Re: A Sample auto_ptr implementation

From:

Ankur Arora <ankurarora81@gmail.com>

Newsgroups:

comp.lang.c++

Date:

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:17:15 -0700 (PDT)

Message-ID:

<f41e9bfa-5da3-4fe3-803e-349982f603cb@c36g2000prc.googlegroups.com>

On Oct 13, 5:06 pm, Barry <dhb2...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Oct 13, 10:10 pm, Ankur Arora <ankuraror...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the reply Kai!
Please see the comments below.

On Oct 13, 2:53 pm, Kai-Uwe Bux <jkherci...@gmx.net> wrote:

Ankur Arora wrote:

Hi All,

I'm building a sample application that uses a custom auto_ptr
implementation.
The program crashes with the following output:-

Output (Debug Assertion failed)
----------

         release called
         copy constructor
         aap: ptr2= 10
         aap: ptr3= 20
         aap: ptr3= 10
         aap: exiting app
         Deleting pointee...10
         Deleting pointee...-572662307 (.=

...problem ?)

Code
--------

Just a data point: your code works for me with output

         release called
         copy constructor
         aap: ptr2= 10
         aap: ptr3= 20
         Inside operator=
         Inside operator=, calling reset
         release called
         reset called
         aap: ptr3= 10
         aap: exiting app
         Deleting pointee...10

So I just have nits:

#include<iostream>

using namespace std;

It's a bad idea to use using namespace std in a header.

Agreed!

[snip]

template <class T>
inline MyAutoPtr<T>::~MyAutoPtr()
{
 if(pointee)
 {
 cout<<"\n\t Deleting pointee..."<<*pointee;
 delete pointee;
 }
}

delete will perform its own check for 0. It is required to be a null-=

op in

that case.

I did this since removing this check caused the program to crash, even
though I had made pointee equals to 0 in release(), which was used in
the copy constructor.
I'm using visual studio 2008 express edition. You reckon this is a
complier issue?

[snip]

template<class T>
template<class U>
MyAutoPtr<T>& MyAutoPtr<T>::operator=(MyAutoPtr& rhs)
{
cout<<"\n\t Inside operator=";
if(this!=&rhs)

This if-clause will not compile when T and U are different.

You could use

if ( this->pointee == rhs.pointee )

instead (I think).

I saw this example in "More Effective C++" by scott meyers. This was
how its used in that book. Here is a code.

//Interface
template<class T>
class auto_ptr {
public:
explicit auto_ptr(T *p = 0); // see It=

em 5 for a

// description of

"explicit"
template<class U> /=

/ copy constructor member

auto_ptr(auto_ptr& rhs); // template=

(see Item 28):

// initialize a new

auto_ptr
=

// with any compatible

// auto_ptr

~auto_ptr();
template<class U> /=

/ assignment operator

auto_ptr<T>& =

// member template (see

operator=(auto_ptr& rhs); // Item 2=

8): assign from

any
=

// compatible auto_ptr

T& operator*() const; // se=

e Item 28

T* operator->() const; // se=

e Item 28

T* get() const; =

// return value of current

// dumb pointer

T* release(); =

// relinquish ownership of

// current dumb pointer

and
=

// return its value

void reset(T *p = 0); // =

delete owned pointer;

// assume ownership of p

private:
T *pointee;
template<class U> /=

/ make all auto_ptr

classes
friend class auto_ptr; // friend=

s of one another

};

//Implementation
template<class T>
inline auto_ptr<T>::auto_ptr(T *p)
: pointee(p)
{}
template<class T>
 inline auto_ptr<T>::auto_ptr(auto_ptr& rhs)
 : pointee(rhs.release())
 {}
template<class T>
inline auto_ptr<T>::~auto_ptr()
{ delete pointee; }
template<class T>
 template<class U>
 inline auto_ptr<T>& auto_ptr<T>::operator=(auto_ptr& rhs)
 {
 if (this != &rhs) reset(rhs.release());
 return *this;
 }
template<class T>
inline T& auto_ptr<T>::operator*() const
{ return *pointee; }
template<class T>
inline T* auto_ptr<T>::operator->() const
{ return pointee; }
template<class T>
inline T* auto_ptr<T>::get() const
{ return pointee; }
template<class T>
inline T* auto_ptr<T>::release()
{
 T *oldPointee = pointee;
 pointee = 0;
 return oldPointee;}

template<class T>
inline void auto_ptr<T>::reset(T *p)
{
 if (pointee != p) {
 delete pointee;
 pointee = p;
 }

}

Anything wrong with the above ? (would be surprised if there is, as it
came from scott meyers)

Q1. Any problems with the above code ?

There's a reversion for auto_ptr (IIRC, a article is proviede by Mayer
on
this), adding auto_ptr_ref for conversion, which supports rvalue
initialization for auto_ptr. which is done transparently.

void fun(auto_ptr<T> ptr);
fun(auto_ptr(new T)); // rvalue -> auto_ptr_ref -> auto_ptr

It works with g++.

Again, looks like an issue with visual studio 2008 express.

there are two problem with visual C++ 2005 in this issue:
1. as extension, "explicit" does NOT work as standard says.
needs /Za switch to turn it off.

2. auto_ptr_ref use void* rather T*

point 2 is fixed by VS 2008(none expression version,
but I expression version should ship the same lib)

Q2. What is causing operator= not to be called and how to fix it =

A bug in your compiler?

[snip]

--
Best Regards
Barry

Thanks Barry.