empty) JSON object.
@@ -973,8 +916,8 @@
  * Recursively deallocates the memory of a JSON value.
  *
  * @remark The type of each deallocated value will be changed
- * to #CX_JSON_NOTHING and values of such type will be skipped
- * by the de-allocation. That means, this function protects
+ * to #CX_JSON_NOTHING, and values of such a type will be skipped
+ * by the deallocation. That means this function protects
  * you from double-frees when you are accidentally freeing
  * a nested value and then the parent value (or vice versa).
  *
@@ -993,7 +936,7 @@
  * add the missing data with another invocation of cxJsonFill()
  * and then repeat the call to cxJsonNext().
  *
- * @param json the json interface
+ * @param json the JSON interface
  * @param value a pointer where the next value shall be stored
  * @retval CX_JSON_NO_ERROR successfully retrieve the @p value
  * @retval CX_JSON_NO_DATA there is no (more) data in the buffer to read from
@@ -1049,7 +992,7 @@
 /**
  * Checks if the specified value is a JSON number.
  *
- * This function will return true for both floating point and
+ * This function will return true for both floating-point and
  * integer numbers.
  *
  * @param value a pointer to the value
@@ -1109,7 +1052,7 @@
 /**
  * Checks if the specified value is @c true.
  *
- * @remark Be advised, that this is not the same as
+ * @remark Be advised that this is different from
  * testing @c !cxJsonIsFalse(v).
  *
  * @param value a pointer to the value
@@ -1126,7 +1069,7 @@
 /**
  * Checks if the specified value is @c false.
  *
- * @remark Be advised, that this is not the same as
+ * @remark Be advised that this is different from
  * testing @c !cxJsonIsTrue(v).
  *
  * @param value a pointer to the value
@@ -1197,7 +1140,7 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * Obtains a double-precision floating point value from the given JSON value.
+ * Obtains a double-precision floating-point value from the given JSON value.
  *
  * If the @p value is not a JSON number, the behavior is undefined.
  *
@@ -1284,6 +1227,23 @@
 CxJsonValue *cxJsonArrGet(const CxJsonValue *value, size_t index);
 
 /**
+ * Removes an element from a JSON array.
+ *
+ * If the @p value is not a JSON array, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * This function, in contrast to cxJsonArrayGet(), returns @c NULL
+ * when the index is out of bounds.
+ *
+ * @param value the JSON value
+ * @param index the index in the array
+ * @return the removed value from the specified index or @c NULL when the index was out of bounds
+ * @see cxJsonIsArray()
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+CxJsonValue *cxJsonArrRemove(CxJsonValue *value, size_t index);
+
+/**
  * Returns an iterator over the JSON array elements.
  *
  * The iterator yields values of type @c CxJsonValue* .
@@ -1317,30 +1277,16 @@
 CxIterator cxJsonObjIter(const CxJsonValue *value);
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxJsonObjGet()
+ * Internal function, do not use.
+ * @param value the JSON object
+ * @param name the key to look up
+ * @return the value corresponding to the key
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_returns_nonnull
 cx_attr_export
-CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(const CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name);
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-} // extern "C"
-
-static inline CxJsonValue *cxJsonObjGet(const CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name) {
-    return cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(value, name);
-}
+CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get(const CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name);
 
-static inline CxJsonValue *cxJsonObjGet(const CxJsonValue *value, cxmutstr name) {
-    return cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(value, cx_strcast(name));
-}
-
-static inline CxJsonValue *cxJsonObjGet(const CxJsonValue *value, const char *name) {
-    return cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(value, cx_str(name));
-}
-
-extern "C" {
-#else
 /**
  * Returns a value corresponding to a key in a JSON object.
  *
@@ -1355,32 +1301,32 @@
  * @return the value corresponding to the key
  * @see cxJsonIsObject()
  */
-#define cxJsonObjGet(value, name) _Generic((name), \
-        cxstring: cx_json_obj_get_cxstr,           \
-        cxmutstr: cx_json_obj_get_mutstr,          \
-        char*: cx_json_obj_get_str,                \
-        const char*: cx_json_obj_get_str)          \
-        (value, name)
+#define cxJsonObjGet(value, name) cx_json_obj_get(value, cx_strcast(name))
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxJsonObjGet()
+ * Internal function, do not use.
+ * @param value the JSON object
+ * @param name the key to look up
+ * @return the value corresponding to the key or @c NULL when the key is not part of the object
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_returns_nonnull
-static inline CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get_mutstr(const CxJsonValue *value, cxmutstr name) {
-    return cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(value, cx_strcast(name));
-}
+cx_attr_export
+CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_remove(CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name);
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxJsonObjGet()
+ * Removes and returns a value corresponding to a key in a JSON object.
+ *
+ * If the @p value is not a JSON object, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * This function, in contrast to cxJsonObjGet() returns @c NULL when the
+ * object does not contain @p name.
+ *
+ * @param value the JSON object
+ * @param name the key to look up
+ * @return the value corresponding to the key or @c NULL when the key is not part of the object
+ * @see cxJsonIsObject()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_returns_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get_str(const CxJsonValue *value, const char *name) {
-    return cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(value, cx_str(name));
-}
-#endif
+#define cxJsonObjRemove(value, name) cx_json_obj_remove(value, cx_strcast(name))
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/ucx/cx/kv_list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,282 @@
+/*
+ * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS HEADER.
+ *
+ * Copyright 2025 Mike Becker, Olaf Wintermann All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+ * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
+ *
+ *   1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+ *      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+ *
+ *   2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+ *      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+ *      documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+ *
+ * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
+ * AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
+ * IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
+ * ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
+ * LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
+ * CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
+ * SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
+ * INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
+ * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
+ * POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+ */
+/**
+ * @file kv_list.h
+ * @brief Linked list implementation with key/value-lookup.
+ * @author Mike Becker
+ * @author Olaf Wintermann
+ * @copyright 2-Clause BSD License
+ */
+
+#ifndef UCX_KV_LIST_H
+#define UCX_KV_LIST_H
+
+#include "common.h"
+#include "list.h"
+#include "map.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * Allocates a linked list with a lookup-map for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
+ *
+ * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * to cx_cmp_ptr() if none is given.
+ *
+ * After creating the list, it can also be used as a map after converting the pointer
+ * to a CxMap pointer with cxKvListAsMap().
+ * When you want to use the list interface again, you can also convert the map pointer back
+ * with cxKvListAsList().
+ *
+ * @param allocator the allocator for allocating the list nodes
+ * (if @c NULL, the cxDefaultAllocator will be used)
+ * @param comparator the comparator for the elements
+ * (if @c NULL, and the list is not storing pointers, sort and find
+ * functions will not work)
+ * @param elem_size the size of each element in bytes
+ * @return the created list
+ * @see cxKvListAsMap()
+ * @see cxKvListAsList()
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_malloc
+cx_attr_dealloc(cxListFree, 1)
+cx_attr_export
+CxList *cxKvListCreate(
+        const CxAllocator *allocator,
+        cx_compare_func comparator,
+        size_t elem_size
+);
+
+/**
+ * Allocates a linked list with a lookup-map for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
+ *
+ * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * to cx_cmp_ptr() if none is given.
+ *
+ * This function creates the list with cxKvListCreate() and immediately applies
+ * cxKvListAsMap(). If you want to use the returned object as a list, you can call
+ * cxKvListAsList() later.
+ *
+ * @param allocator the allocator for allocating the list nodes
+ * (if @c NULL, the cxDefaultAllocator will be used)
+ * @param comparator the comparator for the elements
+ * (if @c NULL, and the list is not storing pointers, sort and find
+ * functions will not work)
+ * @param elem_size the size of each element in bytes
+ * @return the created list wrapped into the CxMap interface
+ * @see cxKvListAsMap()
+ * @see cxKvListAsList()
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_malloc
+cx_attr_dealloc(cxMapFree, 1)
+cx_attr_export
+CxMap *cxKvListCreateAsMap(
+        const CxAllocator *allocator,
+        cx_compare_func comparator,
+        size_t elem_size
+);
+
+/**
+ * Allocates a linked list with a lookup-map for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
+ *
+ * The list will use cxDefaultAllocator and no comparator function. If you want
+ * to call functions that need a comparator, you must either set one immediately
+ * after list creation or use cxKvListCreate().
+ *
+ * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * to cx_cmp_ptr().
+ *
+ * After creating the list, it can also be used as a map after converting the pointer
+ * to a CxMap pointer with cxKvListAsMap().
+ * When you want to use the list interface again, you can also convert the map pointer back
+ * with cxKvListAsList().
+ *
+ * @param elem_size (@c size_t) the size of each element in bytes
+ * @return (@c CxList*) the created list
+ * @see cxKvListAsMap()
+ * @see cxKvListAsList()
+ */
+#define cxKvListCreateSimple(elem_size) cxKvListCreate(NULL, NULL, elem_size)
+
+/**
+ * Allocates a linked list with a lookup-map for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
+ *
+ * The list will use cxDefaultAllocator and no comparator function. If you want
+ * to call functions that need a comparator, you must either set one immediately
+ * after list creation or use cxKvListCreate().
+ *
+ * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * to cx_cmp_ptr().
+ *
+ * This macro behaves as if the list was created with cxKvListCreateSimple() and
+ * immediately followed up by cxKvListAsMap().
+ * If you want to use the returned object as a list, you can call cxKvListAsList() later.
+ *
+ * @param elem_size (@c size_t) the size of each element in bytes
+ * @return (@c CxMap*) the created list wrapped into the CxMap interface
+ * @see cxKvListAsMap()
+ * @see cxKvListAsList()
+ */
+#define cxKvListCreateAsMapSimple(elem_size) cxKvListCreateAsMap(NULL, NULL, elem_size)
+
+/**
+ * Converts a map pointer belonging to a key-value-List back to the original list pointer.
+ *
+ * @param map a map pointer that was returned by a call to cxKvListAsMap()
+ * @return the original list pointer
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_returns_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+CxList *cxKvListAsList(CxMap *map);
+
+/**
+ * Converts a map pointer belonging to a key-value-List back to the original list pointer.
+ *
+ * @param list a list created by cxKvListCreate() or cxKvListCreateSimple()
+ * @return a map pointer that lets you use the list as if it was a map
+ */
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_returns_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+CxMap *cxKvListAsMap(CxList *list);
+
+/**
+ * Sets or updates the key of a list item.
+ *
+ * This is, for example, useful when you have inserted an element using the CxList interface,
+ * and now you want to associate this element with a key.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param index the index of the element in the list
+ * @param key the key
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure or the index is out of bounds
+ * @see cxKvListSetKey()
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_kv_list_set_key(CxList *list, size_t index, CxHashKey key);
+
+/**
+ * Inserts an item into the list at the specified index and associates it with the specified key.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param index the index the inserted element shall have
+ * @param key the key
+ * @param value the value
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure or the index is out of bounds
+ * @see cxKvListInsert()
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_kv_list_insert(CxList *list, size_t index, CxHashKey key, void *value);
+
+/**
+ * Sets or updates the key of a list item.
+ *
+ * This is, for example, useful when you have inserted an element using the CxList interface,
+ * and now you want to associate this element with a key.
+ *
+ * @param list (@c CxList*) the list
+ * @param index (@c size_t) the index of the element in the list
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure or the index is out of bounds
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
+ */
+#define cxKvListSetKey(list, index, key) cx_kv_list_set_key(list, index, CX_HASH_KEY(key))
+
+/**
+ * Inserts an item into the list at the specified index and associates it with the specified key.
+ *
+ * @param list (@c CxList*) the list
+ * @param index (@c size_t) the index the inserted element shall have
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
+ * @param value (@c void*) the value
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure or the index is out of bounds
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
+ */
+#define cxKvListInsert(list, index, key, value) cx_kv_list_insert(list, index, CX_HASH_KEY(key), value)
+
+
+/**
+ * Removes the key of a list item.
+ *
+ * This can be useful if you want to explicitly remove an item from the lookup map.
+ *
+ * If no key is associated with the item, nothing happens, and this function returns zero.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param index the index of the element in the list
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero the index is out of bounds
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+int cxKvListRemoveKey(CxList *list, size_t index);
+
+/**
+ * Returns the key of a list item.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param index the index of the element in the list
+ * @return a pointer to the key or @c NULL when the index is out of bounds or the item does not have a key
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+const CxHashKey *cxKvListGetKey(CxList *list, size_t index);
+
+/**
+ * Adds an item into the list and associates it with the specified key.
+ *
+ * @param list (@c CxList*) the list
+ * @param key (@c CxHashKey, @c char*, @c cxstring, or @c cxmutstr) the key
+ * @param value (@c void*) the value
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure
+ */
+#define cxKvListAdd(list, key, value) cxKvListInsert(list, (list)->collection.size, key, value)
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+} // extern "C"
+#endif
+
+#endif // UCX_KV_LIST_H
--- a/ucx/cx/linked_list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/linked_list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -44,11 +44,43 @@
 #endif
 
 /**
+ * Metadata for a linked list.
+ */
+typedef struct cx_linked_list_s {
+    /** Base members. */
+    struct cx_list_s base;
+    /**
+     * Location of the prev pointer (mandatory).
+     */
+    off_t loc_prev;
+    /**
+     * Location of the next pointer (mandatory).
+     */
+    off_t loc_next;
+    /**
+     * Location of the payload (mandatory).
+     */
+    off_t loc_data;
+    /**
+     * Additional bytes to allocate @em behind the payload (e.g. for metadata).
+     */
+    size_t extra_data_len;
+    /**
+     * Pointer to the first node.
+     */
+    void *begin;
+    /**
+     * Pointer to the last node.
+     */
+    void *end;
+} cx_linked_list;
+
+/**
  * Allocates a linked list for storing elements with @p elem_size bytes each.
  *
  * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
- * copies of the added elements and the compare function will be automatically set
- * to cx_cmp_ptr(), if none is given.
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * to cx_cmp_ptr() if none is given.
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator for allocating the list nodes
  * (if @c NULL, the cxDefaultAllocator will be used)
@@ -76,7 +108,7 @@
  * after list creation or use cxLinkedListCreate().
  *
  * If @p elem_size is #CX_STORE_POINTERS, the created list stores pointers instead of
- * copies of the added elements and the compare function will be automatically set
+ * copies of the added elements, and the compare function will be automatically set
  * to cx_cmp_ptr().
  *
  * @param elem_size (@c size_t) the size of each element in bytes
@@ -89,12 +121,12 @@
  * Finds the node at a certain index.
  *
  * This function can be used to start at an arbitrary position within the list.
- * If the search index is large than the start index, @p loc_advance must denote
- * the location of some sort of @c next pointer (i.e. a pointer to the next node).
+ * If the search index is larger than the start index, @p loc_advance must denote
+ * the location of a @c next pointer (i.e., a pointer to the next node).
  * But it is also possible that the search index is smaller than the start index
- * (e.g. in cases where traversing a list backwards is faster) in which case
- * @p loc_advance must denote the location of some sort of @c prev pointer
- * (i.e. a pointer to the previous node).
+ * (e.g., in cases where traversing a list backwards is faster).
+ * In that case @p loc_advance must denote the location of a @c prev pointer
+ * (i.e., a pointer to the previous node).
  *
  * @param start a pointer to the start node
  * @param start_index the start index
@@ -122,7 +154,7 @@
  * @param elem a pointer to the element to find
  * @param found_index an optional pointer where the index of the found node
  * (given that @p start has index 0) is stored
- * @return the index of the element, if found - unspecified if not found
+ * @return a pointer to the found node or @c NULL if no matching node was found
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 4, 5)
 cx_attr_export
@@ -193,7 +225,7 @@
 
 /**
  * Adds a new node to a linked list.
- * The node must not be part of any list already.
+ * The node must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * @remark One of the pointers @p begin or @p end may be @c NULL, but not both.
  *
@@ -215,7 +247,7 @@
 
 /**
  * Prepends a new node to a linked list.
- * The node must not be part of any list already.
+ * The node must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * @remark One of the pointers @p begin or @p end may be @c NULL, but not both.
  *
@@ -273,7 +305,7 @@
 
 /**
  * Inserts a new node after a given node of a linked list.
- * The new node must not be part of any list already.
+ * The new node must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * @note If you specify @c NULL as the @p node to insert after, this function needs either the @p begin or
  * the @p end pointer to determine the start of the list. Then the new node will be prepended to the list.
@@ -298,7 +330,7 @@
 
 /**
  * Inserts a chain of nodes after a given node of a linked list.
- * The chain must not be part of any list already.
+ * The chain must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * If you do not explicitly specify the end of the chain, it will be determined by traversing
  * the @c next pointer.
@@ -330,7 +362,7 @@
 
 /**
  * Inserts a node into a sorted linked list.
- * The new node must not be part of any list already.
+ * The new node must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * If the list starting with the node pointed to by @p begin is not sorted
  * already, the behavior is undefined.
@@ -355,14 +387,14 @@
 
 /**
  * Inserts a chain of nodes into a sorted linked list.
- * The chain must not be part of any list already.
+ * The chain must not be part of any list yet.
  *
  * If either the list starting with the node pointed to by @p begin or the list
  * starting with @p insert_begin is not sorted, the behavior is undefined.
  *
  * @attention In contrast to cx_linked_list_insert_chain(), the source chain
  * will be broken and inserted into the target list so that the resulting list
- * will be sorted according to @p cmp_func. That means, each node in the source
+ * will be sorted according to @p cmp_func. That means each node in the source
  * chain may be re-linked with nodes from the target list.
  *
  * @param begin a pointer to the beginning node pointer (required)
@@ -384,9 +416,66 @@
 );
 
