Destructors

Lecture 4 - Slide 11 : 40

Destructors

Destructors are essential for resource management purposes in C++

Most classes do not need destructors

Destructors are called implicitly

The C++ Prog. Lang. (3. edition): Page 242, 244.

The C++ Prog. Lang. (4. edition): Page 485-489

Destructor activation:
- When an automatic (local) variable of class type goes out of scope
  - Because of normal termination
  - Because of exceptional termination - stack unwinding
- When a dynamically allocated object is explicitly deleted from the free store (the heap)
  - With delete or delete[]

Class Point with a destructor.

Implementation of the destructor that reveal its activation.

Illustration of destructor activation when automatic variables go out of scope .

Actual program output.