CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++memory-managementdata-structures
Anurag Singh
Anurag Singh

Reputation: 127

How to clear memory in map if it contains pointer?

Consider

map <char,node*> mp; where node is a class

If we use mp.clear(); then is it required to free the memory explicitly?

Upvotes: 2

Views: 254

Answers (1)

Sebastian Redl
Sebastian Redl

Reputation: 71999

The problem here is that a raw pointer conveys no information about ownership, i.e. who is responsible for cleaning up the nodes. Is this map the owner of the nodes? Then you need to delete the objects. Or far better, you use unique_ptr instead of raw pointers. But if the map is not the owner of the nodes, then you must not delete the nodes.

The bottom line is to understand the concept of ownership and use an appropriate smart pointer.

Upvotes: 4

Related Questions