 /**
+ * Inserts a node into a sorted linked list if no other node with the same value already exists.
+ * The new node must not be part of any list yet.
+ *
+ * If the list starting with the node pointed to by @p begin is not sorted
+ * already, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * @param begin a pointer to the beginning node pointer (required)
+ * @param end a pointer to the end node pointer (if your list has one)
+ * @param loc_prev the location of a @c prev pointer within your node struct (negative if your struct does not have one)
+ * @param loc_next the location of a @c next pointer within your node struct (required)
+ * @param new_node a pointer to the node that shall be inserted
+ * @param cmp_func a compare function that will receive the node pointers
+ * @retval zero when the node was inserted
+ * @retval non-zero when a node with the same value already exists
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 5, 6)
+cx_attr_export
+int cx_linked_list_insert_unique(
+        void **begin,
+        void **end,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_prev,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_next,
+        void *new_node,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func
+);
+
+/**
+ * Inserts a chain of nodes into a sorted linked list, avoiding duplicates.
+ * The chain must not be part of any list yet.
+ *
+ * If either the list starting with the node pointed to by @p begin or the list
+ * starting with @p insert_begin is not sorted, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * @attention In contrast to cx_linked_list_insert_sorted(), not all nodes of the
+ * chain might be added. This function returns a new chain consisting of all the duplicates.
+ *
+ * @param begin a pointer to the beginning node pointer (required)
+ * @param end a pointer to the end node pointer (if your list has one)
+ * @param loc_prev the location of a @c prev pointer within your node struct (negative if your struct does not have one)
+ * @param loc_next the location of a @c next pointer within your node struct (required)
+ * @param insert_begin a pointer to the first node of the chain that shall be inserted
+ * @param cmp_func a compare function that will receive the node pointers
+ * @return a pointer to a new chain with all duplicates that were not inserted (or @c NULL when there were no duplicates)
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 5, 6)
+cx_attr_nodiscard
+cx_attr_export
+void *cx_linked_list_insert_unique_chain(
+        void **begin,
+        void **end,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_prev,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_next,
+        void *insert_begin,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func
+);
+
+/**
  * Removes a chain of nodes from the linked list.
  *
- * If one of the nodes to remove is the beginning (resp. end) node of the list and if @p begin (resp. @p end)
+ * If one of the nodes to remove is the beginning (resp. end) node of the list, and if @p begin (resp. @p end)
  * addresses are provided, the pointers are adjusted accordingly.
  *
  * The following combinations of arguments are valid (more arguments are optional):
@@ -418,7 +507,7 @@
 /**
  * Removes a node from the linked list.
  *
- * If the node to remove is the beginning (resp. end) node of the list and if @p begin (resp. @p end)
+ * If the node to remove is the beginning (resp. end) node of the list, and if @p begin (resp. @p end)
  * addresses are provided, the pointers are adjusted accordingly.
  *
  * The following combinations of arguments are valid (more arguments are optional):
@@ -496,7 +585,7 @@
 /**
  * Compares two lists element wise.
  *
- * @attention Both list must have the same structure.
+ * @attention Both lists must have the same structure.
  *
  * @param begin_left the beginning of the left list (@c NULL denotes an empty list)
  * @param begin_right the beginning of the right list  (@c NULL denotes an empty list)
--- a/ucx/cx/list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/list.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
 #include "common.h"
 #include "collection.h"
 
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
@@ -80,8 +82,8 @@
 
     /**
      * Member function for inserting a single element.
-     * The data pointer may be @c NULL in which case the function shall only allocate memory.
-     * Returns a pointer to the data of the inserted element.
+     * The data pointer may be @c NULL, in which case the function shall only allocate memory.
+     * Returns a pointer to the allocated memory or @c NULL if allocation fails.
      */
     void *(*insert_element)(
             struct cx_list_s *list,
@@ -113,6 +115,17 @@
     );
 
     /**
+     * Member function for inserting multiple elements if they do not exist.
+     *
+     * @see cx_list_default_insert_unique()
+     */
+    size_t (*insert_unique)(
+            struct cx_list_s *list,
+            const void *sorted_data,
+            size_t n
+    );
+
+    /**
      * Member function for inserting an element relative to an iterator position.
      */
     int (*insert_iter)(
@@ -181,9 +194,8 @@
     /**
      * Optional member function for comparing this list
      * to another list of the same type.
-     * If set to @c NULL, comparison won't be optimized.
+     * If set to @c NULL, the comparison won't be optimized.
      */
-    cx_attr_nonnull
     int (*compare)(
             const struct cx_list_s *list,
             const struct cx_list_s *other
@@ -214,7 +226,7 @@
  *
  * Writing to that list is not allowed.
  *
- * You can use this is a placeholder for initializing CxList pointers
+ * You can use this as a placeholder for initializing CxList pointers
  * for which you do not want to reserve memory right from the beginning.
  */
 cx_attr_export
@@ -268,6 +280,30 @@
 );
 
 /**
+ * Default implementation of an array insert where only elements are inserted when they don't exist in the list.
+ *
+ * This function is similar to cx_list_default_insert_sorted(), except it skips elements that are already in the list.
+ *
+ * @note The return value of this function denotes the number of elements from the @p sorted_data that are definitely
+ * contained in the list after completing the call. It is @em not the number of elements that were newly inserted.
+ * That means, when no error occurred, the return value should be @p n.
+ *
+ * Use this in your own list class if you do not want to implement an optimized version for your list.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param sorted_data a pointer to the array of pre-sorted data to insert
+ * @param n the number of elements to insert
+ * @return the number of elements from the @p sorted_data that are definitely present in the list after this call
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+cx_attr_export
+size_t cx_list_default_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+);
+
+/**
  * Default unoptimized sort implementation.
  *
  * This function will copy all data to an array, sort the array with standard
@@ -304,12 +340,12 @@
  *
  * Only use this function if you are creating your own list implementation.
  * The purpose of this function is to be called in the initialization code
- * of your list, to set certain members correctly.
+ * of your list to set certain members correctly.
  *
  * This is particularly important when you want your list to support
  * #CX_STORE_POINTERS as @p elem_size. This function will wrap the list
  * class accordingly and make sure that you can implement your list as if
- * it was only storing objects and the wrapper will automatically enable
+ * it was only storing objects, and the wrapper will automatically enable
  * the feature of storing pointers.
  *
  * @par Example
@@ -391,7 +427,7 @@
  * If there is not enough memory to add all elements, the returned value is
  * less than @p n.
  *
- * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects @p array is expected to
+ * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects, @p array is expected to
  * be an array of pointers.
  *
  * @param list the list
@@ -412,7 +448,7 @@
 /**
  * Inserts an item at the specified index.
  *
- * If @p index equals the list @c size, this is effectively cxListAdd().
+ * If the @p index equals the list @c size, this is effectively cxListAdd().
  *
  * @param list the list
  * @param index the index the element shall have
@@ -482,14 +518,36 @@
         CxList *list,
         const void *elem
 ) {
-    list->collection.sorted = true; // guaranteed by definition
+    assert(list->collection.sorted || list->collection.size == 0);
+    list->collection.sorted = true;
     const void *data = list->collection.store_pointer ? &elem : elem;
     return list->cl->insert_sorted(list, data, 1) == 0;
 }
 
 /**
+ * Inserts an item into a sorted list if it does not exist.
+ *
+ * If the list is not sorted already, the behavior is undefined.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param elem a pointer to the element to add
+ * @retval zero success (also when the element was already in the list)
+ * @retval non-zero memory allocation failure
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+static inline int cxListInsertUnique(
+        CxList *list,
+        const void *elem
+) {
+    assert(list->collection.sorted || list->collection.size == 0);
+    list->collection.sorted = true;
+    const void *data = list->collection.store_pointer ? &elem : elem;
+    return list->cl->insert_unique(list, data, 1) == 0;
+}
+
+/**
  * Inserts multiple items to the list at the specified index.
- * If @p index equals the list size, this is effectively cxListAddArray().
+ * If the @p index equals the list size, this is effectively cxListAddArray().
  *
  * This method is usually more efficient than invoking cxListInsert()
  * multiple times.
@@ -497,7 +555,7 @@
  * If there is not enough memory to add all elements, the returned value is
  * less than @p n.
  *
- * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects @p array is expected to
+ * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects, @p array is expected to
  * be an array of pointers.
  *
  * @param list the list
@@ -520,13 +578,13 @@
 /**
  * Inserts a sorted array into a sorted list.
  *
- * This method is usually more efficient than inserting each element separately,
+ * This method is usually more efficient than inserting each element separately
  * because consecutive chunks of sorted data are inserted in one pass.
  *
  * If there is not enough memory to add all elements, the returned value is
  * less than @p n.
  *
- * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects @p array is expected to
+ * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects, @p array is expected to
  * be an array of pointers.
  *
  * If the list is not sorted already, the behavior is undefined.
@@ -542,11 +600,51 @@
         const void *array,
         size_t n
 ) {
-    list->collection.sorted = true; // guaranteed by definition
+    assert(list->collection.sorted || list->collection.size == 0);
+    list->collection.sorted = true;
     return list->cl->insert_sorted(list, array, n);
 }
 
 /**
+ * Inserts a sorted array into a sorted list, skipping duplicates.
+ *
+ * This method is usually more efficient than inserting each element separately
+ * because consecutive chunks of sorted data are inserted in one pass.
+ *
+ * If there is not enough memory to add all elements, the returned value is
+ * less than @p n.
+ *
+ * @note The return value of this function denotes the number of elements
+ * from the @p sorted_data that are definitely contained in the list after
+ * completing the call. It is @em not the number of elements that were newly
+ * inserted. That means, when no error occurred, the return value should
+ * be @p n.
+ *
+ * If this list is storing pointers instead of objects @p array is expected to
+ * be an array of pointers.
+ *
+ * If the list is not sorted already, the behavior is undefined.
+ * This is also the case when the @p array is not sorted.
+ *
+ * @param list the list
+ * @param array a pointer to the elements to add
+ * @param n the number of elements to add
+ * @return the number of added elements
+ *
+ * @return the number of elements from the @p sorted_data that are definitely present in the list after this call
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+static inline size_t cxListInsertUniqueArray(
+        CxList *list,
+        const void *array,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    assert(list->collection.sorted || list->collection.size == 0);
+    list->collection.sorted = true;
+    return list->cl->insert_unique(list, array, n);
+}
+
+/**
  * Inserts an element after the current location of the specified iterator.
  *
  * The used iterator remains operational, but all other active iterators should
@@ -650,7 +748,7 @@
  * @param list the list
  * @param targetbuf a buffer where to copy the element
  * @retval zero success
- * @retval non-zero list is empty
+ * @retval non-zero the list is empty
  * @see cxListPopFront()
  * @see cxListRemoveAndGetLast()
  */
@@ -675,7 +773,7 @@
  * @param list (@c CxList*) the list
  * @param targetbuf (@c void*) a buffer where to copy the element
  * @retval zero success
- * @retval non-zero list is empty
+ * @retval non-zero the list is empty
  * @see cxListRemoveAndGetFirst()
  * @see cxListPop()
  */
@@ -692,7 +790,7 @@
  * @param list the list
  * @param targetbuf a buffer where to copy the element
  * @retval zero success
- * @retval non-zero list is empty
+ * @retval non-zero the list is empty
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_access_w(2)
@@ -716,7 +814,7 @@
  * @param list (@c CxList*) the list
  * @param targetbuf (@c void*) a buffer where to copy the element
  * @retval zero success
- * @retval non-zero list is empty
+ * @retval non-zero the list is empty
  * @see cxListRemoveAndGetLast()
  * @see cxListPopFront()
  */
@@ -780,8 +878,8 @@
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 static inline void cxListClear(CxList *list) {
+    list->cl->clear(list);
     list->collection.sorted = true; // empty lists are always sorted
-    list->cl->clear(list);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -872,18 +970,18 @@
  *
  * The returned iterator is position-aware.
  *
- * If the index is out of range, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
+ * If the index is out of range or @p list is @c NULL, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
  *
  * @param list the list
  * @param index the index where the iterator shall point at
  * @return a new iterator
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 static inline CxIterator cxListIteratorAt(
         const CxList *list,
         size_t index
 ) {
+    if (list == NULL) list = cxEmptyList;
     return list->cl->iterator(list, index, false);
 }
 
@@ -892,18 +990,18 @@
  *
  * The returned iterator is position-aware.
  *
- * If the index is out of range, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
+ * If the index is out of range or @p list is @c NULL, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
  *
  * @param list the list
  * @param index the index where the iterator shall point at
  * @return a new iterator
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 static inline CxIterator cxListBackwardsIteratorAt(
         const CxList *list,
         size_t index
 ) {
+    if (list == NULL) list = cxEmptyList;
     return list->cl->iterator(list, index, true);
 }
 
@@ -912,13 +1010,12 @@
  *
  * The returned iterator is position-aware.
  *
- * If the index is out of range, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
+ * If the index is out of range or @p list is @c NULL, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
  *
  * @param list the list
  * @param index the index where the iterator shall point at
  * @return a new iterator
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_export
 CxIterator cxListMutIteratorAt(
@@ -932,13 +1029,12 @@
  *
  * The returned iterator is position-aware.
  *
- * If the index is out of range, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
+ * If the index is out of range or @p list is @c NULL, a past-the-end iterator will be returned.
  *
  * @param list the list
  * @param index the index where the iterator shall point at
  * @return a new iterator
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_export
 CxIterator cxListMutBackwardsIteratorAt(
@@ -1032,7 +1128,7 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * Checks, if the list contains the specified element.
+ * Checks if the list contains the specified element.
  *
  * The elements are compared with the list's comparator function.
  *
@@ -1137,7 +1233,7 @@
  *
  * Also calls the content destructor functions for each element, if specified.
  *
- * @param list the list which shall be freed
+ * @param list the list that shall be freed
  */
 cx_attr_export
 void cxListFree(CxList *list);
--- a/ucx/cx/map.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/map.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -185,8 +185,11 @@
 
     /**
      * Add or overwrite an element.
+     * If the @p value is @c NULL, the implementation
+     * shall only allocate memory instead of adding an existing value to the map.
+     * Returns a pointer to the allocated memory or @c NULL if allocation fails.
      */
-    int (*put)(
+    void *(*put)(
             CxMap *map,
             CxHashKey key,
             void *value
@@ -227,7 +230,7 @@
  *
  * Writing to that map is not allowed.
  *
- * You can use this is a placeholder for initializing CxMap pointers
+ * You can use this as a placeholder for initializing CxMap pointers
  * for which you do not want to reserve memory right from the beginning.
  */
 cx_attr_export
@@ -277,50 +280,50 @@
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored values
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 static inline CxMapIterator cxMapIteratorValues(const CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     return map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_VALUES);
 }
 
 /**
  * Creates a key iterator for a map.
  *
- * The elements of the iterator are keys of type CxHashKey and the pointer returned
+ * The elements of the iterator are keys of type CxHashKey, and the pointer returned
  * during iterator shall be treated as @c const @c CxHashKey* .
  *
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored keys
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 static inline CxMapIterator cxMapIteratorKeys(const CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     return map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_KEYS);
 }
 
 /**
  * Creates an iterator for a map.
  *
- * The elements of the iterator are key/value pairs of type CxMapEntry and the pointer returned
+ * The elements of the iterator are key/value pairs of type CxMapEntry, and the pointer returned
  * during iterator shall be treated as @c const @c CxMapEntry* .
  *
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored entries
  * @see cxMapIteratorKeys()
  * @see cxMapIteratorValues()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 static inline CxMapIterator cxMapIterator(const CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     return map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_PAIRS);
 }
 
