Effective C++

C++ Smart Pointer Explained Through Intuitive Visuals

Part 3 of my C++ pointer series

A pointer to T and another to the control block, where the latter is the pointer to memory, and the latter does the reference counting for std::shared_ptr.

· Overview
· Item 18: Unique_ptr for exclusive-ownership resource management.
  ∘ An Exclusive Relationship
  ∘ Raw Pointers
  ∘ The smart pointer
  ∘ Custom deleters
  ∘ Custom interface
  ∘ Tips for Smart Pointers
· Item 19: Shared_ptr for shared-ownership resource management.
  ∘ Analogy: Simple reference counting
  ∘ Detour: Physical class layout
· Item 21: Prefer unique_ptr and shared_ptr to direct use of new.
  ∘ Goal: No raw new or delete
  ∘ Preferred Usage
· Conclusion
· References

Overview

Let us continue our discussion of smart pointers: an object in C++ that reaps the benefits of raw pointers while overcoming their shortcomings. This is the third part in the series (see Part I [1] and Part II [2]).

We visually explore concepts of smart pointers in C++. We will reference a book all C++ developers should be familiar with, i.e., Effective Modern C++ by Scott Meyers [3].

All visualizations used throughout the blog were created by the author using LucidChart.

Item 18: