Hacking pointers in fortran - pointers

Question

Let's consider a complex structure in fortran
TYPE ComplexStrType
! Static as well as dynamic memory defined here.
END TYPE ComplexStrType
Defined a physical space (allocated on the stack memory I think) to use two variables of ComplexStrType:
TYPE(ComplexStrType) :: SomeComplexStr
TYPE(ComplexStrType) :: AnotherComplexStr
TYPE(ComplexStrType),POINTER :: PointerComplexStr
Then, I use SomeComplexStr to define a few stuff in the stack and to allocate a big space in the dynamic memory.
Now, suppose I want to point AnotherComplexStr to SomeComplexStr and forget space I have defined in the stack memory to AnotherComplexStr. To do that I use a simple but useful trick which converts some variable in a Target:
FUNCTION TargComplexStr(x)
IMPLICIT NONE
TYPE(ComplexStrType),INTENT(IN),TARGET :: x
TYPE(ComplexStrType),POINTER :: TargComplexStr
TargComplexStr => x
END FUNCTION TargComplexStr
And then I point PointerComplexStr to SomeComplexStr:
PointerComplexStr => TargComplexStr(SomeComplexStr)
Finally, I do AnotherComplexStr equal to PointerComplexStr:
AnotherComplexStr = PointerComplexStr
After that, it's supposed SomeComplexStr as well AnotherComplexStr are pointing to the same static and dynamic memory.
The thing is:
How can I free the space used by AnotherComplexStr used when I defined it at the beggining?
How do you recomend me nullify the pointers?
Is that practice safe, or do I have to expect some strange memory leaks on the execution?
If it's possible, how can I point the "pointed variable" to its original form? (Just in case I have to use it again as normal variable)
NOTE: It's useful because at the execution we can be decided if we want to use AnotherComplexStr as what it is, a complex and allocated structure, or we can switch it to be treated as a pointer and points it to another thing which already has the information we need. If there is another and easy way to do that, please tell me.

Answer 1

The "trick" that you are using in TargComplexStr does not work the way you think - that function offers nothing useful over simple pointer assignment.
You can associate a non-TARGET actual argument with a TARGET dummy argument, as you are doing, but when the procedure with the TARGET dummy argument completes, any pointers that were associated with the dummy argument become undefined (F2008 12.5.2.4 p11).
(Pointers can only be associated with targets, therefore something that isn't a target cannot have a pointer associated with it.)
This means that the result of the function is a pointer with undefined association status. It is not permitted to return a pointer with undefined association status from a function (F2008 12.6.2.2 p4).
The pointer assignment statement would then make PointerComplexStr become an undefined pointer. PointerComplexStr is then referenced in the assignment to AnotherComplexStr. It is not permitted to reference a pointer with undefined association status (F2008 16.5.2.8 p1).
Intrinsic assignment creates a copy of a value. This is the case even if the object on the right is a pointer - a copy of the value of the target of that pointer is created. Intrinsic assignment does not, at the level of the top data object being assigned[1], make one variable reference the storage of another. As far as I can tell, the intent of your entire example code could be replaced by:
AnotherComplexStr = ComplexStr
If you are trying to do something different to that, then you need to explain what it is that you are trying to do.
[1]: If the type of an object being assigned is a derived type that has a pointer components, then the definition of the value of the object includes the pointer association status of the pointer component, but not the value of the target of the component itself (F2008 4.5.8).