@@ -335,10 +338,9 @@
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored values
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_export
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIteratorValues(CxMap *map);
@@ -346,16 +348,15 @@
 /**
  * Creates a mutating iterator over the keys of a map.
  *
- * The elements of the iterator are keys of type CxHashKey and the pointer returned
+ * The elements of the iterator are keys of type CxHashKey, and the pointer returned
  * during iterator shall be treated as @c const @c CxHashKey* .
  *
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored keys
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_export
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIteratorKeys(CxMap *map);
@@ -363,176 +364,40 @@
 /**
  * Creates a mutating iterator for a map.
  *
- * The elements of the iterator are key/value pairs of type CxMapEntry and the pointer returned
+ * The elements of the iterator are key/value pairs of type CxMapEntry, and the pointer returned
  * during iterator shall be treated as @c const @c CxMapEntry* .
  *
  * @note An iterator iterates over all elements successively. Therefore, the order
  * highly depends on the map implementation and may change arbitrarily when the contents change.
  *
- * @param map the map to create the iterator for
+ * @param map the map to create the iterator for (can be @c NULL)
  * @return an iterator for the currently stored entries
  * @see cxMapMutIteratorKeys()
  * @see cxMapMutIteratorValues()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_export
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIterator(CxMap *map);
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-} // end the extern "C" block here, because we want to start overloading
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapPut(
-        CxMap *map,
-        CxHashKey const &key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, key, value);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapPut(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring const &key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), value);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapPut(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr const &key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), value);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cxMapPut(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), value);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-static inline void *cxMapGet(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        CxHashKey const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, key);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-static inline void *cxMapGet(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        cxstring const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key));
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-static inline void *cxMapGet(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key));
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline void *cxMapGet(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        const char *key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_str(key));
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapRemove(
-        CxMap *map,
-        CxHashKey const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, key, nullptr);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapRemove(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), nullptr);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxMapRemove(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr const &key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), nullptr);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cxMapRemove(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), nullptr);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cxMapRemoveAndGet(
-        CxMap *map,
-        CxHashKey key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, key, targetbuf);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cxMapRemoveAndGet(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), targetbuf);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cxMapRemoveAndGet(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), targetbuf);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cxMapRemoveAndGet(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), targetbuf);
-}
-
-#else // __cplusplus
-
 /**
- * @copydoc cxMapPut()
+ * Puts a key/value-pair into the map.
+ *
+ * A possible existing value will be overwritten.
+ * If destructor functions are specified, they are called for
+ * the overwritten element.
+ *
+ * If this map is storing pointers, the @p value pointer is written
+ * to the map. Otherwise, the memory is copied from @p value with
+ * memcpy().
+ *
+ * The @p key is always copied.
+ *
+ * @param map the map
+ * @param key the key
+ * @param value the value
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero value on memory allocation failure
+ * @see cxMapPut()
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 static inline int cx_map_put(
@@ -540,44 +405,7 @@
         CxHashKey key,
         void *value
 ) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, key, value);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapPut()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_map_put_cxstr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), value);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapPut()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_map_put_mustr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), value);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapPut()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cx_map_put_str(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key,
-        void *value
-) {
-    return map->cl->put(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), value);
+    return map->cl->put(map, key, value) == NULL;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -594,21 +422,73 @@
  * The @p key is always copied.
  *
  * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
- * @param key (@c CxHashKey, @c char*, @c cxstring, or @c cxmutstr) the key
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
  * @param value (@c void*) the value
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero value on memory allocation failure
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
  */
-#define cxMapPut(map, key, value) _Generic((key), \
-    CxHashKey: cx_map_put,                        \
-    cxstring: cx_map_put_cxstr,                   \
-    cxmutstr: cx_map_put_mustr,                   \
-    char*: cx_map_put_str,                        \
-    const char*: cx_map_put_str)                  \
-    (map, key, value)
+#define cxMapPut(map, key, value) cx_map_put(map, CX_HASH_KEY(key), value)
+
+/**
+ * Allocates memory for a value in the map associated with the specified key.
+ *
+ * A possible existing value will be overwritten.
+ * If destructor functions are specified, they are called for
+ * the overwritten element.
+ *
+ * If the map is storing pointers, this function returns a @c void** pointer,
+ * meaning a pointer to that pointer.
+ *
+ * The @p key is always copied.
+ *
+ * @param map the map
+ * @param key the key
+ * @return the pointer to the allocated memory or @c NULL if allocation fails
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero value on memory allocation failure
+ * @see cxMapEmplace()
+ */
+cx_attr_nonnull
+static inline void *cx_map_emplace(
+        CxMap *map,
+        CxHashKey key
+) {
+    return map->cl->put(map, key, NULL);
+}
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxMapGet()
+ * Allocates memory for a value in the map associated with the specified key.
+ *
+ * A possible existing value will be overwritten.
+ * If destructor functions are specified, they are called for
+ * the overwritten element.
+ *
+ * If the map is storing pointers, this function returns a @c void** pointer,
+ * meaning a pointer to that pointer.
+ *
+ * The @p key is always copied.
+ *
+ * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
+ * @return the pointer to the allocated memory or @c NULL if allocation fails
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero value on memory allocation failure
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
+ */
+#define cxMapEmplace(map, key) cx_map_emplace(map, CX_HASH_KEY(key))
+
+/**
+ * Retrieves a value by using a key.
+ *
+ * If this map is storing pointers, the stored pointer is returned.
+ * Otherwise, a pointer to the element within the map's memory
+ * is returned (which is valid as long as the element stays in the map).
+ *
+ * @param map the map
+ * @param key the key
+ * @return the value
+ * @see cxMapGet()
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
@@ -620,43 +500,6 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxMapGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-static inline void *cx_map_get_cxstr(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        cxstring key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key));
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-static inline void *cx_map_get_mustr(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key));
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_nodiscard
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline void *cx_map_get_str(
-        const CxMap *map,
-        const char *key
-) {
-    return map->cl->get(map, cx_hash_key_str(key));
-}
-
-/**
  * Retrieves a value by using a key.
  *
  * If this map is storing pointers, the stored pointer is returned.
@@ -664,88 +507,29 @@
  * is returned (which is valid as long as the element stays in the map).
  *
  * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
- * @param key (@c CxHashKey, @c char*, @c cxstring, or @c cxmutstr) the key
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
  * @return (@c void*) the value
- */
-#define cxMapGet(map, key) _Generic((key), \
-    CxHashKey: cx_map_get,                 \
-    cxstring: cx_map_get_cxstr,            \
-    cxmutstr: cx_map_get_mustr,            \
-    char*: cx_map_get_str,                 \
-    const char*: cx_map_get_str)           \
-    (map, key)
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemove()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_map_remove(
-        CxMap *map,
-        CxHashKey key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, key, NULL);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemove()
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_map_remove_cxstr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), NULL);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemove()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_map_remove_mustr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), NULL);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemove()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cx_map_remove_str(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), NULL);
-}
+#define cxMapGet(map, key) cx_map_get(map, CX_HASH_KEY(key))
 
 /**
  * Removes a key/value-pair from the map by using the key.
  *
- * Always invokes the destructors functions, if any, on the removed element.
+ * Invokes the destructor functions, if any, on the removed element if and only if the
+ * @p targetbuf is @c NULL.
  *
- * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
- * @param key (@c CxHashKey, @c char*, @c cxstring, or @c cxmutstr) the key
+ * @param map the map
+ * @param key the key
+ * @param targetbuf the optional buffer where the removed element shall be copied to
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero the key was not found
- * 
+ *
+ * @see cxMapRemove()
  * @see cxMapRemoveAndGet()
  */
-#define cxMapRemove(map, key) _Generic((key), \
-    CxHashKey: cx_map_remove,                 \
-    cxstring: cx_map_remove_cxstr,            \
-    cxmutstr: cx_map_remove_mustr,            \
-    char*: cx_map_remove_str,                 \
-    const char*: cx_map_remove_str)           \
-    (map, key)
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemoveAndGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cx_map_remove_and_get(
+cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1)
+static inline int cx_map_remove(
         CxMap *map,
         CxHashKey key,
         void *targetbuf
@@ -754,44 +538,19 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemoveAndGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cx_map_remove_and_get_cxstr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxstring key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), targetbuf);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemoveAndGet()
+ * Removes a key/value-pair from the map by using the key.
+ *
+ * Always invokes the destructor functions, if any, on the removed element.
+ *
+ * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero the key was not found
+ * 
+ * @see cxMapRemoveAndGet()
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-static inline int cx_map_remove_and_get_mustr(
-        CxMap *map,
-        cxmutstr key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_cxstr(key), targetbuf);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxMapRemoveAndGet()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_access_w(3)
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cx_map_remove_and_get_str(
-        CxMap *map,
-        const char *key,
-        void *targetbuf
-) {
-    return map->cl->remove(map, cx_hash_key_str(key), targetbuf);
-}
+#define cxMapRemove(map, key) cx_map_remove(map, CX_HASH_KEY(key), NULL)
 
 /**
  * Removes a key/value-pair from the map by using the key.
@@ -805,21 +564,18 @@
  * and not the object it points to.
  *
  * @param map (@c CxMap*) the map
- * @param key (@c CxHashKey, @c char*, @c cxstring, or @c cxmutstr) the key
+ * @param key (any supported key type) the key
  * @param targetbuf (@c void*) the buffer where the element shall be copied to
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero the key was not found
  *
  * @see cxMapRemove()
+ * @see CX_HASH_KEY()
  */
-#define cxMapRemoveAndGet(map, key, targetbuf) _Generic((key), \
-    CxHashKey: cx_map_remove_and_get,               \
-    cxstring: cx_map_remove_and_get_cxstr,          \
-    cxmutstr: cx_map_remove_and_get_mustr,          \
-    char*: cx_map_remove_and_get_str,               \
-    const char*: cx_map_remove_and_get_str)         \
-    (map, key, targetbuf)
+#define cxMapRemoveAndGet(map, key, targetbuf) cx_map_remove(map, CX_HASH_KEY(key), targetbuf)
 
-#endif // __cplusplus
+#ifdef    __cplusplus
+} // extern "C"
+#endif
 
 #endif // UCX_MAP_H
--- a/ucx/cx/printf.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/printf.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
  */
 /**
  * @file printf.h
- * @brief Wrapper for write functions with a printf-like interface.
+ * @brief Wrapper for write-functions with a printf-like interface.
  * @author Mike Becker
  * @author Olaf Wintermann
  * @copyright 2-Clause BSD License
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * A @c asprintf like function which allocates space for a string
+ * An @c asprintf like function which allocates space for a string
  * the result is written to.
  *
  * @note The resulting string is guaranteed to be zero-terminated,
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * A @c asprintf like function which allocates space for a string
+ * An @c asprintf like function which allocates space for a string
  * the result is written to.
  *
  * @note The resulting string is guaranteed to be zero-terminated,
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@
  * the result is written to.
  *
  * @note The resulting string is guaranteed to be zero-terminated,
- * unless there was in error, in which case the string's pointer
+ * unless there was an error, in which case the string's pointer
  * will be @c NULL.
  *
  * @param fmt (@c char*) format string
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@
  * @param len (@c size_t*) a pointer to the length of the buffer
  * @param fmt (@c char*) the format string
  * @param ... additional arguments
- * @return (@c int) the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return (@c int) the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 #define cx_sprintf(str, len, fmt, ...) cx_sprintf_a(cxDefaultAllocator, str, len, fmt, __VA_ARGS__)
 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@
  * @param len a pointer to the length of the buffer
  * @param fmt the format string
  * @param ... additional arguments
- * @return the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 2, 3, 4)
 cx_attr_printf(4, 5)
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@
  * @param len (@c size_t*) a pointer to the length of the buffer
  * @param fmt (@c char*) the format string
  * @param ap (@c va_list) argument list
- * @return (@c int) the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return (@c int) the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 #define cx_vsprintf(str, len, fmt, ap) cx_vsprintf_a(cxDefaultAllocator, str, len, fmt, ap)
 
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@
  * @param len a pointer to the length of the buffer
  * @param fmt the format string
  * @param ap argument list
- * @return the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_cstr_arg(4)
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@
  * @param str (@c char**) a pointer where the location of the result shall be stored
  * @param fmt (@c char*) the format string
  * @param ... additional arguments
- * @return (@c int) the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return (@c int) the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 #define cx_sprintf_s(buf, len, str, fmt, ...) cx_sprintf_sa(cxDefaultAllocator, buf, len, str, fmt, __VA_ARGS__)
 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@
  * @param str a pointer where the location of the result shall be stored
  * @param fmt the format string
  * @param ... additional arguments
- * @return the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull_arg(1, 2, 4, 5)
 cx_attr_printf(5, 6)
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@
  * @param str (@c char**) a pointer where the location of the result shall be stored
  * @param fmt (@c char*) the format string
  * @param ap (@c va_list) argument list
- * @return (@c int) the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return (@c int) the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 #define cx_vsprintf_s(buf, len, str, fmt, ap) cx_vsprintf_sa(cxDefaultAllocator, buf, len, str, fmt, ap)
 
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@
  * @param str a pointer where the location of the result shall be stored
  * @param fmt the format string
  * @param ap argument list
- * @return the length of produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
+ * @return the length of the produced string or an error code from stdlib printf implementation
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_cstr_arg(5)
--- a/ucx/cx/properties.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/properties.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
      * You can use this enumerator to check for all "good" status results
      * by checking if the status is less than @c CX_PROPERTIES_OK.
      *
-     * A "good" status means, that you can refill data and continue parsing.
+     * A "good" status means that you can refill data and continue parsing.
      */
     CX_PROPERTIES_OK,
     /**
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@
      */
     CX_PROPERTIES_NULL_INPUT,
     /**
-     * The line contains a delimiter, but no key.
+     * The line contains a delimiter but no key.
      */
     CX_PROPERTIES_INVALID_EMPTY_KEY,
     /**
-     * The line contains data, but no delimiter.
+     * The line contains data but no delimiter.
      */
     CX_PROPERTIES_INVALID_MISSING_DELIMITER,
     /**
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@
 /**
  * A function that consumes a k/v-pair in a sink.
  *
- * The sink could be e.g. a map and the sink function would be calling
+ * The sink could be a map, and the sink function would be calling
  * a map function to store the k/v-pair.
  *
  * @param prop the properties interface that wants to sink a k/v-pair
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@
     /**
      * The source object.
      *
-     * For example a file stream or a string.
+     * For example, a file stream or a string.
      */
     void *src;
     /**
@@ -339,9 +339,9 @@
  *
  * @note Even when you are certain that you did not use the interface in a
  * way that caused a memory allocation, you should call this function anyway.
- * Future versions of the library might add features that need additional memory
- * and you really don't want to search the entire code where you might need
- * add call to this function.
+ * Future versions of the library might add features that need additional memory,
+ * and you really don't want to search the entire code where you might need to
+ * add a call to this function.
  *
  * @param prop the properties interface
  */
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@
 /**
  * Destroys and re-initializes the properties interface.
  *
- * You might want to use this, to reset the parser after
+ * You might want to use this to reset the parser after
  * encountering a syntax error.
  *
  * @param prop the properties interface
@@ -403,35 +403,22 @@
         size_t len
 );
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-} // extern "C"
+/**
+ * Internal function, do not use.
+ *
+ * @param prop the properties interface
+ * @param str the text to fill in
+ * @retval zero success
+ * @retval non-zero a memory allocation was necessary but failed
+ */
 cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxPropertiesFill(
+static inline int cx_properties_fill(
         CxProperties *prop,
         cxstring str
 ) {
     return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str.ptr, str.length);
 }
 
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cxPropertiesFill(
-        CxProperties *prop,
-        cxmutstr str
-) {
-    return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
-
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cxPropertiesFill(
-        CxProperties *prop,
-        const char *str
-) {
-    return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str, strlen(str));
-}
-
-extern "C" {
-#else // __cplusplus
 /**
  * Fills the input buffer with data.
  *
@@ -452,50 +439,10 @@
  * @retval non-zero a memory allocation was necessary but failed
  * @see cxPropertiesFilln()
  */
-#define cxPropertiesFill(prop, str) _Generic((str), \
-    cxstring: cx_properties_fill_cxstr,             \
-    cxmutstr: cx_properties_fill_mutstr,            \
-    char*: cx_properties_fill_str,                  \
-    const char*: cx_properties_fill_str)            \
-    (prop, str)
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxPropertiesFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_properties_fill_cxstr(
-        CxProperties *prop,
-        cxstring str
-) {
-    return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
+#define cxPropertiesFill(prop, str) cx_properties_fill(prop, cx_strcast(str))
 
 /**
- * @copydoc cxPropertiesFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-static inline int cx_properties_fill_mutstr(
-        CxProperties *prop,
-        cxmutstr str
-) {
-    return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str.ptr, str.length);
-}
-
-/**
- * @copydoc cxPropertiesFill()
- */
-cx_attr_nonnull
-cx_attr_cstr_arg(2)
-static inline int cx_properties_fill_str(
-        CxProperties *prop,
-        const char *str
-) {
-    return cxPropertiesFilln(prop, str, strlen(str));
-}
-#endif
-
-/**
- * Specifies stack memory that shall be used as internal buffer.
+ * Specifies stack memory that shall be used as an internal buffer.
  *
  * @param prop the properties interface
  * @param buf a pointer to stack memory
--- a/ucx/cx/streams.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/streams.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
  * @param wfnc the write function
  * @param buf a pointer to the copy buffer or @c NULL if a buffer
  * shall be implicitly created on the heap
- * @param bufsize the size of the copy buffer - if @p buf is @c NULL you can
+ * @param bufsize the size of the copy buffer - if @p buf is @c NULL, you can
  * set this to zero to let the implementation decide
  * @param n the maximum number of bytes that shall be copied.
  * If this is larger than @p bufsize, the content is copied over multiple
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
  * @param buf (@c char*) a pointer to the copy buffer or @c NULL if a buffer
  * shall be implicitly created on the heap
  * @param bufsize (@c size_t) the size of the copy buffer - if @p buf is
- * @c NULL you can set this to zero to let the implementation decide
+ * @c NULL, you can set this to zero to let the implementation decide
  * @return total number of bytes copied
  */
 #define cx_stream_bcopy(src, dest, rfnc, wfnc, buf, bufsize) \
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
 /**
  * Reads data from a stream and writes it to another stream.
  *
- * The data is temporarily stored in a stack allocated buffer.
+ * The data is temporarily stored in a stack-allocated buffer.
  *
  * @param src the source stream
  * @param dest the destination stream
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@
 /**
  * Reads data from a stream and writes it to another stream.
  *
- * The data is temporarily stored in a stack allocated buffer.
+ * The data is temporarily stored in a stack-allocated buffer.
  *
  * @param src (@c void*) the source stream
  * @param dest (@c void*) the destination stream
--- a/ucx/cx/string.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/string.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -112,10 +112,10 @@
      */
     size_t pos;
     /**
-     * Position of next delimiter in the source string.
+     * Position of the next delimiter in the source string.
      *
      * If the tokenizer has not yet returned a token, the content of this field
-     * is undefined. If the tokenizer reached the end of the string, this field
+     * is undefined. If the tokenizer reaches the end of the string, this field
      * contains the length of the source string.
      */
     size_t delim_pos;
@@ -167,17 +167,18 @@
  *
  * The length is implicitly inferred by using a call to @c strlen().
  *
+ * When @c NULL is passed, the length will be set to zero.
+ *
  * @note the wrapped string will share the specified pointer to the string.
  * If you do want a copy, use cx_strdup() on the return value of this function.
  *
  * If you need to wrap a constant string, use cx_str().
  *
- * @param cstring the string to wrap, must be zero-terminated
+ * @param cstring the string to wrap (must be zero-terminated)
  * @return the wrapped string
  *
  * @see cx_mutstrn()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_cstr_arg(1)
 cx_attr_export
@@ -212,17 +213,18 @@
  *
  * The length is implicitly inferred by using a call to @c strlen().
  *
+ * When @c NULL is passed, the length will be set to zero.
+ *
  * @note the wrapped string will share the specified pointer to the string.
  * If you do want a copy, use cx_strdup() on the return value of this function.
  *
  * If you need to wrap a non-constant string, use cx_mutstr().
  *
- * @param cstring the string to wrap, must be zero-terminated
+ * @param cstring the string to wrap (must be zero-terminated)
  * @return the wrapped string
  *
  * @see cx_strn()
  */
-cx_attr_nonnull
 cx_attr_nodiscard
 cx_attr_cstr_arg(1)
 cx_attr_export
@@ -302,20 +304,16 @@
 }
 
