Smart Pointers: Unique Pointers
Explore the use of std::unique_ptr in modern C++ to automatically manage resource lifetimes without overhead. Understand its characteristics, the move-only semantics, special deleters, and why it replaces deprecated auto_ptr. Learn to safely create unique pointers with std::make_unique for improved memory safety and clearer code in embedded systems.
We'll cover the following...
Introduction
A std::unique_ptr automatically and exclusively manages the lifetime of its resource according to the RAII idiom. std::unique_ptr should be your first choice since it functions without memory or performance overhead.
std::unique_ptr exclusively takes care of its resource. It automatically releases the resource if it goes out of scope. No copy semantic is required, and it can be used in containers and algorithms of the Standard Template Library. std::unique_ptr is as cheap and fast as a raw pointer when no special delete is used.
Characteristics
Before you go into the usage of std::unique_ptr, we will present you its characteristics in a few bullet points.
The std::unique_ptr:
- can be