Re: How to make this exception-safe

From:
peter koch larsen <peter.koch.larsen@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++.moderated
Date:
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:55:22 CST
Message-ID:
<f520a378-ace2-4574-a1b5-aaa86f9e1005@t11g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>
On 20 Nov., 21:46, Triple-DES <DenPlettf...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 19 Nov, 21:24, peter koch larsen <peter.koch.lar...@gmail.com>
wrote:

On 18 Nov., 19:43, Triple-DES <DenPlettf...@gmail.com> wrote:

Consider the following code:

#include <vector>

struct C {
   explicit C(int) {} // may throw
   private:
     C(const C&);
     C& operator=(const C&);

};

struct V {
   V() {
     // may leak if push_back or C::C(int) throws
      v_.push_back( new C(2) );
      v_.push_back( new C(1) );
      v_.push_back( new C(3) );
   }


I don't see how this might leak. Can you explain why you believe it
does?


I am sure it does:

in V::V()
{
 v_.push_back( new C(2) ); // ok
 v_.push_back( new C(1) ); // ok
 v_.push_back( new C(3) ); // C::C() threw exception!} // we have lost all pointers to the two C objects. (V vas never

constructed, so the v_ member can't be referenced).


That is correct - I overlooked the fact that the throw would cause the
destruct to not run (as well as the fact that a resize failure in
std::vector could also give problems, but that was not your point, I
believe).
The real solution is to encapsulate your pointer-vector in a separate
class, being responsible for deallocation of the pointers as well as
handling the problem you inevitably are going to have with the copy-
constructor and assignment operator. Alternatively, could store smart
pointers instead of raw pointers.
I believe that boost has a pointercontainer that is ready for use.

/Peter

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