 /**
-* Casts a mutable string to an immutable string.
-*
-* Does nothing for already immutable strings.
-*
-* @note This is not seriously a cast. Instead, you get a copy
-* of the struct with the desired pointer type. Both structs still
-* point to the same location, though!
-*
-* @param str (@c cxstring or @c cxmutstr) the string to cast
-* @return (@c cxstring) an immutable copy of the string pointer
-*/
+ * Wraps any string into an UCX string.
+ *
+ * @param str (any supported string type) the string to cast
+ * @return (@c cxstring) the string wrapped as UCX string
+ */
 #define cx_strcast(str) _Generic((str), \
         cxmutstr: cx_strcast_m, \
         cxstring: cx_strcast_c, \
+        const unsigned char*: cx_strcast_z, \
+        unsigned char *: cx_strcast_z, \
         const char*: cx_strcast_z, \
         char *: cx_strcast_z) (str)
 #endif
@@ -323,12 +321,12 @@
 /**
  * Passes the pointer in this string to the cxDefaultAllocator's @c free() function.
  *
- * The pointer in the struct is set to @c NULL and the length is set to zero
+ * The pointer in the struct is set to @c NULL, and the length is set to zero,
  * which means that this function protects you against double-free.
  *
  * @note There is no implementation for cxstring, because it is unlikely that
  * you ever have a <code>const char*</code> you are really supposed to free.
- * If you encounter such situation, you should double-check your code.
+ * If you encounter such a situation, you should double-check your code.
  *
  * @param str the string to free
  */
@@ -336,14 +334,14 @@
 void cx_strfree(cxmutstr *str);
 
 /**
- * Passes the pointer in this string to the allocators free function.
+ * Passes the pointer in this string to the allocator's free function.
  *
- * The pointer in the struct is set to @c NULL and the length is set to zero
+ * The pointer in the struct is set to @c NULL, and the length is set to zero,
  * which means that this function protects you against double-free.
  *
  * @note There is no implementation for cxstring, because it is unlikely that
  * you ever have a <code>const char*</code> you are really supposed to free.
- * If you encounter such situation, you should double-check your code.
+ * If you encounter such a situation, you should double-check your code.
  *
  * @param alloc the allocator
  * @param str the string to free
@@ -985,7 +983,7 @@
 cxmutstr cx_strtrim_m(cxmutstr string);
 
 /**
- * Checks, if a string has a specific prefix.
+ * Checks if a string has a specific prefix.
  *
  * @param string the string to check
  * @param prefix the prefix the string should have
@@ -1000,7 +998,7 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * Checks, if a string has a specific suffix.
+ * Checks if a string has a specific suffix.
  *
  * @param string the string to check
  * @param suffix the suffix the string should have
@@ -1015,7 +1013,7 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * Checks, if a string has a specific prefix, ignoring the case.
+ * Checks if a string has a specific prefix, ignoring the case.
  *
  * @param string the string to check
  * @param prefix the prefix the string should have
@@ -1047,7 +1045,7 @@
 /**
  * Replaces a string with another string.
  *
- * Replaces at most @p replmax occurrences.
+ * The function replaces at most @p replmax occurrences.
  *
  * The returned string will be allocated by @p allocator and is guaranteed
  * to be zero-terminated.
@@ -1076,7 +1074,7 @@
 /**
  * Replaces a string with another string.
  *
- * Replaces at most @p replmax occurrences.
+ * The function replaces at most @p replmax occurrences.
  *
  * The returned string will be allocated by the cxDefaultAllocator and is guaranteed
  * to be zero-terminated.
@@ -1227,7 +1225,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1244,7 +1242,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1261,7 +1259,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1278,7 +1276,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1295,7 +1293,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1312,7 +1310,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1329,7 +1327,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1346,7 +1344,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1363,7 +1361,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1380,7 +1378,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1397,7 +1395,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1414,7 +1412,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1431,7 +1429,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1448,7 +1446,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1465,7 +1463,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1482,7 +1480,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1499,7 +1497,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1507,7 +1505,7 @@
 int cx_strtoz_lc_(cxstring str, size_t *output, int base, const char *groupsep);
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a single precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a single precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
@@ -1516,7 +1514,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the float variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param decsep the decimal separator
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1524,7 +1522,7 @@
 int cx_strtof_lc_(cxstring str, float *output, char decsep, const char *groupsep);
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a double precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a double precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
@@ -1533,7 +1531,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the float variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param decsep the decimal separator
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1550,7 +1548,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1566,7 +1564,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1582,7 +1580,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1598,7 +1596,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1614,7 +1612,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1630,7 +1628,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1646,7 +1644,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1662,7 +1660,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1678,7 +1676,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1694,7 +1692,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1710,7 +1708,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1726,7 +1724,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1742,7 +1740,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1758,7 +1756,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1774,7 +1772,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1790,7 +1788,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1806,7 +1804,7 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the integer variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param base 2, 8, 10, or 16
- * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep (@c const @c char*) each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
@@ -1819,7 +1817,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1837,7 +1835,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1855,7 +1853,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1873,7 +1871,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1891,7 +1889,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1909,7 +1907,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1927,7 +1925,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1945,7 +1943,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1963,7 +1961,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1981,7 +1979,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -1999,7 +1997,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2017,7 +2015,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2035,7 +2033,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2053,7 +2051,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2071,7 +2069,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2089,7 +2087,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2107,7 +2105,7 @@
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character or an unsupported base.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the target datatype is too small.
  *
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose the set of group separators, use the @c _lc variant of this function (e.g. cx_strtoz_lc()).
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2119,7 +2117,7 @@
 #define cx_strtou64(str, output, base) cx_strtou64_lc_(cx_strcast(str), output, base, ",")
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a single precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a single precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
@@ -2128,14 +2126,14 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the float variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param decsep the decimal separator
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
 #define cx_strtof_lc(str, output, decsep, groupsep) cx_strtof_lc_(cx_strcast(str), output, decsep, groupsep)
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a double precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a double precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
@@ -2143,21 +2141,21 @@
  * @param str the string to convert
  * @param output a pointer to the double variable where the result shall be stored
  * @param decsep the decimal separator
- * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as group separator and ignored during conversion
+ * @param groupsep each character in this string is treated as a group separator and ignored during conversion
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero conversion was not possible
  */
 #define cx_strtod_lc(str, output, decsep, groupsep) cx_strtod_lc_(cx_strcast(str), output, decsep, groupsep)
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a single precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a single precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
  * It sets errno to ERANGE when the necessary representation would exceed the limits defined in libc's float.h.
  *
  * The decimal separator is assumed to be a dot character.
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose a different format, use cx_strtof_lc().
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
@@ -2168,13 +2166,13 @@
 #define cx_strtof(str, output) cx_strtof_lc_(cx_strcast(str), output, '.', ",")
 
 /**
- * Converts a string to a double precision floating point number.
+ * Converts a string to a double precision floating-point number.
  *
  * The function returns non-zero when conversion is not possible.
  * In that case the function sets errno to EINVAL when the reason is an invalid character.
  *
  * The decimal separator is assumed to be a dot character.
- * The comma character is treated as group separator and ignored during parsing.
+ * The comma character is treated as a group separator and ignored during parsing.
  * If you want to choose a different format, use cx_strtof_lc().
  *
  * @param str the string to convert
--- a/ucx/cx/test.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/test.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
  * }
  * </code>
  * 
- * @attention Do not call own functions within a test, that use
+ * @attention Do not call own functions within a test that use
  * CX_TEST_ASSERT() macros and are not defined by using CX_TEST_SUBROUTINE().
  *
  * @author Mike Becker
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
 /**
  * Registers a test function with the specified test suite.
  * 
- * @param suite the suite, the test function shall be added to
+ * @param suite the suite the test function shall be added to
  * @param test the test function to register
  * @retval zero success
  * @retval non-zero failure
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@
  * }
  * @endcode
  *
- * @attention Any CX_TEST_ASSERT() calls must be performed in scope of
+ * @attention Any CX_TEST_ASSERT() calls must be performed in the scope of
  * #CX_TEST_DO.
  */
 #define CX_TEST_DO _writefnc_("Running ", 1, 8, _output_);\
--- a/ucx/cx/tree.h	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/cx/tree.h	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -49,12 +49,12 @@
  *
  * This iterator is not position-aware in a strict sense, as it does not assume
  * a particular order of elements in the tree. However, the iterator keeps track
- * of the number of nodes it has passed in a counter variable.
+ * of the number of nodes it has passed in a counter-variable.
  * Each node, regardless of the number of passes, is counted only once.
  *
  * @note Objects that are pointed to by an iterator are mutable through that
  * iterator. However, if the
- * underlying data structure is mutated by other means than this iterator (e.g.
+ * underlying data structure is mutated by other means than this iterator (e.g.,
  * elements added or removed), the iterator becomes invalid (regardless of what
  * cxIteratorValid() returns).
  *
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
     bool skip;
     /**
      * Set to true, when the iterator shall visit a node again
-     * when all it's children have been processed.
+     * when all its children have been processed.
      */
     bool visit_on_exit;
     /**
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
      */
     void *node;
     /**
-     * Stores a copy of the next pointer of the visited node.
+     * Stores a copy of the pointer to the successor of the visited node.
      * Allows freeing a node on exit without corrupting the iteration.
      */
     void *node_next;
@@ -155,12 +155,12 @@
  *
  * This iterator is not position-aware in a strict sense, as it does not assume
  * a particular order of elements in the tree. However, the iterator keeps track
- * of the number of nodes it has passed in a counter variable.
+ * of the number of nodes it has passed in a counter-variable.
  * Each node, regardless of the number of passes, is counted only once.
  *
  * @note Objects that are pointed to by an iterator are mutable through that
  * iterator. However, if the
- * underlying data structure is mutated by other means than this iterator (e.g.
+ * underlying data structure is mutated by other means than this iterator (e.g.,
  * elements added or removed), the iterator becomes invalid (regardless of what
  * cxIteratorValid() returns).
  *
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@
 /**
  * Links a node to a (new) parent.
  *
- * If the node has already a parent, it is unlinked, first.
+ * If the node already has a parent, it is unlinked, first.
  * If the parent has children already, the node is @em appended to the list
  * of all currently existing children.
  *
@@ -318,8 +318,8 @@
  * Zero means exact match and a positive number is an implementation defined
  * measure for the distance to an exact match.
  *
- * For example if a tree stores file path information, a node that is
- * describing a parent directory of a filename that is searched, shall
+ * For example, consider a tree that stores file path information.
+ * A node which is describing a parent directory of a searched file shall
  * return a positive number to indicate that a child node might contain the
  * searched item. On the other hand, if the node denotes a path that is not a
  * prefix of the searched filename, the function would return -1 to indicate
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@
  *
  * @return 0 if the node contains the data,
  * positive if one of the children might contain the data,
- * negative if neither the node, nor the children contains the data
+ * negative if neither the node nor the children contains the data
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 typedef int (*cx_tree_search_data_func)(const void *node, const void *data);
@@ -348,8 +348,8 @@
  * Zero means exact match and a positive number is an implementation defined
  * measure for the distance to an exact match.
  *
- * For example if a tree stores file path information, a node that is
- * describing a parent directory of a filename that is searched, shall
+ * For example, consider a tree that stores file path information.
+ * A node which is describing a parent directory of a searched file shall
  * return a positive number to indicate that a child node might contain the
  * searched item. On the other hand, if the node denotes a path that is not a
  * prefix of the searched filename, the function would return -1 to indicate
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@
  *
  * @return 0 if @p node contains the same data as @p new_node,
  * positive if one of the children might contain the data,
- * negative if neither the node, nor the children contains the data
+ * negative if neither the node nor the children contains the data
  */
 cx_attr_nonnull
 typedef int (*cx_tree_search_func)(const void *node, const void *new_node);
@@ -368,11 +368,11 @@
 /**
  * Searches for data in a tree.
  *
- * When the data cannot be found exactly, the search function might return a
- * closest result which might be a good starting point for adding a new node
+ * When the data cannot be found exactly, the search function might return the
+ * closest result, which might be a good starting point for adding a new node
  * to the tree (see also #cx_tree_add()).
  *
- * Depending on the tree structure it is not necessarily guaranteed that the
+ * Depending on the tree structure, it is not necessarily guaranteed that the
  * "closest" match is uniquely defined. This function will search for a node
  * with the best match according to the @p sfunc (meaning: the return value of
  * @p sfunc which is closest to zero). If that is also ambiguous, an arbitrary
@@ -406,10 +406,10 @@
  * Searches for a node in a tree.
  *
  * When no node with the same data can be found, the search function might
- * return a closest result which might be a good starting point for adding the
+ * return the closest result, which might be a good starting point for adding the
  * new node to the tree (see also #cx_tree_add()).
  *
- * Depending on the tree structure it is not necessarily guaranteed that the
+ * Depending on the tree structure, it is not necessarily guaranteed that the
  * "closest" match is uniquely defined. This function will search for a node
  * with the best match according to the @p sfunc (meaning: the return value of
  * @p sfunc which is closest to zero). If that is also ambiguous, an arbitrary
@@ -496,8 +496,8 @@
 
 /**
  * Describes a function that creates a tree node from the specified data.
- * The first argument points to the data the node shall contain and
- * the second argument may be used for additional data (e.g. an allocator).
+ * The first argument points to the data the node shall contain, and
+ * the second argument may be used for additional data (e.g., an allocator).
  * Functions of this type shall either return a new pointer to a newly
  * created node or @c NULL when allocation fails.
  *
@@ -637,17 +637,17 @@
  * When a location is found, the @p cfunc will be invoked with @p cdata.
  *
  * The node returned by @p cfunc will be linked into the tree.
- * When @p sfunc returned a positive integer, the new node will be linked as a
+ * When @p sfunc returns a positive integer, the new node will be linked as a
  * child. The other children (now siblings of the new node) are then checked
  * with @p sfunc, whether they could be children of the new node and re-linked
  * accordingly.
  *
- * When @p sfunc returned zero and the found node has a parent, the new
- * node will be added as sibling - otherwise, the new node will be added
+ * When @p sfunc returns zero and the found node has a parent, the new
+ * node will be added as a sibling - otherwise, the new node will be added
  * as a child.
  *
- * When @p sfunc returned a negative value, the new node will not be added to
- * the tree and this function returns a non-zero value.
+ * When @p sfunc returns a negative value, the new node will not be added to
+ * the tree, and this function returns a non-zero value.
  * The caller should check if @p cnode contains a node pointer and deal with the
  * node that could not be added.
  *
@@ -747,9 +747,9 @@
      * A function to create new nodes.
      *
      * Invocations to this function will receive a pointer to this tree
-     * structure as second argument.
+     * structure as the second argument.
      *
-     * Nodes MAY use #cx_tree_node_base_s as base layout, but do not need to.
+     * Nodes MAY use #cx_tree_node_base_s as the base layout, but do not need to.
      */
     cx_tree_node_create_func node_create;
 
@@ -814,7 +814,7 @@
  * Macro to roll out the #cx_tree_node_base_s structure with a custom
  * node type.
  *
- * Must be used as first member in your custom tree struct.
+ * Must be used as the first member in your custom tree struct.
  *
  * @param type the data type for the nodes
  */
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@
     /**
      * Member function for inserting multiple elements.
      *
-     * Implementations SHALL avoid to perform a full search in the tree for
+     * Implementations SHALL avoid performing a full search in the tree for
      * every element even though the source data MAY be unsorted.
      */
     size_t (*insert_many)(
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@
 
 
 /**
- * Destroys a node and it's subtree.
+ * Destroys a node and its subtree.
  *
  * It is guaranteed that the simple destructor is invoked before
  * the advanced destructor, starting with the leaf nodes of the subtree.
@@ -921,7 +921,7 @@
  *
  * @attention Be careful when calling this function when no destructor function
  * is registered that actually frees the memory of nodes. In that case you will
- * need a reference to the (former) root node of the tree somewhere or
+ * need a reference to the (former) root node of the tree somewhere, or
  * otherwise you will be leaking memory.
  *
  * @param tree the tree
@@ -992,9 +992,9 @@
 /**
  * Creates a new tree structure based on a default layout.
  *
- * Nodes created by @p create_func MUST contain #cx_tree_node_base_s as first
+ * Nodes created by @p create_func MUST contain #cx_tree_node_base_s as the first
  * member (or at least respect the default offsets specified in the tree
- * struct) and they MUST be allocated with the specified allocator.
+ * struct), and they MUST be allocated with the specified allocator.
  *
  * @note This function will also register an advanced destructor which
  * will free the nodes with the allocator's free() method.
@@ -1019,7 +1019,7 @@
  * @attention This function will create an incompletely defined tree structure
  * where neither the create function, the search function, nor a destructor
  * will be set. If you wish to use any of this functionality for the wrapped
- * tree, you need to specify those functions afterwards.
+ * tree, you need to specify those functions afterward.
  *
  * @param allocator the allocator that was used for nodes of the wrapped tree
  * (if @c NULL, the cxDefaultAllocator is assumed)
@@ -1289,7 +1289,7 @@
 /**
  * Sets the (new) parent of the specified child.
  *
- * If the @p child is not already member of the tree, this function behaves
+ * If the @p child is not already a member of the tree, this function behaves
  * as #cxTreeAddChildNode().
  *
  * @param tree the tree
@@ -1308,11 +1308,11 @@
 /**
  * Adds a new node to the tree.
  *
- * If the @p child is already member of the tree, the behavior is undefined.
+ * If the @p child is already a member of the tree, the behavior is undefined.
  * Use #cxTreeSetParent() if you want to move a subtree to another location.
  *
  * @attention The node may be externally created, but MUST obey the same rules
- * as if it was created by the tree itself with #cxTreeAddChild() (e.g. use
+ * as if it was created by the tree itself with #cxTreeAddChild() (e.g., use
  * the same allocator).
  *
  * @param tree the tree
@@ -1336,7 +1336,7 @@
  * leaving this task to the tree by using #cxTreeInsert().
  *
  * Be aware that adding nodes at arbitrary locations in the tree might cause
- * wrong or undesired results when subsequently invoking #cxTreeInsert() and
+ * wrong or undesired results when subsequently invoking #cxTreeInsert(), and
  * the invariant imposed by the search function does not hold any longer.
  *
  * @param tree the tree
@@ -1395,7 +1395,7 @@
 );
 
