[c++] Dynamically allocating an array of objects

For building containers you obviously want to use one of the standard containers (such as a std::vector). But this is a perfect example of the things you need to consider when your object contains RAW pointers.

If your object has a RAW pointer then you need to remember the rule of 3 (now the rule of 5 in C++11).

  • Constructor
  • Destructor
  • Copy Constructor
  • Assignment Operator
  • Move Constructor (C++11)
  • Move Assignment (C++11)

This is because if not defined the compiler will generate its own version of these methods (see below). The compiler generated versions are not always useful when dealing with RAW pointers.

The copy constructor is the hard one to get correct (it's non trivial if you want to provide the strong exception guarantee). The Assignment operator can be defined in terms of the Copy Constructor as you can use the copy and swap idiom internally.

See below for full details on the absolute minimum for a class containing a pointer to an array of integers.

Knowing that it is non trivial to get it correct you should consider using std::vector rather than a pointer to an array of integers. The vector is easy to use (and expand) and covers all the problems associated with exceptions. Compare the following class with the definition of A below.

class A
{ 
    std::vector<int>   mArray;
    public:
        A(){}
        A(size_t s) :mArray(s)  {}
};

Looking at your problem:

A* arrayOfAs = new A[5];
for (int i = 0; i < 5; ++i)
{
    // As you surmised the problem is on this line.
    arrayOfAs[i] = A(3);

    // What is happening:
    // 1) A(3) Build your A object (fine)
    // 2) A::operator=(A const&) is called to assign the value
    //    onto the result of the array access. Because you did
    //    not define this operator the compiler generated one is
    //    used.
}

The compiler generated assignment operator is fine for nearly all situations, but when RAW pointers are in play you need to pay attention. In your case it is causing a problem because of the shallow copy problem. You have ended up with two objects that contain pointers to the same piece of memory. When the A(3) goes out of scope at the end of the loop it calls delete [] on its pointer. Thus the other object (in the array) now contains a pointer to memory that has been returned to the system.

The compiler generated copy constructor; copies each member variable by using that members copy constructor. For pointers this just means the pointer value is copied from the source object to the destination object (hence shallow copy).

The compiler generated assignment operator; copies each member variable by using that members assignment operator. For pointers this just means the pointer value is copied from the source object to the destination object (hence shallow copy).

So the minimum for a class that contains a pointer:

class A
{
    size_t     mSize;
    int*       mArray;
    public:
         // Simple constructor/destructor are obvious.
         A(size_t s = 0) {mSize=s;mArray = new int[mSize];}
        ~A()             {delete [] mArray;}

         // Copy constructor needs more work
         A(A const& copy)
         {
             mSize  = copy.mSize;
             mArray = new int[copy.mSize];

             // Don't need to worry about copying integers.
             // But if the object has a copy constructor then
             // it would also need to worry about throws from the copy constructor.
             std::copy(&copy.mArray[0],&copy.mArray[c.mSize],mArray);

         }

         // Define assignment operator in terms of the copy constructor
         // Modified: There is a slight twist to the copy swap idiom, that you can
         //           Remove the manual copy made by passing the rhs by value thus
         //           providing an implicit copy generated by the compiler.
         A& operator=(A rhs) // Pass by value (thus generating a copy)
         {
             rhs.swap(*this); // Now swap data with the copy.
                              // The rhs parameter will delete the array when it
                              // goes out of scope at the end of the function
             return *this;
         }
         void swap(A& s) noexcept
         {
             using std::swap;
             swap(this.mArray,s.mArray);
             swap(this.mSize ,s.mSize);
         }

         // C++11
         A(A&& src) noexcept
             : mSize(0)
             , mArray(NULL)
         {
             src.swap(*this);
         }
         A& operator=(A&& src) noexcept
         {
             src.swap(*this);     // You are moving the state of the src object
                                  // into this one. The state of the src object
                                  // after the move must be valid but indeterminate.
                                  //
                                  // The easiest way to do this is to swap the states
                                  // of the two objects.
                                  //
                                  // Note: Doing any operation on src after a move 
                                  // is risky (apart from destroy) until you put it 
                                  // into a specific state. Your object should have
                                  // appropriate methods for this.
                                  // 
                                  // Example: Assignment (operator = should work).
                                  //          std::vector() has clear() which sets
                                  //          a specific state without needing to
                                  //          know the current state.
             return *this;
         }   
 }

Examples related to c++

Method Call Chaining; returning a pointer vs a reference? How can I tell if an algorithm is efficient? Difference between opening a file in binary vs text How can compare-and-swap be used for a wait-free mutual exclusion for any shared data structure? Install Qt on Ubuntu #include errors detected in vscode Cannot open include file: 'stdio.h' - Visual Studio Community 2017 - C++ Error How to fix the error "Windows SDK version 8.1" was not found? Visual Studio 2017 errors on standard headers How do I check if a Key is pressed on C++

Examples related to memory-management

When to create variables (memory management) How to check if pytorch is using the GPU? How to delete multiple pandas (python) dataframes from memory to save RAM? Is there a way to delete created variables, functions, etc from the memory of the interpreter? C++ error : terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::bad_alloc' How to delete object? Android Studio - How to increase Allocated Heap Size Implementing IDisposable correctly Calculating Page Table Size Pointer-to-pointer dynamic two-dimensional array

Examples related to pointers

Method Call Chaining; returning a pointer vs a reference? lvalue required as left operand of assignment error when using C++ Error: stray '\240' in program Reference to non-static member function must be called How to convert const char* to char* in C? Why should I use a pointer rather than the object itself? Function stoi not declared C pointers and arrays: [Warning] assignment makes pointer from integer without a cast Constant pointer vs Pointer to constant How to get the real and total length of char * (char array)?

Examples related to destructor

Is calling destructor manually always a sign of bad design? When is a C++ destructor called? How to destroy an object? How to force deletion of a python object? Creating an object: with or without `new` When should I create a destructor? How do I correctly clean up a Python object? Does delete on a pointer to a subclass call the base class destructor? Do I need to explicitly call the base virtual destructor? Dynamically allocating an array of objects

Examples related to copy-constructor

Disable copy constructor What is The Rule of Three? What is the copy-and-swap idiom? Clone() vs Copy constructor- which is recommended in java Dynamically allocating an array of objects