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+PRDescIdentity
+==============
+
+The identity of a file descriptor's layer.
+
+
+Syntax
+------
+
+.. code::
+
+ #include <prio.h>
+
+ typedef PRUintn PRDescIdentity;
+
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+File descriptors may be layered. Each layer has it own identity.
+Identities are allocated by the runtime and are to be associated (by the
+layer implementor) with all file descriptors of that layer. It is then
+possible to scan the chain of layers and find a layer that one
+recognizes, then predict that it will implement a desired protocol.
+
+There are three well-known identities:
+
+ - :ref:`PR_INVALID_IO_LAYER`, an invalid layer identity, for error return
+ - :ref:`PR_TOP_IO_LAYER`, the identity of the top of the stack
+ - :ref:`PR_NSPR_IO_LAYER`, the identity used by NSPR proper
+
+Layers are created by :ref:`PR_GetUniqueIdentity`. A string may be
+associated with a layer when the layer is created. The string is copied
+by the runtime, and :ref:`PR_GetNameForIdentity` returns a reference to
+that copy. There is no way to delete a layer's identity after the layer
+is created.