 /**
- * Removes a node and it's subtree from the tree.
+ * Removes a node and its subtree from the tree.
  *
  * If the node is not part of the tree, the behavior is undefined.
  *
--- a/ucx/hash_key.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/hash_key.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "cx/hash_key.h"
+#include "cx/compare.h"
 #include <string.h>
 
 void cx_hash_murmur(CxHashKey *key) {
@@ -62,14 +63,14 @@
     switch (len) {
         case 3:
             h ^= (data[i + 2] & 0xFF) << 16;
-                    __attribute__((__fallthrough__));
+            cx_attr_fallthrough;
         case 2:
             h ^= (data[i + 1] & 0xFF) << 8;
-                    __attribute__((__fallthrough__));
+            cx_attr_fallthrough;
         case 1:
             h ^= (data[i + 0] & 0xFF);
             h *= m;
-                    __attribute__((__fallthrough__));
+            cx_attr_fallthrough;
         default: // do nothing
             ;
     }
@@ -81,6 +82,21 @@
     key->hash = h;
 }
 
+
+uint32_t cx_hash_u32(uint32_t x) {
+    x = ((x >> 16) ^ x) * 0x45d9f3bu;
+    x = ((x >> 16) ^ x) * 0x45d9f3bu;
+    x = (x >> 16) ^ x;
+    return x;
+}
+
+uint64_t cx_hash_u64(uint64_t x) {
+    x = (x ^ (x >> 30)) * UINT64_C(0xbf58476d1ce4e5b9);
+    x = (x ^ (x >> 27)) * UINT64_C(0x94d049bb133111eb);
+    x = x ^ (x >> 31);
+    return x;
+}
+
 CxHashKey cx_hash_key_str(const char *str) {
     CxHashKey key;
     key.data = str;
@@ -110,3 +126,29 @@
     cx_hash_murmur(&key);
     return key;
 }
+
+CxHashKey cx_hash_key_u32(uint32_t x) {
+    CxHashKey key;
+    key.data = NULL;
+    key.len = 0;
+    key.hash = cx_hash_u32(x);
+    return key;
+}
+
+CxHashKey cx_hash_key_u64(uint64_t x) {
+    CxHashKey key;
+    key.data = NULL;
+    key.len = 0;
+    key.hash = cx_hash_u64(x);
+    return key;
+}
+
+int cx_hash_key_cmp(const CxHashKey *left, const CxHashKey *right) {
+    int d;
+    d = cx_vcmp_uint64(left->hash, right->hash);
+    if (d != 0) return d;
+    d = cx_vcmp_size(left->len, right->len);
+    if (d != 0) return d;
+    if (left->len == 0) return 0;
+    return memcmp(left->data, right->data, left->len);
+}
--- a/ucx/hash_map.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/hash_map.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
     cxFree(map->collection.allocator, map);
 }
 
-static int cx_hash_map_put(
+static void *cx_hash_map_put(
         CxMap *map,
         CxHashKey key,
         void *value
@@ -101,11 +101,12 @@
         elm = elm->next;
     }
 
-    if (elm != NULL && elm->key.hash == hash && elm->key.len == key.len &&
-        memcmp(elm->key.data, key.data, key.len) == 0) {
+    if (elm != NULL && cx_hash_key_cmp(&elm->key, &key) == 0) {
         // overwrite existing element, but call destructors first
         cx_invoke_destructor(map, elm->data);
-        if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
+        if (value == NULL) {
+            memset(elm->data, 0, map->collection.elem_size);
+        } else if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
             memcpy(elm->data, &value, sizeof(void *));
         } else {
             memcpy(elm->data, value, map->collection.elem_size);
@@ -116,10 +117,12 @@
                 allocator,
                 sizeof(struct cx_hash_map_element_s) + map->collection.elem_size
         );
-        if (e == NULL) return -1;
+        if (e == NULL) return NULL;
 
         // write the value
-        if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
+        if (value == NULL) {
+            memset(e->data, 0, map->collection.elem_size);
+        } else if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
             memcpy(e->data, &value, sizeof(void *));
         } else {
             memcpy(e->data, value, map->collection.elem_size);
@@ -127,7 +130,10 @@
 
         // copy the key
         void *kd = cxMalloc(allocator, key.len);
-        if (kd == NULL) return -1;
+        if (kd == NULL) {
+            cxFree(allocator, e);
+            return NULL;
+        }
         memcpy(kd, key.data, key.len);
         e->key.data = kd;
         e->key.len = key.len;
@@ -140,12 +146,14 @@
             prev->next = e;
         }
         e->next = elm;
+        elm = e;
 
         // increase the size
         map->collection.size++;
     }
 
-    return 0;
+    // return pointer to the element
+    return elm->data;
 }
 
 static void cx_hash_map_unlink(
@@ -205,27 +213,25 @@
     struct cx_hash_map_element_s *elm = hash_map->buckets[slot];
     struct cx_hash_map_element_s *prev = NULL;
     while (elm && elm->key.hash <= hash) {
-        if (elm->key.hash == hash && elm->key.len == key.len) {
-            if (memcmp(elm->key.data, key.data, key.len) == 0) {
-                if (remove) {
-                    if (targetbuf == NULL) {
-                        cx_invoke_destructor(map, elm->data);
-                    } else {
-                        memcpy(targetbuf, elm->data, map->collection.elem_size);
-                    }
-                    cx_hash_map_unlink(hash_map, slot, prev, elm);
+        if (cx_hash_key_cmp(&elm->key, &key) == 0) {
+            if (remove) {
+                if (targetbuf == NULL) {
+                    cx_invoke_destructor(map, elm->data);
                 } else {
-                    assert(targetbuf != NULL);
-                    void *data = NULL;
-                    if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
-                        data = *(void **) elm->data;
-                    } else {
-                        data = elm->data;
-                    }
-                    memcpy(targetbuf, &data, sizeof(void *));
+                    memcpy(targetbuf, elm->data, map->collection.elem_size);
                 }
-                return 0;
+                cx_hash_map_unlink(hash_map, slot, prev, elm);
+            } else {
+                assert(targetbuf != NULL);
+                void *data = NULL;
+                if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
+                    data = *(void **) elm->data;
+                } else {
+                    data = elm->data;
+                }
+                memcpy(targetbuf, &data, sizeof(void *));
             }
+            return 0;
         }
         prev = elm;
         elm = prev->next;
@@ -260,19 +266,12 @@
 
 static void *cx_hash_map_iter_current_key(const void *it) {
     const CxMapIterator *iter = it;
-    struct cx_hash_map_element_s *elm = iter->elem;
-    return &elm->key;
+    return (void*) iter->entry.key;
 }
 
 static void *cx_hash_map_iter_current_value(const void *it) {
     const CxMapIterator *iter = it;
-    const CxMap *map = iter->map.c;
-    struct cx_hash_map_element_s *elm = iter->elem;
-    if (map->collection.store_pointer) {
-        return *(void **) elm->data;
-    } else {
-        return elm->data;
-    }
+    return iter->entry.value;
 }
 
 static bool cx_hash_map_iter_valid(const void *it) {
@@ -309,6 +308,7 @@
 
         // unlink
         cx_hash_map_unlink(hmap, iter->slot, prev, elm);
+        iter->elem_count--;
 
         // advance
         elm = next;
--- a/ucx/json.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/json.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
 
 /*
  * RFC 8259
@@ -46,22 +47,17 @@
     return cx_strcmp(cx_strcast(left->name), cx_strcast(right->name));
 }
 
-static CxJsonObjValue *json_find_objvalue(const CxJsonValue *obj, cxstring name) {
+static size_t json_find_objvalue(const CxJsonValue *obj, cxstring name) {
     assert(obj->type == CX_JSON_OBJECT);
     CxJsonObjValue kv_dummy;
     kv_dummy.name = cx_mutstrn((char*) name.ptr, name.length);
-    size_t index = cx_array_binary_search(
+    return cx_array_binary_search(
             obj->value.object.values,
             obj->value.object.values_size,
             sizeof(CxJsonObjValue),
             &kv_dummy,
             json_cmp_objvalue
     );
-    if (index == obj->value.object.values_size) {
-        return NULL;
-    } else {
-        return &obj->value.object.values[index];
-    }
 }
 
 static int json_add_objvalue(CxJsonValue *objv, CxJsonObjValue member) {
@@ -132,16 +128,6 @@
     }
 }
 
-static bool json_isdigit(char c) {
-    // TODO: remove once UCX has public API for this
-    return c >= '0' && c <= '9';
-}
-
-static bool json_isspace(char c) {
-    // TODO: remove once UCX has public API for this
-    return c == ' ' || c == '\t' || c == '\r' || c == '\n' || c == '\v' || c == '\f';
-}
-
 static int num_isexp(const char *content, size_t length, size_t pos) {
     if (pos >= length) {
         return 0;
@@ -150,7 +136,7 @@
     int ok = 0;
     for (size_t i = pos; i < length; i++) {
         char c = content[i];
-        if (json_isdigit(c)) {
+        if (isdigit((unsigned char)c)) {
             ok = 1;
         } else if (i == pos) {
             if (!(c == '+' || c == '-')) {
@@ -167,7 +153,7 @@
 static CxJsonTokenType token_numbertype(const char *content, size_t length) {
     if (length == 0) return CX_JSON_TOKEN_ERROR;
 
-    if (content[0] != '-' && !json_isdigit(content[0])) {
+    if (content[0] != '-' && !isdigit((unsigned char)content[0])) {
         return CX_JSON_TOKEN_ERROR;
     }
 
@@ -180,7 +166,7 @@
             type = CX_JSON_TOKEN_NUMBER;
         } else if (content[i] == 'e' || content[i] == 'E') {
             return num_isexp(content, length, i + 1) ? CX_JSON_TOKEN_NUMBER : CX_JSON_TOKEN_ERROR;
-        } else if (!json_isdigit(content[i])) {
+        } else if (!isdigit((unsigned char)content[i])) {
             return CX_JSON_TOKEN_ERROR; // char is not a digit, decimal separator or exponent sep
         }
     }
@@ -244,7 +230,7 @@
             return CX_JSON_TOKEN_STRING;
         }
         default: {
-            if (json_isspace(c)) {
+            if (isspace((unsigned char)c)) {
                 return CX_JSON_TOKEN_SPACE;
             }
         }
@@ -1126,6 +1112,20 @@
     return value->value.array.array[index];
 }
 
+CxJsonValue *cxJsonArrRemove(CxJsonValue *value, size_t index) {
+    if (index >= value->value.array.array_size) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    CxJsonValue *ret = value->value.array.array[index];
+    // TODO: replace with a low level cx_array_remove()
+    size_t count = value->value.array.array_size - index - 1;
+    if (count > 0) {
+        memmove(value->value.array.array + index, value->value.array.array + index + 1, count * sizeof(CxJsonValue*));
+    }
+    value->value.array.array_size--;
+    return ret;
+}
+
 CxIterator cxJsonArrIter(const CxJsonValue *value) {
     return cxIteratorPtr(
         value->value.array.array,
@@ -1141,12 +1141,26 @@
     );
 }
 
-CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get_cxstr(const CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name) {
-    CxJsonObjValue *member = json_find_objvalue(value, name);
-    if (member == NULL) {
+CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_get(const CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name) {
+    size_t index = json_find_objvalue(value, name);
+    if (index >= value->value.object.values_size) {
         return &cx_json_value_nothing;
     } else {
-        return member->value;
+        return value->value.object.values[index].value;
+    }
+}
+
+CxJsonValue *cx_json_obj_remove(CxJsonValue *value, cxstring name) {
+    size_t index = json_find_objvalue(value, name);
+    if (index >= value->value.object.values_size) {
+        return NULL;
+    } else {
+        CxJsonObjValue kv = value->value.object.values[index];
+        cx_strfree_a(value->allocator, &kv.name);
+        // TODO: replace with cx_array_remove()
+        value->value.object.values_size--;
+        memmove(value->value.object.values + index, value->value.object.values + index + 1, (value->value.object.values_size - index) * sizeof(CxJsonObjValue));
+        return kv.value;
     }
 }
 
