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c++11memory-managementboostwrappersmart-pointers

Does C++11 have wrappers for dynamically-allocated arrays like Boost's scoped_array?


I often need to deal with dynamically-allocated arrays in C++, and hence rely on Boost for scoped_array, shared_array, and the like. After reading through Stroustrup's C++11 FAQ and the C++11 Reference Wiki, I could not find a suitable replacement for these dynamic array wrappers that is provided by the C++11 standard. Is there something that I have overlooked, or do I have to continue relying on Boost?


Solution

  • There is a specialization of unique_ptr, like unique_ptr<T[]>.

    #include <iostream>
    #include <memory>
    
    struct test
    {
      ~test() { std::cout << "test::dtor" << std::endl; }
    };
    
    int main()
    {
      std::unique_ptr<test[]> array(new test[3]);
    }
    

    When you run it, you will get this messages.

    test::dtor
    test::dtor
    test::dtor
    

    If you want to use shared_ptr, you should use std::default_delete<T[]> for deleter since it doesn't have one like shared_ptr<t[]>.

    std::shared_ptr<test> array(new test[3], std::default_delete<test[]>());