Re: CMAP under vs2005+

From:
Tommy <tommy767@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:21:48 -0400
Message-ID:
<udfkiT1NJHA.1148@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
Giovanni Dicanio wrote:

Suppose CMapEx inherits from std::map, and you write code like this:

  std::map<...> * pMyMap = new CMapEx< ... >();

You could write code like this, because CMapEx *is-a* std::map.
Then, after using pMyMap, you delete it:

  delete pMyMap;

BOOM! The problem is that std::map has no *virtual* destructor, so the above
statement causes a subtle bug, because the CMapEx destructor is not called.
Instead, if std::map had had a virtual destructor, the derived class
destructor (~CMapEx) would have been called.
This is a reason why inheritance is not very good in that particular
scenario.


Ok. I see. Small note: I am not a CS major, but I was confused with
how you illustrated polymorphism as a dynamic instantiation.

Nonetheless, I see the point. This does work when you declare it as a
typedef. Like in the example you have:

typedef MyMap< string, string > CMyMapString;

void TestPolymorphic()
{
     cout << "*** Polymorphic test:" << endl;
     CMyMapString *pSomeMap = new CMyMapString;

     assert( pSomeMap->size() == 0 );

     delete pSomeMap;
}

This will call the destructor.

I was thinking more along the lines of polymorphism like so;

class MyMap2 : public CMapEx<CString>
{
public:
     MyMap2()
     {
         cout << "MyMap2 constructor." << endl;
     }

     ~MyMap2()
     {
         cout << "MyMap2 destructor." << endl;
     }
};

This works as expected.

Besides needing to make a typedef for the class std container
template, is there something else I am missing here?

Thanks

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