--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/ucx/kv_list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,703 @@
+/*
+ * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS HEADER.
+ *
+ * Copyright 2025 Mike Becker, Olaf Wintermann All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+ * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
+ *
+ *   1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+ *      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+ *
+ *   2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+ *      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+ *      documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+ *
+ * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
+ * AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
+ * IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
+ * ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
+ * LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
+ * CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
+ * SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
+ * INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
+ * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
+ * POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+ */
+
+#include "cx/kv_list.h"
+#include "cx/hash_map.h"
+#include "cx/linked_list.h"
+
+#include <string.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+typedef struct cx_kv_list_s cx_kv_list;
+
+struct cx_kv_list_map_s {
+    struct cx_hash_map_s map_base;
+    /** Back-reference to the list. */
+    cx_kv_list *list;
+};
+
+struct cx_kv_list_s {
+    struct cx_linked_list_s list;
+    /** The lookup map - stores pointers to the nodes. */
+    struct cx_kv_list_map_s *map;
+    const cx_list_class *list_methods;
+    const cx_map_class *map_methods;
+    cx_destructor_func list_destr;
+    cx_destructor_func2 list_destr2;
+    void *list_destr_data;
+    cx_destructor_func map_destr;
+    cx_destructor_func2 map_destr2;
+    void *map_destr_data;
+};
+
+static void cx_kv_list_destructor_wrapper(void *list_ptr, void *elem) {
+    const cx_kv_list *kv_list = list_ptr;
+    // list destructor is already called with proper deref of the elem
+    if (kv_list->list_destr) {
+        kv_list->list_destr(elem);
+    }
+    if (kv_list->list_destr2) {
+        kv_list->list_destr2(kv_list->list_destr_data, elem);
+    }
+    if (kv_list->map_destr) {
+        kv_list->map_destr(elem);
+    }
+    if (kv_list->map_destr2) {
+        kv_list->map_destr2(kv_list->map_destr_data, elem);
+    }
+}
+
+static void cx_kv_list_update_destructors(cx_kv_list *list) {
+    // we copy the destructors to our custom fields and register
+    // an own destructor function which invokes all these
+    if (list->list.base.collection.simple_destructor != NULL) {
+        list->list_destr = list->list.base.collection.simple_destructor;
+        list->list.base.collection.simple_destructor = NULL;
+    }
+    if (list->list.base.collection.advanced_destructor != cx_kv_list_destructor_wrapper) {
+        list->list_destr2 = list->list.base.collection.advanced_destructor;
+        list->list_destr_data = list->list.base.collection.destructor_data;
+        list->list.base.collection.advanced_destructor = cx_kv_list_destructor_wrapper;
+        list->list.base.collection.destructor_data = list;
+    }
+    if (list->map->map_base.base.collection.simple_destructor != NULL) {
+        list->map_destr = list->map->map_base.base.collection.simple_destructor;
+        list->map->map_base.base.collection.simple_destructor = NULL;
+    }
+    if (list->map->map_base.base.collection.advanced_destructor != NULL) {
+        list->map_destr2 = list->map->map_base.base.collection.advanced_destructor;
+        list->map_destr_data = list->map->map_base.base.collection.destructor_data;
+        list->map->map_base.base.collection.advanced_destructor = NULL;
+        list->map->map_base.base.collection.destructor_data = NULL;
+    }
+}
+
+static CxHashKey *cx_kv_list_loc_key(cx_kv_list *list, void *node_data) {
+    return (CxHashKey*)((char*)node_data + list->list.base.collection.elem_size);
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_deallocate(struct cx_list_s *list) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    // patch the destructors
+    cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+    kv_list->map_methods->deallocate(&kv_list->map->map_base.base);
+    // then free the list, now the destructors may be called
+    kv_list->list_methods->deallocate(list);
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_insert_element(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t index,
+        const void *data
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->insert_element(list, index, data);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_kvl_insert_array(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t index,
+        const void *data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->insert_array(list, index, data, n);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_kvl_insert_sorted(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->insert_sorted(list, sorted_data, n);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_kvl_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->insert_unique(list, sorted_data, n);
+}
+
+static int cx_kvl_insert_iter(
+        struct cx_iterator_s *iter,
+        const void *elem,
+        int prepend
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = iter->src_handle.m;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->insert_iter(iter, elem, prepend);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_kvl_remove(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t index,
+        size_t num,
+        void *targetbuf
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    // patch the destructors
+    // we also have to do that when targetbuf is NULL,
+    // because we do not want wrong destructors to be called when we remove keys from the map
+    cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+    // iterate through the elements first and remove their keys from the map
+    CxIterator iter = kv_list->list_methods->iterator(list, index, false);
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < num && cxIteratorValid(iter); i++) {
+        void *node_data = cxIteratorCurrent(iter);
+        CxHashKey *key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+        // when the hash is zero, there is no key assigned to that element
+        if (key->hash != 0) {
+            kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, *key, NULL);
+        }
+        cxIteratorNext(iter);
+    }
+    return kv_list->list_methods->remove(list, index, num, targetbuf);
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_clear(struct cx_list_s *list) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    // patch the destructors
+    cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+    // clear the list
+    kv_list->list_methods->clear(list);
+    // then clear the map
+    kv_list->map_methods->clear(&kv_list->map->map_base.base);
+}
+
+static int cx_kvl_swap(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t i,
+        size_t j
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->swap(list, i, j);
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_at(
+        const struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t index
+) {
+    const cx_kv_list *kv_list = (const cx_kv_list*)list;
+    return kv_list->list_methods->at(list, index);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_kvl_find_remove(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *elem,
+        bool remove
+) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    // we do not use the original list methods,
+    // because that would need two passes for removal
+    // (the first to find the index, the second to get a pointer)
+    if (list->collection.size == 0) return 0;
+
+    size_t index;
+    cx_linked_list *ll = &kv_list->list;
+    char *node = cx_linked_list_find(
+            ll->begin,
+            ll->loc_next, ll->loc_data,
+            list->collection.cmpfunc, elem,
+            &index
+    );
+    if (node == NULL) {
+        return list->collection.size;
+    }
+    if (remove) {
+        cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+        cx_invoke_advanced_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        cx_linked_list_remove(&ll->begin, &ll->end,
+                              ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next, node);
+        CxHashKey *key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        if (key->hash != 0) {
+            kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, *key, NULL);
+        }
+        list->collection.size--;
+        cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
+    }
+    return index;
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_sort(struct cx_list_s *list) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    kv_list->list_methods->sort(list);
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_reverse(struct cx_list_s *list) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    kv_list->list_methods->reverse(list);
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_list_iter_next(void *it) {
+    struct cx_iterator_s *iter = it;
+    if (iter->base.remove) {
+        // remove the assigned key from the map before calling the actual function
+        cx_kv_list *kv_list = iter->src_handle.m;
+        cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+        char *node = iter->elem_handle;
+        CxHashKey *key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+        if (key->hash != 0) {
+            kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, *key, NULL);
+        }
+    }
+    iter->base.next_impl(it);
+}
+
+static struct cx_iterator_s cx_kvl_iterator(
+        const struct cx_list_s *list,
+        size_t index,
+        bool backward
+) {
+    const cx_kv_list *kv_list = (const cx_kv_list*)list;
+    struct cx_iterator_s iter = kv_list->list_methods->iterator(list, index, backward);
+    iter.base.next_impl = iter.base.next;
+    iter.base.next = cx_kvl_list_iter_next;
+    return iter;
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_map_deallocate(struct cx_map_s *map) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+    kv_list->map_methods->deallocate(map);
+    kv_list->list_methods->deallocate(&kv_list->list.base);
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_map_clear(struct cx_map_s *map) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+    cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+    kv_list->list_methods->clear(&kv_list->list.base);
+    kv_list->map_methods->clear(map);
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_map_put(CxMap *map, CxHashKey key, void *value) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+    // if the hash has not yet been computed, do it now
+    if (key.hash == 0) {
+        cx_hash_murmur(&key);
+    }
+
+    // reserve memory in the map first
+    void **map_data = kv_list->map_methods->put(map, key, NULL);
+    if (map_data == NULL) return NULL; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+
+    // insert the data into the list (which most likely destroys the sorted property)
+    kv_list->list.base.collection.sorted = false;
+    void *node_data = kv_list->list_methods->insert_element(
+        &kv_list->list.base, kv_list->list.base.collection.size,
+        kv_list->list.base.collection.store_pointer ? &value : value);
+    if (node_data == NULL) { // LCOV_EXCL_START
+        // non-destructively remove the key again
+        kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, key, &map_data);
+        return NULL;
+    } // LCOV_EXCL_STOP
+
+    // write the node pointer to the map entry
+    *map_data = node_data;
+
+    // copy the key to the node data
+    CxHashKey *key_ptr = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+    *key_ptr = key;
+
+    // we must return node_data here and not map_data,
+    // because the node_data is the actual element of this collection
+    return node_data;
+}
+
+void *cx_kvl_map_get(const CxMap *map, CxHashKey key) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+    void *node_data = kv_list->map_methods->get(map, key);
+    if (node_data == NULL) return NULL; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+    // return the node data
+    return kv_list->list.base.collection.store_pointer ? *(void**)node_data : node_data;
+}
+
+int cx_kvl_map_remove(CxMap *map, CxHashKey key, void *targetbuf) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+
+    void *node_data;
+    if (kv_list->map_methods->remove(map, key, &node_data)) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    // we cannot just call a list method (because we don't have the index)
+    // and tbh. we also don't want to (because it's not performant when we
+    // can have the node ptr directly instead)
+    // therefore, we re-implement the logic ourselves
+
+    // check if the outside caller want's us to return or to destroy the element
+    if (targetbuf == NULL) {
+        // patch the destructors and invoke them through the wrapper
+        cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+        cx_invoke_advanced_destructor(&kv_list->list.base, node_data);
+    } else {
+        // copy the element to the target buffer
+        memcpy(targetbuf, node_data, kv_list->list.base.collection.elem_size);
+    }
+
+    // calculate the address of the node
+    void *node_ptr = (char*)node_data - kv_list->list.loc_data;
+
+    // unlink the node
+    cx_linked_list_remove(
+        &kv_list->list.begin,
+        &kv_list->list.end,
+        kv_list->list.loc_prev,
+        kv_list->list.loc_next,
+        node_ptr
+    );
+
+    // decrement the list's size
+    kv_list->list.base.collection.size--;
+
+    // deallocate the node
+    cxFree(kv_list->list.base.collection.allocator, node_ptr);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_iter_current_entry(const void *it) {
+    const CxMapIterator *iter = it;
+    return (void*)&iter->entry;
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_iter_current_key(const void *it) {
+    const CxMapEntry *entry = cx_kvl_iter_current_entry(it);
+    return (void*)entry->key;
+}
+
+static void *cx_kvl_iter_current_value(const void *it) {
+    const CxMapEntry *entry = cx_kvl_iter_current_entry(it);
+    return entry->value;
+}
+
+static void cx_kvl_iter_next(void *it) {
+    CxMapIterator *iter = it;
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)iter->map.m)->list;
+
+    // find the next list entry that has a key assigned
+    CxHashKey *key = NULL;
+    char *next = iter->elem;
+    while (true) {
+        next = *(char**)(next + kv_list->list.loc_next);
+        if (next == NULL) break;
+        key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+        if (key->hash != 0) break;
+    }
+
+    // remove previous element if requested
+    if (iter->base.remove) {
+        iter->base.remove = false;
+        cx_kv_list_update_destructors(kv_list);
+        char *elem = iter->elem;
+        char *elem_data = elem + kv_list->list.loc_data;
+        CxHashKey *elem_key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, elem_data);
+        // key is guaranteed to exist because iterator only iterates over elems with a key
+        kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, *elem_key, NULL);
+        cx_invoke_advanced_destructor(&kv_list->list.base, elem_data);
+        cx_linked_list_remove(
+            &kv_list->list.begin,
+            &kv_list->list.end,
+            kv_list->list.loc_prev,
+            kv_list->list.loc_next,
+            elem
+        );
+        cxFree(kv_list->list.base.collection.allocator, elem);
+        kv_list->list.base.collection.size--;
+        iter->index--;
+        iter->elem_count--;
+    }
+
+    // advance to the next element, if any
+    if (next == NULL) {
+        iter->index = kv_list->list.base.collection.size;
+        iter->elem = NULL;
+        iter->entry = (CxMapEntry){NULL, NULL};
+        return;
+    }
+    iter->index++;
+    iter->elem = next;
+    iter->entry.key = key;
+    if (kv_list->list.base.collection.store_pointer) {
+        iter->entry.value = *(void**)(next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+    } else {
+        iter->entry.value = (void*)(next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+    }
+}
+
+static bool cx_kvl_iter_valid(const void *it) {
+    const CxMapIterator *iter = it;
+    return iter->elem != NULL;
+}
+
+CxMapIterator cx_kvl_map_iterator(const CxMap *map, enum cx_map_iterator_type type) {
+    CxMapIterator iter = {0};
+
+    iter.type = type;
+    iter.map.c = map;
+    // although we iterate over the list, we only report that many elements that have a key in the map
+    iter.elem_count = map->collection.size;
+
+    switch (type) {
+        case CX_MAP_ITERATOR_PAIRS:
+            iter.elem_size = sizeof(CxMapEntry);
+            iter.base.current = cx_kvl_iter_current_entry;
+            break;
+        case CX_MAP_ITERATOR_KEYS:
+            iter.elem_size = sizeof(CxHashKey);
+            iter.base.current = cx_kvl_iter_current_key;
+            break;
+        case CX_MAP_ITERATOR_VALUES:
+            iter.elem_size = map->collection.elem_size;
+            iter.base.current = cx_kvl_iter_current_value;
+            break;
+        default:
+            assert(false); // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+    }
+
+    iter.base.next = cx_kvl_iter_next;
+    iter.base.valid = cx_kvl_iter_valid;
+
+    // find the first list entry that has a key assigned
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = ((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list;
+    CxHashKey *key = NULL;
+    char *next = kv_list->list.begin;
+    while (next != NULL) {
+        key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+        if (key->hash != 0) break;
+        next = *(char**)(next + kv_list->list.loc_next);
+    }
+    if (next == NULL) {
+        iter.elem = NULL;
+        iter.entry = (CxMapEntry){NULL, NULL};
+    } else {
+        iter.elem = next;
+        iter.entry.key = key;
+        if (kv_list->list.base.collection.store_pointer) {
+            iter.entry.value = *(void**)(next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+        } else {
+            iter.entry.value = (void*)(next + kv_list->list.loc_data);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return iter;
+}
+
+static cx_list_class cx_kv_list_class = {
+    cx_kvl_deallocate,
+    cx_kvl_insert_element,
+    cx_kvl_insert_array,
+    cx_kvl_insert_sorted,
+    cx_kvl_insert_unique,
+    cx_kvl_insert_iter,
+    cx_kvl_remove,
+    cx_kvl_clear,
+    cx_kvl_swap,
+    cx_kvl_at,
+    cx_kvl_find_remove,
+    cx_kvl_sort,
+    NULL,
+    cx_kvl_reverse,
+    cx_kvl_iterator,
+};
+
+static cx_map_class cx_kv_map_class = {
+    cx_kvl_map_deallocate,
+    cx_kvl_map_clear,
+    cx_kvl_map_put,
+    cx_kvl_map_get,
+    cx_kvl_map_remove,
+    cx_kvl_map_iterator,
+};
+
+CxList *cxKvListCreate(
+        const CxAllocator *allocator,
+        cx_compare_func comparator,
+        size_t elem_size
+) {
+    if (allocator == NULL) {
+        allocator = cxDefaultAllocator;
+    }
+
+    // create a normal linked list and a normal hash map, first
+    CxList *list = cxLinkedListCreate(allocator, comparator, elem_size);
+    if (list == NULL) return NULL; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list*)list;
+    ll->extra_data_len = sizeof(CxHashKey);
+    CxMap *map = cxHashMapCreate(allocator, CX_STORE_POINTERS, 0);
+    if (map == NULL) { // LCOV_EXCL_START
+        cxListFree(list);
+        return NULL;
+    } // LCOV_EXCL_STOP
+
+    // patch the kv-list class with the compare function of the linked list
+    // this allows cxListCompare() to optimize comparisons between linked lists and kv-list
+    cx_kv_list_class.compare = list->cl->compare;
+
+    // reallocate the map to add memory for the list back-reference
+    struct cx_kv_list_map_s *kv_map = cxRealloc(allocator, map, sizeof(struct cx_kv_list_map_s));
+    
+    // reallocate the list to add memory for storing the metadata
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = cxRealloc(allocator, list, sizeof(struct cx_kv_list_s));
+
+    // if any of the reallocations failed, we bail out
+    if (kv_map != NULL && kv_list != NULL) {
+        map = (CxMap*) kv_map;
+        list = (CxList*) kv_list;
+    } else { // LCOV_EXCL_START
+        cxListFree(list);
+        cxMapFree(map);
+        return NULL;
+    } // LCOV_EXCL_STOP
+
+    // zero the custom destructor information
+    memset((char*)kv_list + offsetof(cx_kv_list, list_destr), 0, sizeof(void*)*6);
+
+    // combine the list and the map aspect
+    kv_list->map = kv_map;
+    kv_map->list = kv_list;
+
+    // remember the base methods and override them
+    kv_list->map_methods = map->cl;
+    map->cl = &cx_kv_map_class;
+    if (list->climpl == NULL) {
+        kv_list->list_methods = list->cl;
+        list->cl = &cx_kv_list_class;
+    } else {
+        kv_list->list_methods = list->climpl;
+        list->climpl = &cx_kv_list_class;
+    }
+
+    return list;
+}
+
+CxMap *cxKvListCreateAsMap(
+        const CxAllocator *allocator,
+        cx_compare_func comparator,
+        size_t elem_size
+) {
+    CxList *list = cxKvListCreate(allocator, comparator, elem_size);
+    return list == NULL ? NULL : cxKvListAsMap(list);
+}
+
+CxList *cxKvListAsList(CxMap *map) {
+    return &((struct cx_kv_list_map_s*)map)->list->list.base;
+}
+
+CxMap *cxKvListAsMap(CxList *list) {
+    return &((cx_kv_list*)list)->map->map_base.base;
+}
+
+int cx_kv_list_set_key(CxList *list, size_t index, CxHashKey key) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    void *node_data = kv_list->list_methods->at(list, index);
+    if (node_data == NULL) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    // if the hash has not yet been computed, do it now
+    if (key.hash == 0) {
+        cx_hash_murmur(&key);
+    }
+
+    // check if the key is already assigned
+    void *existing = kv_list->map_methods->get(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, key);
+    if (existing == node_data) {
+        return 0; // nothing to do
+    }
+    if (existing != NULL) {
+        // the key is already assigned to another node, we disallow re-assignment
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // add the key to the map;
+    if (NULL == kv_list->map_methods->put(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, key, node_data)) {
+        return 1; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+    }
+
+    // write the key to the list's node
+    CxHashKey *loc_key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+    *loc_key = key;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int cxKvListRemoveKey(CxList *list, size_t index) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    void *node_data = kv_list->list_methods->at(list, index);
+    if (node_data == NULL) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    CxHashKey *loc_key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+    if (loc_key->hash == 0) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, *loc_key, NULL);
+    // also zero the memory in the list node,
+    // but don't free the key data (that was done by the map remove)
+    memset(loc_key, 0, sizeof(CxHashKey));
+    return 0;
+}
+
+const CxHashKey *cxKvListGetKey(CxList *list, size_t index) {
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+    void *node_data = kv_list->list_methods->at(list, index);
+    if (node_data == NULL) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    CxHashKey *key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+    if (key->hash == 0) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return key;
+}
+
+int cx_kv_list_insert(CxList *list, size_t index, CxHashKey key, void *value) {
+    // assume we are losing the sorted property
+    list->collection.sorted = false;
+
+    cx_kv_list *kv_list = (cx_kv_list*)list;
+
+    // reserve memory in the map
+    void **map_data = kv_list->map_methods->put(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, key, NULL);
+    if (map_data == NULL) return 1; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+
+    // insert the node
+    void *node_data = kv_list->list_methods->insert_element(&kv_list->list.base, index,
+        kv_list->list.base.collection.store_pointer ? &value : value);
+    if (node_data == NULL) { // LCOV_EXCL_START
+        // non-destructively remove the key again
+        kv_list->map_methods->remove(&kv_list->map->map_base.base, key, &map_data);
+        return 1;
+    } // LCOV_EXCL_STOP
+    *map_data = node_data;
+
+    // write the key to the node
+    CxHashKey *loc_key = cx_kv_list_loc_key(kv_list, node_data);
+    *loc_key = key;
+
+    return 0;
+}
--- a/ucx/linked_list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/linked_list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "cx/compare.h"
 #include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
 // LOW LEVEL LINKED LIST FUNCTIONS
 
@@ -244,6 +245,147 @@
             begin, end, loc_prev, loc_next, new_node, cmp_func);
 }
 
+static void *cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain_impl(
+        void **begin,
+        void **end,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_prev,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_next,
+        void *insert_begin,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func,
+        bool allow_duplicates
+) {
+    assert(begin != NULL);
+    assert(loc_next >= 0);
+    assert(insert_begin != NULL);
+
+    // strategy: build completely new chains from scratch
+    void *source_original = *begin;
+    void *source_argument = insert_begin;
+    void *new_begin = NULL;
+    void *new_end = NULL;
+    void *dup_begin = NULL;
+    void *dup_end = NULL;
+
+    // determine the new start
+    {
+        int d = source_original ==  NULL ? 1 : cmp_func(source_original, source_argument);
+        if (d <= 0) {
+            // the new chain starts with the original chain
+            new_begin = new_end = source_original;
+            source_original = ll_next(source_original);
+            if (d == 0) {
+                if (allow_duplicates) {
+                    // duplicate allowed, append it to the chain
+                    cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                    new_end = source_argument;
+                } else {
+                    // duplicate is not allowed, start a duplicate chain with the argument
+                    dup_begin = dup_end = source_argument;
+                }
+                source_argument = ll_next(source_argument);
+            }
+        } else {
+            // input is smaller, or there is no original chain;
+            // start the new chain with the source argument
+            new_begin = new_end = source_argument;
+            source_argument = ll_next(source_argument);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // now successively compare the elements and add them to the correct chains
+    while (source_original != NULL && source_argument != NULL) {
+        int d = cmp_func(source_original, source_argument);
+        if (d <= 0) {
+            // the original is not larger, add it to the chain
+            cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_original, loc_prev, loc_next);
+            new_end = source_original;
+            source_original = ll_next(source_original);
+            if (d == 0) {
+                if (allow_duplicates) {
+                    // duplicate allowed, append it to the chain
+                    cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                    new_end = source_argument;
+                } else {
+                    // duplicate is not allowed, append it to the duplicate chain
+                    if (dup_end == NULL) {
+                        dup_begin = dup_end = source_argument;
+                    } else {
+                        cx_linked_list_link(dup_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                        dup_end = source_argument;
+                    }
+                }
+                source_argument = ll_next(source_argument);
+            }
+        } else {
+            // the original is larger, append the source argument to the chain
+            // check if we must discard the source argument as duplicate
+            if (!allow_duplicates && cmp_func(new_end, source_argument) == 0) {
+                if (dup_end == NULL) {
+                    dup_begin = dup_end = source_argument;
+                } else {
+                    cx_linked_list_link(dup_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                    dup_end = source_argument;
+                }
+            } else {
+                // no duplicate or duplicates allowed
+                cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                new_end = source_argument;
+            }
+            source_argument = ll_next(source_argument);
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (source_original != NULL) {
+        // something is left from the original chain, append it
+        cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_original, loc_prev, loc_next);
+        new_end = cx_linked_list_last(source_original, loc_next);
+    } else if (source_argument != NULL) {
+        // something is left from the input chain;
+        // when we allow duplicates, append it
+        if (allow_duplicates) {
+            cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+            new_end = cx_linked_list_last(source_argument, loc_next);
+        } else {
+            // otherwise we must check one-by-one
+            while (source_argument != NULL) {
+                if (cmp_func(new_end, source_argument) == 0) {
+                    if (dup_end == NULL) {
+                        dup_begin = dup_end = source_argument;
+                    } else {
+                        cx_linked_list_link(dup_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                        dup_end = source_argument;
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    cx_linked_list_link(new_end, source_argument, loc_prev, loc_next);
+                    new_end = source_argument;
+                }
+                source_argument = ll_next(source_argument);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // null the next pointers at the end of the chain
+    ll_next(new_end) = NULL;
+    if (dup_end != NULL) {
+        ll_next(dup_end) = NULL;
+    }
+
+    // null the optional prev pointers
+    if (loc_prev >= 0) {
+        ll_prev(new_begin) = NULL;
+        if (dup_begin != NULL) {
+            ll_prev(dup_begin) = NULL;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // output
+    *begin = new_begin;
+    if (end != NULL) {
+        *end = new_end;
+    }
+    return dup_begin;
+}
+
 void cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain(
         void **begin,
         void **end,
@@ -252,72 +394,35 @@
         void *insert_begin,
         cx_compare_func cmp_func
 ) {
-    assert(begin != NULL);
-    assert(loc_next >= 0);
-    assert(insert_begin != NULL);
-
-    // track currently observed nodes
-    void *dest_prev = NULL;
-    void *dest = *begin;
-    void *src = insert_begin;
-
-    // special case: list is empty
-    if (dest == NULL) {
-        *begin = src;
-        if (end != NULL) {
-            *end = cx_linked_list_last(src, loc_next);
-        }
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // search the list for insertion points
-    while (dest != NULL && src != NULL) {
-        // compare current list node with source node
-        // if less or equal, skip
-        if (cmp_func(dest, src) <= 0) {
-            dest_prev = dest;
-            dest = ll_next(dest);
-            continue;
-        }
+    cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain_impl(
+            begin, end, loc_prev, loc_next,
+            insert_begin, cmp_func, true);
+}
 
