Objective C Leaking

[EVOEx]

Hello all,

I have only just started coding objective C, and I tried to code something simple: a class that stores a string and then retrieves it.

#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>
#import <stdio.h>

@interface Person: NSObject {
  NSString *name;
}

@property (retain) NSString* name;

-(void) dealloc;

@end


@implementation Person

@synthesize name;

-(id) init
{
  if(self = [super init])
  {
    [self setName:nil];
  }
  return self;
}

-(void) dealloc
{
  printf("Calling dealloc\n");
  self.name = nil;
  [super dealloc];
}

@end



int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  Person *person = [[Person alloc] init];
  NSString *str = [[NSString alloc] initWithCString:"Test"];
  
  person.name = str;
  NSLog(@"%@", person.name);
  
  [str release];
  [person release];
}

However, when running it it reports "autoreleased with no pool in place". Why? It seems to be in the synthesized name setter. From the tutorial I read, this should be fine - do I always need an autorelease pool if I use "@synthesize"? Where should I make it - it's probably not good to have it always in main, nor is it very useful to set up and releasing a pool every time I use a setter? [edit: I expected that the autoreleased objects would only be released after the autorelease pool is released, but maybe this is not true?]

Also, what does Objective C say about the default values of the members? Right now I set it to nil manually; do I need to, or is that standard? Also, do I need [super init] here, and do I need it if I don't need an "init" function, or does the default init function call [super init]?

Okay, maybe I should get myself an Objective C book, as the tutorials were dreadful (actually, one seemed quite good, but way too short)...

Thanks in advance

[bernt]

I think that what you have to do is release name explicitly in the destructor:

-(void) dealloc
{
  printf("Calling dealloc\n");
  [name release]
  [super dealloc];  
}

EDIT: Was this one of the tutorials you looked at? It looks fairly decent for someone with previous programming experience.

[EVOEx]

I think that what you have to do is release name explicitly in the destructor:

-(void) dealloc
{
  printf("Calling dealloc\n");
  [name release]
  [super dealloc];  
}

EDIT: Was this one of the tutorials you looked at? It looks fairly decent for someone with previous programming experience.

Thanks. And yes, that was one of the tutorial I looked at and it was quite decent although lacking loads of stuff (I still have no idea what NSNumber really is in regard to integers or what you can do with an NSString and how).

Anyways, I tried what you said, but it didn't matter - still the same error. I don't think it should anyway, the setter would retain nil (doing nothing) and autorelease the old name. That's what the tutorial told me anyway (the one you linked me to).

But I did some testing and I found out that the problem is the getter of the name: apparently it adds one to the retain count. Does that mean I have to release everything I get from the getter? Quite dreadful if you want to do simple things like printing it in this case. I mean - if I'd want to actually retain it I'd call it myself in that case, right?

So what's going on here? Why's the getting incrementing the retain count? (I actually printed it to verify - it was 2 at the dealloc function.

[EVOEx]

Okay, let me answer my own questions for people who find this post while searching. I've been working through a book (it's horrible reading through stuff most of which you already know though)...

Here are the answers:

However, when running it it reports "autoreleased with no pool in place". Why? It seems to be in the synthesized name setter. From the tutorial I read, this should be fine - do I always need an autorelease pool if I use "@synthesize"? Where should I make it - it's probably not good to have it always in main, nor is it very useful to set up and releasing a pool every time I use a setter? [edit: I expected that the autoreleased objects would only be released after the autorelease pool is released, but maybe this is not true?]

Yes, you do always need the autorelease pool when using autorelease because it doesn't directly decrement the reference count - only when draining the pool. Luckily pools can be nested...

Also, what does Objective C say about the default values of the members? Right now I set it to nil manually; do I need to, or is that standard? Also, do I need [super init] here, and do I need it if I don't need an "init" function, or does the default init function call [super init]?

From what I've read, yes, all the members are set to nil by default. Good, good. Also, about whether I need an init function: stupid question, it's the basic rules of inheritence.

Okay, maybe I should get myself an Objective C book, as the tutorials were dreadful (actually, one seemed quite good, but way too short)...

"Programming in Objective C" is quite good, even though it's very longwinded for C programmers. I read it in a couple of hours...


Thanks bernt for your help ;-).