CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Reputation: 925

Does using 'delete' like this free up the original allocated memory?

class A {
    struct structA;
}

Somewhere else:

structA* structAPointer = new structA;

A land far far away:

void Wonderland::rabbitHole(structA* structAPointer) {
    delete structAPointer;
}

Does the delete operator free up the original memory allocated in 'Somewhere else'?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 175

Answers (2)

Shoe
Shoe

Reputation: 76240

Does the delete operator free up the original memory allocated in 'Somewhere else'?

Yes, if the original structAPointer has never been modified and is being passed to rabbitHole.

The delete operator works on the value (address) of the variable that holds the pointer so there's really anything stopping you to use rabbitHole on any structA* you have dinamically allocated.

It is to say, though, that using new and delete (or new[] and delete[] for that matter) is highly discouraged by the C++ community. There are a lot of alternatives to handle dynamically allocated memory that are proven to work better. For example the std library holds a very good set of utilities to help you manage dynamic memory without the cons of handling the pointers yourself.

Upvotes: 0

A. H.
A. H.

Reputation: 952

Doesn't matter what part of the code allocated it delete will delete anything created by new

while delete [] is for things created by new [].

However usually you want the part that created it to be responsible for deleting it , to make managing memory easier.

Upvotes: 6

Related Questions