-        // determine chain of elements that can be inserted
-        void *end_of_chain = src;
-        void *next_in_chain = ll_next(src);
-        while (next_in_chain != NULL) {
-            // once we become larger than the list elem, break
-            if (cmp_func(dest, next_in_chain) <= 0) {
-                break;
-            }
-            // otherwise, we can insert one more
-            end_of_chain = next_in_chain;
-            next_in_chain = ll_next(next_in_chain);
-        }
+int cx_linked_list_insert_unique(
+        void **begin,
+        void **end,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_prev,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_next,
+        void *new_node,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func
+) {
+    assert(ll_next(new_node) == NULL);
+    return NULL != cx_linked_list_insert_unique_chain(
+            begin, end, loc_prev, loc_next, new_node, cmp_func);
+}
 
-        // insert the elements
-        if (dest_prev == NULL) {
-            // new begin
-            *begin = src;
-        } else {
-            cx_linked_list_link(dest_prev, src, loc_prev, loc_next);
-        }
-        cx_linked_list_link(end_of_chain, dest, loc_prev, loc_next);
-
-        // continue with next
-        src = next_in_chain;
-        dest_prev = dest;
-        dest = ll_next(dest);
-    }
-
-    // insert remaining items
-    if (src != NULL) {
-        cx_linked_list_link(dest_prev, src, loc_prev, loc_next);
-    }
-
-    // determine new end of list, if requested
-    if (end != NULL) {
-        *end = cx_linked_list_last(
-                dest != NULL ? dest : dest_prev, loc_next);
-    }
+void *cx_linked_list_insert_unique_chain(
+        void **begin,
+        void **end,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_prev,
+        ptrdiff_t loc_next,
+        void *insert_begin,
+        cx_compare_func cmp_func
+) {
+    return cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain_impl(
+            begin, end, loc_prev, loc_next,
+            insert_begin, cmp_func, false);
 }
 
 size_t cx_linked_list_remove_chain(
@@ -564,64 +669,46 @@
 
 // HIGH LEVEL LINKED LIST IMPLEMENTATION
 
-typedef struct cx_linked_list_node cx_linked_list_node;
-struct cx_linked_list_node {
-    cx_linked_list_node *prev;
-    cx_linked_list_node *next;
-    char payload[];
-};
-
-#define CX_LL_LOC_PREV offsetof(cx_linked_list_node, prev)
-#define CX_LL_LOC_NEXT offsetof(cx_linked_list_node, next)
-#define CX_LL_LOC_DATA offsetof(cx_linked_list_node, payload)
-
-typedef struct {
-    struct cx_list_s base;
-    cx_linked_list_node *begin;
-    cx_linked_list_node *end;
-} cx_linked_list;
-
-static cx_linked_list_node *cx_ll_node_at(
+static void *cx_ll_node_at(
         const cx_linked_list *list,
         size_t index
 ) {
     if (index >= list->base.collection.size) {
         return NULL;
     } else if (index > list->base.collection.size / 2) {
-        return cx_linked_list_at(list->end, list->base.collection.size - 1, CX_LL_LOC_PREV, index);
+        return cx_linked_list_at(list->end, list->base.collection.size - 1, list->loc_prev, index);
     } else {
-        return cx_linked_list_at(list->begin, 0, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, index);
+        return cx_linked_list_at(list->begin, 0, list->loc_next, index);
     }
 }
 
-static cx_linked_list_node *cx_ll_malloc_node(const struct cx_list_s *list) {
-    return cxMalloc(list->collection.allocator,
-                    sizeof(cx_linked_list_node) + list->collection.elem_size);
+static void *cx_ll_malloc_node(const cx_linked_list *list) {
+    return cxZalloc(list->base.collection.allocator,
+                    list->loc_data + list->base.collection.elem_size + list->extra_data_len);
 }
 
 static int cx_ll_insert_at(
         struct cx_list_s *list,
-        cx_linked_list_node *node,
+        void *node,
         const void *elem
 ) {
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
 
     // create the new new_node
-    cx_linked_list_node *new_node = cx_ll_malloc_node(list);
+    void *new_node = cx_ll_malloc_node(ll);
 
     // sortir if failed
     if (new_node == NULL) return 1;
 
-    // initialize new new_node
-    new_node->prev = new_node->next = NULL;
+    // copy the data
     if (elem != NULL) {
-        memcpy(new_node->payload, elem, list->collection.elem_size);
+        memcpy((char*)new_node + ll->loc_data, elem, list->collection.elem_size);
     }
 
     // insert
-    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
     cx_linked_list_insert_chain(
-            (void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end,
-            CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT,
+            &ll->begin, &ll->end,
+            ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next,
             node, new_node, new_node
     );
 
@@ -640,7 +727,7 @@
     if (index > list->collection.size || n == 0) return 0;
 
     // find position efficiently
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = index == 0 ? NULL : cx_ll_node_at((cx_linked_list *) list, index - 1);
+    void *node = index == 0 ? NULL : cx_ll_node_at((cx_linked_list *) list, index - 1);
 
     // perform first insert
     if (0 != cx_ll_insert_at(list, node, array)) return 1;
@@ -649,14 +736,15 @@
     if (n == 1) return 1;
 
     // we now know exactly where we are
-    node = node == NULL ? ((cx_linked_list *) list)->begin : node->next;
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
+    node = node == NULL ? ((cx_linked_list *) list)->begin : CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
 
     // we can add the remaining nodes and immediately advance to the inserted node
     const char *source = array;
     for (size_t i = 1; i < n; i++) {
         source += list->collection.elem_size;
         if (0 != cx_ll_insert_at(list, node, source)) return i;
-        node = node->next;
+        node = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
     }
     return n;
 }
@@ -670,25 +758,95 @@
     if (index > list->collection.size) return NULL;
 
     // find position efficiently
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = index == 0 ? NULL : cx_ll_node_at((cx_linked_list *) list, index - 1);
+    void *node = index == 0 ? NULL : cx_ll_node_at((cx_linked_list *) list, index - 1);
 
     // perform first insert
     if (cx_ll_insert_at(list, node, element)) return NULL;
 
     // return a pointer to the data of the inserted node
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
     if (node == NULL) {
-        return ((cx_linked_list *) list)->begin->payload;
+        return (char*)(ll->begin) + ll->loc_data;
     } else {
-        return node->next->payload;
+        char *next = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
+        return next + ll->loc_data;
     }
 }
 
 static _Thread_local cx_compare_func cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_func;
+static _Thread_local off_t cx_ll_insert_sorted_loc_data;
 
 static int cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_helper(const void *l, const void *r) {
-    const cx_linked_list_node *left = l;
-    const cx_linked_list_node *right = r;
-    return cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_func(left->payload, right->payload);
+    const char *left = (const char*)l + cx_ll_insert_sorted_loc_data;
+    const char *right = (const char*)r + cx_ll_insert_sorted_loc_data;
+    return cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_func(left, right);
+}
+
+static size_t cx_ll_insert_sorted_impl(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *array,
+        size_t n,
+        bool allow_duplicates
+) {
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
+
+    // special case
+    if (n == 0) return 0;
+
+    // create a new chain of nodes
+    void *chain = cx_ll_malloc_node(ll);
+    if (chain == NULL) return 0;
+
+    memcpy((char*)chain + ll->loc_data, array, list->collection.elem_size);
+
+    // add all elements from the array to that chain
+    void *prev = chain;
+    const char *src = array;
+    size_t inserted = 1;
+    for (; inserted < n; inserted++) {
+        void *next = cx_ll_malloc_node(ll);
+        if (next == NULL) break;
+        src += list->collection.elem_size;
+        memcpy((char*)next + ll->loc_data, src, list->collection.elem_size);
+        CX_LL_PTR(prev, ll->loc_next) = next;
+        CX_LL_PTR(next, ll->loc_prev) = prev;
+        prev = next;
+    }
+    CX_LL_PTR(prev, ll->loc_next) = NULL;
+
+    // invoke the low level function
+    cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_func = list->collection.cmpfunc;
+    cx_ll_insert_sorted_loc_data = ll->loc_data;
+    if (allow_duplicates) {
+        cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain(
+                &ll->begin,
+                &ll->end,
+                ll->loc_prev,
+                ll->loc_next,
+                chain,
+                cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_helper
+        );
+        list->collection.size += inserted;
+    } else {
+        void *duplicates = cx_linked_list_insert_unique_chain(
+                &ll->begin,
+                &ll->end,
+                ll->loc_prev,
+                ll->loc_next,
+                chain,
+                cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_helper
+        );
+        list->collection.size += inserted;
+        // free the nodes that did not make it into the list
+        while (duplicates != NULL) {
+            void *next = CX_LL_PTR(duplicates, ll->loc_next);
+            cxFree(list->collection.allocator, duplicates);
+            duplicates = next;
+            list->collection.size--;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return inserted;
 }
 
 static size_t cx_ll_insert_sorted(
@@ -696,48 +854,15 @@
         const void *array,
         size_t n
 ) {
-    // special case
-    if (n == 0) return 0;
-
-    // create a new chain of nodes
-    cx_linked_list_node *chain = cx_ll_malloc_node(list);
-    if (chain == NULL) return 0;
-
-    memcpy(chain->payload, array, list->collection.elem_size);
-    chain->prev = NULL;
-    chain->next = NULL;
+    return cx_ll_insert_sorted_impl(list, array, n, true);
+}
 
-    // add all elements from the array to that chain
-    cx_linked_list_node *prev = chain;
-    const char *src = array;
-    size_t inserted = 1;
-    for (; inserted < n; inserted++) {
-        cx_linked_list_node *next = cx_ll_malloc_node(list);
-        if (next == NULL) break;
-        src += list->collection.elem_size;
-        memcpy(next->payload, src, list->collection.elem_size);
-        prev->next = next;
-        next->prev = prev;
-        prev = next;
-    }
-    prev->next = NULL;
-
-    // invoke the low level function
-    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_func = list->collection.cmpfunc;
-    cx_linked_list_insert_sorted_chain(
-            (void **) &ll->begin,
-            (void **) &ll->end,
-            CX_LL_LOC_PREV,
-            CX_LL_LOC_NEXT,
-            chain,
-            cx_ll_insert_sorted_cmp_helper
-    );
-
-    // adjust the list metadata
-    list->collection.size += inserted;
-
-    return inserted;
+static size_t cx_ll_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *array,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    return cx_ll_insert_sorted_impl(list, array, n, false);
 }
 
 static size_t cx_ll_remove(
@@ -747,7 +872,7 @@
         void *targetbuf
 ) {
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = cx_ll_node_at(ll, index);
+    void *node = cx_ll_node_at(ll, index);
 
     // out-of-bounds check
     if (node == NULL) return 0;
@@ -756,8 +881,8 @@
     size_t removed = cx_linked_list_remove_chain(
             (void **) &ll->begin,
             (void **) &ll->end,
-            CX_LL_LOC_PREV,
-            CX_LL_LOC_NEXT,
+            ll->loc_prev,
+            ll->loc_next,
             node,
             num
     );
@@ -767,28 +892,28 @@
 
     // copy or destroy the removed chain
     if (targetbuf == NULL) {
-        cx_linked_list_node *n = node;
+        char *n = node;
         for (size_t i = 0; i < removed; i++) {
             // element destruction
-            cx_invoke_destructor(list, n->payload);
+            cx_invoke_destructor(list, n + ll->loc_data);
 
             // free the node and advance
-            void *next = n->next;
+            void *next = CX_LL_PTR(n, ll->loc_next);
             cxFree(list->collection.allocator, n);
             n = next;
         }
     } else {
         char *dest = targetbuf;
-        cx_linked_list_node *n = node;
+        char *n = node;
         for (size_t i = 0; i < removed; i++) {
             // copy payload
-            memcpy(dest, n->payload, list->collection.elem_size);
+            memcpy(dest, n + ll->loc_data, list->collection.elem_size);
 
             // advance target buffer
             dest += list->collection.elem_size;
 
             // free the node and advance
-            void *next = n->next;
+            void *next = CX_LL_PTR(n, ll->loc_next);
             cxFree(list->collection.allocator, n);
             n = next;
         }
@@ -801,10 +926,10 @@
     if (list->collection.size == 0) return;
 
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = ll->begin;
+    char *node = ll->begin;
     while (node != NULL) {
-        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node->payload);
-        cx_linked_list_node *next = node->next;
+        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        void *next = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
         cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
         node = next;
     }
@@ -831,14 +956,14 @@
         left = j;
         right = i;
     }
-    cx_linked_list_node *nleft = NULL, *nright = NULL;
+    void *nleft = NULL, *nright = NULL;
     if (left < mid && right < mid) {
         // case 1: both items left from mid
         nleft = cx_ll_node_at(ll, left);
         assert(nleft != NULL);
         nright = nleft;
         for (size_t c = left; c < right; c++) {
-            nright = nright->next;
+            nright = CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_next);
         }
     } else if (left >= mid && right >= mid) {
         // case 2: both items right from mid
@@ -846,7 +971,7 @@
         assert(nright != NULL);
         nleft = nright;
         for (size_t c = right; c > left; c--) {
-            nleft = nleft->prev;
+            nleft = CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_prev);
         }
     } else {
         // case 3: one item left, one item right
@@ -872,12 +997,12 @@
             if (closest == left) {
                 nright = nleft;
                 for (size_t c = left; c < right; c++) {
-                    nright = nright->next;
+                    nright = CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_next);
                 }
             } else {
                 nleft = nright;
                 for (size_t c = right; c > left; c--) {
-                    nleft = nleft->prev;
+                    nleft = CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_prev);
                 }
             }
         } else {
@@ -890,33 +1015,33 @@
         }
     }
 
-    cx_linked_list_node *prev = nleft->prev;
-    cx_linked_list_node *next = nright->next;
-    cx_linked_list_node *midstart = nleft->next;
-    cx_linked_list_node *midend = nright->prev;
+    void *prev = CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_prev);
+    void *next = CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_next);
+    void *midstart = CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_next);
+    void *midend = CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_prev);
 
     if (prev == NULL) {
         ll->begin = nright;
     } else {
-        prev->next = nright;
+        CX_LL_PTR(prev, ll->loc_next) = nright;
     }
-    nright->prev = prev;
+    CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_prev) = prev;
     if (midstart == nright) {
         // special case: both nodes are adjacent
-        nright->next = nleft;
-        nleft->prev = nright;
+        CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_next) = nleft;
+        CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_prev) = nright;
     } else {
         // likely case: a chain is between the two nodes
-        nright->next = midstart;
-        midstart->prev = nright;
-        midend->next = nleft;
-        nleft->prev = midend;
+        CX_LL_PTR(nright, ll->loc_next) = midstart;
+        CX_LL_PTR(midstart, ll->loc_prev) = nright;
+        CX_LL_PTR(midend, ll->loc_next) = nleft;
+        CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_prev) = midend;
     }
-    nleft->next = next;
+    CX_LL_PTR(nleft, ll->loc_next) = next;
     if (next == NULL) {
         ll->end = nleft;
     } else {
-        next->prev = nleft;
+        CX_LL_PTR(next, ll->loc_prev) = nleft;
     }
 
     return 0;
@@ -927,8 +1052,8 @@
         size_t index
 ) {
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = cx_ll_node_at(ll, index);
-    return node == NULL ? NULL : node->payload;
+    char *node = cx_ll_node_at(ll, index);
+    return node == NULL ? NULL : node + ll->loc_data;
 }
 
 static size_t cx_ll_find_remove(
@@ -939,10 +1064,10 @@
     if (list->collection.size == 0) return 0;
 
     size_t index;
-    cx_linked_list *ll = ((cx_linked_list *) list);
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = cx_linked_list_find(
+    cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
+    char *node = cx_linked_list_find(
             ll->begin,
-            CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, CX_LL_LOC_DATA,
+            ll->loc_next, ll->loc_data,
             list->collection.cmpfunc, elem,
             &index
     );
@@ -950,9 +1075,9 @@
         return list->collection.size;
     }
     if (remove) {
-        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node->payload);
-        cx_linked_list_remove((void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end,
-                              CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, node);
+        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        cx_linked_list_remove(&ll->begin, &ll->end,
+                              ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next, node);
         list->collection.size--;
         cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
     }
@@ -961,14 +1086,14 @@
 
 static void cx_ll_sort(struct cx_list_s *list) {
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_linked_list_sort((void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end,
-                        CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, CX_LL_LOC_DATA,
+    cx_linked_list_sort(&ll->begin, &ll->end,
+                        ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next, ll->loc_data,
                         list->collection.cmpfunc);
 }
 
 static void cx_ll_reverse(struct cx_list_s *list) {
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
-    cx_linked_list_reverse((void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end, CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT);
+    cx_linked_list_reverse(&ll->begin, &ll->end, ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next);
 }
 
 static int cx_ll_compare(
@@ -977,8 +1102,10 @@
 ) {
     cx_linked_list *left = (cx_linked_list *) list;
     cx_linked_list *right = (cx_linked_list *) other;
+    assert(left->loc_next == right->loc_next);
+    assert(left->loc_data == right->loc_data);
     return cx_linked_list_compare(left->begin, right->begin,
-                                  CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, CX_LL_LOC_DATA,
+                                  left->loc_next, left->loc_data,
                                   list->collection.cmpfunc);
 }
 
