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c++memory-leaksdelete-operatorshallow-copy

Create a shallow copy without leaking memory and dangling pointer in C++

Or is it not possible, and I have to do a deep copy. Lets say I have an object A, and I want to make a shallow copy of A into B. If I delete A, and A destroys all if its members, then B would have dangling pointers. If A doesn't destroy its members, then B's pointers are still good. However, if I delete B, then its members won't be destroyed when B gets destroyed, so I will leak memory. Is there a way for an object to know when it has the only reference to memory, and delete it? Or is this not possible, and I have to use a deep copy.

Solution

  • Is there a way for an object to know when it has the only reference to memory, and delete it?

    Yes, it's called std::shared_ptr.