Case Study: Smart Pointers
Chapter 9 mentions some problems with using dynamically allocated objects in C++. Eventually, someone must remember to dispose of them. If, however, they are thrown out before someone is finished with them, there is trouble. (People with small children should recognize the general problem.) One common solution is reference counting, which you saw working behind the scenes of the Array class in Chapter 9. It's clear when a particular object still has users, and premature disposal cannot happen.
However, to use reference-counting you have to do a certain amount of work. Whenever an object keeps a pointer to a reference-counted object, it must increment the reference count. It is equally important to call dispose() afterward. ...
Get C++ By Example: UnderC Learning Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