@@ -993,17 +1120,19 @@
         iter->base.remove = false;
         struct cx_list_s *list = iter->src_handle.m;
         cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.m;
-        cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
-        iter->elem_handle = node->next;
-        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node->payload);
-        cx_linked_list_remove((void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end,
-                              CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, node);
+        char *node = iter->elem_handle;
+        iter->elem_handle = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
+        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        cx_linked_list_remove(&ll->begin, &ll->end,
+                              ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next, node);
         list->collection.size--;
+        iter->elem_count--;
         cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
     } else {
+        const cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.c;
         iter->index++;
-        cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
-        iter->elem_handle = node->next;
+        void *node = iter->elem_handle;
+        iter->elem_handle = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
     }
 }
 
@@ -1013,25 +1142,28 @@
         iter->base.remove = false;
         struct cx_list_s *list = iter->src_handle.m;
         cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.m;
-        cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
-        iter->elem_handle = node->prev;
+        char *node = iter->elem_handle;
+        iter->elem_handle = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_prev);
         iter->index--;
-        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node->payload);
-        cx_linked_list_remove((void **) &ll->begin, (void **) &ll->end,
-                              CX_LL_LOC_PREV, CX_LL_LOC_NEXT, node);
+        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        cx_linked_list_remove(&ll->begin, &ll->end,
+                              ll->loc_prev, ll->loc_next, node);
         list->collection.size--;
+        iter->elem_count--;
         cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
     } else {
+        const cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.c;
         iter->index--;
-        cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
-        iter->elem_handle = node->prev;
+        char *node = iter->elem_handle;
+        iter->elem_handle = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_prev);
     }
 }
 
 static void *cx_ll_iter_current(const void *it) {
     const struct cx_iterator_s *iter = it;
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
-    return node->payload;
+    const cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.c;
+    char *node = iter->elem_handle;
+    return node + ll->loc_data;
 }
 
 static CxIterator cx_ll_iterator(
@@ -1059,10 +1191,11 @@
         int prepend
 ) {
     struct cx_list_s *list = iter->src_handle.m;
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = iter->elem_handle;
+    cx_linked_list *ll = iter->src_handle.m;
+    void *node = iter->elem_handle;
     if (node != NULL) {
         assert(prepend >= 0 && prepend <= 1);
-        cx_linked_list_node *choice[2] = {node, node->prev};
+        void *choice[2] = {node, CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_prev)};
         int result = cx_ll_insert_at(list, choice[prepend], elem);
         if (result == 0) {
             iter->elem_count++;
@@ -1084,10 +1217,10 @@
 static void cx_ll_destructor(CxList *list) {
     cx_linked_list *ll = (cx_linked_list *) list;
 
-    cx_linked_list_node *node = ll->begin;
+    char *node = ll->begin;
     while (node) {
-        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node->payload);
-        void *next = node->next;
+        cx_invoke_destructor(list, node + ll->loc_data);
+        void *next = CX_LL_PTR(node, ll->loc_next);
         cxFree(list->collection.allocator, node);
         node = next;
     }
@@ -1100,6 +1233,7 @@
         cx_ll_insert_element,
         cx_ll_insert_array,
         cx_ll_insert_sorted,
+        cx_ll_insert_unique,
         cx_ll_insert_iter,
         cx_ll_remove,
         cx_ll_clear,
@@ -1123,6 +1257,10 @@
 
     cx_linked_list *list = cxCalloc(allocator, 1, sizeof(cx_linked_list));
     if (list == NULL) return NULL;
+    list->extra_data_len = 0;
+    list->loc_prev = 0;
+    list->loc_next = sizeof(void*);
+    list->loc_data = sizeof(void*)*2;
     cx_list_init((CxList*)list, &cx_linked_list_class,
             allocator, comparator, elem_size);
 
--- a/ucx/list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/list.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -38,10 +38,18 @@
         const void *l,
         const void *r
 ) {
+    // l and r are guaranteed to be non-NULL pointing to the list's memory
     void *const *lptr = l;
     void *const *rptr = r;
-    const void *left = lptr == NULL ? NULL : *lptr;
-    const void *right = rptr == NULL ? NULL : *rptr;
+    const void *left = *lptr;
+    const void *right = *rptr;
+    if (left == NULL) {
+        // NULL is smaller than any value except NULL
+        return right == NULL ? 0 : -1;
+    } else if (right == NULL) {
+        // any value is larger than NULL
+        return 1;
+    }
     return cx_pl_cmpfunc_impl(left, right);
 }
 
@@ -90,6 +98,17 @@
     return result;
 }
 
+static size_t cx_pl_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *array,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    cx_pl_hack_cmpfunc(list);
+    size_t result = list->climpl->insert_unique(list, array, n);
+    cx_pl_unhack_cmpfunc(list);
+    return result;
+}
+
 static int cx_pl_insert_iter(
         struct cx_iterator_s *iter,
         const void *elem,
@@ -181,6 +200,7 @@
         cx_pl_insert_element,
         cx_pl_insert_array,
         cx_pl_insert_sorted,
+        cx_pl_insert_unique,
         cx_pl_insert_iter,
         cx_pl_remove,
         cx_pl_clear,
@@ -238,6 +258,7 @@
         NULL,
         NULL,
         NULL,
+        NULL,
         cx_emptyl_noop,
         NULL,
         cx_emptyl_at,
@@ -284,15 +305,19 @@
     for (; i < n; i++) {
         if (NULL == invoke_list_func(
             insert_element, list, index + i,
-            src + (i * elem_size))) return i;
+            src + i * elem_size)
+        ) {
+            return i; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+        }
     }
     return i;
 }
 
-size_t cx_list_default_insert_sorted(
+static size_t cx_list_default_insert_sorted_impl(
         struct cx_list_s *list,
         const void *sorted_data,
-        size_t n
+        size_t n,
+        bool allow_duplicates
 ) {
     // corner case
     if (n == 0) return 0;
@@ -302,22 +327,54 @@
     const char *src = sorted_data;
 
     // track indices and number of inserted items
-    size_t di = 0, si = 0, inserted = 0;
+    size_t di = 0, si = 0, processed = 0;
 
     // search the list for insertion points
-    for (; di < list->collection.size; di++) {
+    while (di < list->collection.size) {
         const void *list_elm = invoke_list_func(at, list, di);
 
-        // compare current list element with first source element
-        // if less or equal, skip
-        if (cmp(list_elm, src) <= 0) {
-            continue;
+        // compare the current list element with the first source element
+        // if less, skip the list elements
+        // if equal, skip the list elements and optionally the source elements
+        {
+            int d = cmp(list_elm, src);
+            if (d <= 0) {
+                if (!allow_duplicates && d == 0) {
+                    src += elem_size;
+                    si++;
+                    processed++; // we also count duplicates for the return value
+                    while (si < n && cmp(list_elm, src) == 0) {
+                        src += elem_size;
+                        si++;
+                        processed++;
+                    }
+                    if (processed == n) {
+                        return processed;
+                    }
+                }
+                di++;
+                continue;
+            }
         }
 
-        // determine number of consecutive elements that can be inserted
-        size_t ins = 1;
+        // determine the number of consecutive elements that can be inserted
+        size_t ins = 1, skip = 0;
         const char *next = src;
         while (++si < n) {
+            if (!allow_duplicates) {
+                // skip duplicates within the source
+                if (cmp(next, next + elem_size) == 0) {
+                    next += elem_size;
+                    skip++;
+                    continue;
+                } else {
+                    if (skip > 0) {
+                        // if we had to skip something, we must wait for the next run
+                        next += elem_size;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
             next += elem_size;
             // once we become larger than the list elem, break
             if (cmp(list_elm, next) <= 0) {
@@ -329,33 +386,70 @@
 
         // insert the elements at location si
         if (ins == 1) {
-            if (NULL == invoke_list_func(
-                insert_element, list, di, src)) return inserted;
+            if (NULL == invoke_list_func(insert_element, list, di, src)) {
+                return processed; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+            }
         } else {
             size_t r = invoke_list_func(insert_array, list, di, src, ins);
-            if (r < ins) return inserted + r;
+            if (r < ins) {
+                return processed + r;  // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+            }
         }
-        inserted += ins;
+        processed += ins + skip;
         di += ins;
 
         // everything inserted?
-        if (inserted == n) return inserted;
+        if (processed == n) {
+            return processed;
+        }
         src = next;
     }
 
     // insert remaining items
     if (si < n) {
-        inserted += invoke_list_func(insert_array, list, di, src, n - si);
+        if (allow_duplicates) {
+            processed += invoke_list_func(insert_array, list, di, src, n - si);
+        } else {
+            const void *last = di == 0 ? NULL : invoke_list_func(at, list, di - 1);
+            for (; si < n; si++) {
+                // skip duplicates within the source
+                if (last == NULL || cmp(last, src) != 0) {
+                    if (NULL == invoke_list_func(insert_element, list, di, src)) {
+                        return processed; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+                    }
+                    last = src;
+                    di++;
+                }
+                processed++;
+                src += elem_size;
+            }
+        }
     }
 
-    return inserted;
+    return processed;
+}
+
+size_t cx_list_default_insert_sorted(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    return cx_list_default_insert_sorted_impl(list, sorted_data, n, true);
+}
+
+size_t cx_list_default_insert_unique(
+        struct cx_list_s *list,
+        const void *sorted_data,
+        size_t n
+) {
+    return cx_list_default_insert_sorted_impl(list, sorted_data, n, false);
 }
 
 void cx_list_default_sort(struct cx_list_s *list) {
     size_t elem_size = list->collection.elem_size;
     size_t list_size = list->collection.size;
     void *tmp = cxMallocDefault(elem_size * list_size);
-    if (tmp == NULL) abort();
+    if (tmp == NULL) abort(); // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
 
     // copy elements from source array
     char *loc = tmp;
@@ -388,7 +482,7 @@
     size_t elem_size = list->collection.elem_size;
 
     void *tmp = cxMallocDefault(elem_size);
-    if (tmp == NULL) return 1;
+    if (tmp == NULL) return 1; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
 
     void *ip = invoke_list_func(at, list, i);
     void *jp = invoke_list_func(at, list, j);
@@ -476,6 +570,7 @@
         CxList *list,
         size_t index
 ) {
+    if (list == NULL) list = cxEmptyList;
     CxIterator it = list->cl->iterator(list, index, false);
     it.base.mutating = true;
     return it;
@@ -485,6 +580,7 @@
         CxList *list,
         size_t index
 ) {
+    if (list == NULL) list = cxEmptyList;
     CxIterator it = list->cl->iterator(list, index, true);
     it.base.mutating = true;
     return it;
--- a/ucx/map.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/map.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -85,18 +85,21 @@
 // </editor-fold>
 
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIteratorValues(CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     CxMapIterator it = map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_VALUES);
     it.base.mutating = true;
     return it;
 }
 
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIteratorKeys(CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     CxMapIterator it = map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_KEYS);
     it.base.mutating = true;
     return it;
 }
 
 CxMapIterator cxMapMutIterator(CxMap *map) {
+    if (map == NULL) map = cxEmptyMap;
     CxMapIterator it = map->cl->iterator(map, CX_MAP_ITERATOR_PAIRS);
     it.base.mutating = true;
     return it;
--- a/ucx/mempool.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/mempool.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -633,13 +633,19 @@
     new_source_allocator->data = source;
 
     // transfer all the data
-    memcpy(&dest->data[dest->size], source->data, sizeof(void*)*source->size);
-    dest->size += source->size;
+    if (source->size > 0) {
+        memcpy(&dest->data[dest->size], source->data,
+            sizeof(void*)*source->size);
+        dest->size += source->size;
+    }
 
     // transfer all registered memory
-    memcpy(&dest->registered[dest->registered_size], source->registered,
-           sizeof(struct cx_mempool_foreign_memory_s) * source->size);
-    dest->registered_size += source->registered_size;
+    if (source->registered_size > 0) {
+        memcpy(&dest->registered[dest->registered_size], source->registered,
+               sizeof(struct cx_mempool_foreign_memory_s)
+               * source->registered_size);
+        dest->registered_size += source->registered_size;
+    }
 
     // register the old allocator with the new pool
     // we have to remove const-ness for this, but that's okay here
--- a/ucx/properties.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/properties.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@
     CxMap *map = sink->sink;
     CxAllocator *alloc = sink->data;
     cxmutstr v = cx_strdup_a(alloc, value);
-    int r = cx_map_put_cxstr(map, key, v.ptr);
+    int r = cxMapPut(map, key, v.ptr);
     if (r != 0) cx_strfree_a(alloc, &v);
     return r;
 }
--- a/ucx/string.c	Mon Oct 13 21:07:59 2025 +0200
+++ b/ucx/string.c	Mon Oct 13 21:31:58 2025 +0200
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
  * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
  * POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
  */
+#ifdef MEMRCHR_NEED_GNU
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#endif
+
 #include "cx/string.h"
 
 #include <string.h>
@@ -33,6 +37,7 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <float.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
 #define cx_strcasecmp_impl _strnicmp
@@ -42,7 +47,7 @@
 #endif
 
 cxmutstr cx_mutstr(char *cstring) {
-    return (cxmutstr) {cstring, strlen(cstring)};
+    return (cxmutstr) {cstring, cstring == NULL ? 0 : strlen(cstring)};
 }
 
 cxmutstr cx_mutstrn(
@@ -53,7 +58,7 @@
 }
 
 cxstring cx_str(const char *cstring) {
-    return (cxstring) {cstring, strlen(cstring)};
+    return (cxstring) {cstring, cstring == NULL ? 0 : strlen(cstring)};
 }
 
 cxstring cx_strn(
@@ -231,19 +236,24 @@
 }
 
 cxstring cx_strrchr(
-        cxstring string,
-        int chr
+    cxstring string,
+    int chr
 ) {
+#ifdef WITH_MEMRCHR
+    char *ret = memrchr(string.ptr, 0xFF & chr, string.length);
+    if (ret == NULL) return (cxstring) {NULL, 0};
+    return (cxstring) {ret, string.length - (ret - string.ptr)};
+#else
     chr = 0xFF & chr;
     size_t i = string.length;
     while (i > 0) {
         i--;
-        // TODO: improve by comparing multiple bytes at once
         if (string.ptr[i] == chr) {
             return cx_strsubs(string, i);
         }
     }
     return (cxstring) {NULL, 0};
+#endif
 }
 
 cxmutstr cx_strrchr_m(
@@ -520,19 +530,13 @@
     return result;
 }
 
-static bool str_isspace(char c) {
-    // TODO: remove once UCX has public API for this
-    return c == ' ' || c == '\t' || c == '\r' || c == '\n' || c == '\v' || c == '\f';
-}
-
 cxstring cx_strtrim(cxstring string) {
     cxstring result = string;
-    // TODO: optimize by comparing multiple bytes at once
-    while (result.length > 0 && str_isspace(*result.ptr)) {
+    while (result.length > 0 && isspace((unsigned char)(result.ptr[0]))) {
         result.ptr++;
         result.length--;
     }
-    while (result.length > 0 && str_isspace(result.ptr[result.length - 1])) {
+    while (result.length > 0 && isspace((unsigned char)result.ptr[result.length - 1])) {
         result.length--;
     }
     return result;
@@ -957,11 +961,6 @@
     return 0;
 }
 
-static bool str_isdigit(char c) {
-    // TODO: remove once UCX has public API for this
-    return c >= '0' && c <= '9';
-}
-
 int cx_strtod_lc_(cxstring str, double *output, char decsep, const char *groupsep) {
     // TODO: overflow check
     // TODO: increase precision
@@ -994,7 +993,7 @@
     // parse all digits until we find the decsep
     size_t pos = 0;
     do {
-        if (str_isdigit(str.ptr[pos])) {
+        if (isdigit((unsigned char)str.ptr[pos])) {
             result = result * 10 + (str.ptr[pos] - '0');
         } else if (strchr(groupsep, str.ptr[pos]) == NULL) {
             break;
@@ -1023,7 +1022,7 @@
         // parse everything until exponent or end
         double factor = 1.;
         do {
-            if (str_isdigit(str.ptr[pos])) {
+            if (isdigit((unsigned char)str.ptr[pos])) {
                 factor *= 0.1;
                 result = result + factor * (str.ptr[pos] - '0');
             } else if (strchr(groupsep, str.ptr[pos]) == NULL) {
@@ -1064,7 +1063,7 @@
     // parse the exponent
     unsigned int exp = 0;
     do {
-        if (str_isdigit(str.ptr[pos])) {
+        if (isdigit((unsigned char)str.ptr[pos])) {
             exp = 10 * exp + (str.ptr[pos] - '0');
         } else if (strchr(groupsep, str.ptr[pos]) == NULL) {
             errno = EINVAL;

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