problems with function template

[brianptodd]

I have written a function template that takes a pointer to an object and prints out its contents and memory address.

Here is the code:

#include <iostream>
 #include <string>
 #include "employee.h"
 #include "employee.cpp"
 #include "myfuncts.h"
 #include "myfuncts.cpp"


 template <class Type>
 Type iaddress(Type * obj);

 int main()
 {
	 double num1 = 1.23;
	 double num2 = 100.75;
	 char *str1 = new char[26];
	 strcpy(str1, "Pointers are interesting!");
	 double num3 = -35.5;
	 double *ptr4 = new double;


	 // str1 output
	 cout << "str1 - main: address: "  << &str1 << " contents: " << str1 << endl;

	 //	num1 output and function call
	 cout << "num1 - main: address: " << &num1 << " contents: " << num1 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num1;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	num2 output and function call
	 cout << "num2 - main: address: " << &num2 << " contents: " << num2 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num2;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	num3 output and function call
	 cout << "num3 - main: address: " << &num3 << " contents: " << num3 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num3;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	ptr4 output and function call
	 *ptr4 = 123.4;
	 cout << "ptr4 - main: address: " << ptr4 << " contents: " << *ptr4 << endl;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 int num4 = 10;
	 int * ptr2 = new int;
	 cout << "num4 - main: address: " << &num4 << " contents: " << num4 << endl;
	 ptr2 = &num4;
	 iaddress(ptr2);

	 string str2 = "Computer Science is Cool!";
	 string *ptr5 = new string;
	 cout << "str2 - main: address: "  << &str2 << " contents: " << str2 << endl;
	 ptr5 = &str2;
	 iaddress(ptr5);

	 Employee emp1("Bugs Bunny", 12.47);

	 emp1.print();

	 //	testing output

	 return 0;
 	 }

 	 template <class Type>
 	 Type iaddress(Type * obj)
 	 {
		 cout << "  function: address: " << obj << " contents: " << *obj << endl;
		 delete obj;
		 return (0);
	 }

My program crashes after the last function call, and I can't figure out why. Any ideas?

Brian

[brianptodd]

the program compiles and runs through all of the doubles, the int, and even the Employee objects. However, when I add the string object, it crashes my program, even though it compiles.

Once again, here is the code:

 #include <iostream>
 #include <string>
 #include <string.h>
 #include "employee.h"
 #include "employee.cpp"
 #include "myfuncts.h"
 #include "myfuncts.cpp"


 template <class Type>
 Type iaddress(Type * obj);

 int main()
 {
	 double num1 = 1.23;
	 double num2 = 100.75;
	 char *str1 = new char[26];
	 strcpy(str1, "Pointers are interesting!");
	 double num3 = -35.5;
	 double *ptr4 = new double;


	 // str1 output
	 cout << "str1 - main: address: "  << &str1 << " contents: " << str1 << endl;

	 //	num1 output and function call
	 cout << "num1 - main: address: " << &num1 << " contents: " << num1 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num1;
	 iaddress(ptr4);


	 //	num2 output and function call
	 cout << "num2 - main: address: " << &num2 << " contents: " << num2 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num2;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	num3 output and function call
	 cout << "num3 - main: address: " << &num3 << " contents: " << num3 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num3;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	ptr4 output and function call
	 *ptr4 = 123.4;
	 cout << "ptr4 - main: address: " << ptr4 << " contents: " << *ptr4 << endl;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 int num4 = 10;
	 int * ptr2 = new int;
	 cout << "num4 - main: address: " << &num4 << " contents: " << num4 << endl;
	 ptr2 = &num4;
	 iaddress(ptr2);


	 string str2 = "Computer Science is Cool!";
	 string * ptr5 = new string[26];
	 cout << "str2 - main: address: "  << &str2 << " contents: " << str2 << endl;
	 ptr5 = &str2;
	 iaddress(ptr5);

	 Employee emp1("Bugs Bunny", 12.47);
	 Employee * ptr_emp = new Employee;
	 cout << "emp1 - main: address: " << &emp1 << " contents: " << emp1 << endl;
	 ptr_emp = &emp1;
	 iaddress(ptr_emp);

	 //	testing output

	 return 0;
 	 }

 	 template <class Type>
 	 Type iaddress(Type * obj)
 	 {
		 cout << "  function: address: " << obj << " contents: " << *obj << endl;
		 delete obj;
	}

Obviously you don't have the Employee class to compile and run this program as necessary, but you could just comment it out to run it.

Once again, thanks for any help on this.

Brian

[brianptodd]

if i remove the function call for the string then everything works fine.

[Sebastiani]

Which leads to the question "why are you delegating memory management to class like this?". The template should simply print addresses/contents.

Next, what are you doing here:

int * ptr2 = new int;
//...
ptr2 = &num4;

delete ptr2

A pointer is simply a variable that holds an address. You don't need to "allocate" it. Just point it to a piece of memory. Sometimes we need a chunk of memory on the fly. So we "new" it, and point a pointer at it so that we can keep up with it.

int num;
int * p;
int * z;
p = new int;

Now let's say we want to repoint 'p' to 'num'. Well, first we should "save" a pointer to the new'ed memory that 'p' points to:

z = p;
p = #
delete z; //..clean up memory initially pointed to by 'p'.

[Polymorphic OOP]

First -- you can only delete stuff you dynamically allocate!

The function is fine in using delete.

Everything dynamically allocated up to the string version of the function is completely fine both syntactically and logically!

The reason the string function doesn't work is because when you dynamically allocate an array you can't just say

delete ArrayName

you have to say

delete [] ArrayName

This is because, if you don't, it will assume that ArrayName only points to one instance of the particular datatype. delete [] will delete all the memory you allocated.

[brianptodd]

Thanks for your help. I took a little advice from all and it seems to be working now. Here is the working program:

#include <iostream>
 #include <string>
 #include <string.h>
 #include "employee.h"
 #include "employee.cpp"
 #include "myfuncts.h"
 #include "myfuncts.cpp"


 template <class Type>
 Type iaddress(Type * obj);

 int main()
 {
	 double num1 = 1.23;
	 double num2 = 100.75;
	 char *str1 = new char[26];
	 strcpy(str1, "Pointers are interesting!");
	 double num3 = -35.5;
	 double *ptr4 = new double;


	 // str1 output
	 cout << "str1 - main: address: "  << &str1 << " contents: " << str1 << endl;
	 iaddress(&str1);

	 //	num1 output and function call
	 cout << "num1 - main: address: " << &num1 << " contents: " << num1 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num1;
	 iaddress(ptr4);


	 //	num2 output and function call
	 cout << "num2 - main: address: " << &num2 << " contents: " << num2 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num2;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	num3 output and function call
	 cout << "num3 - main: address: " << &num3 << " contents: " << num3 << endl;
	 ptr4 = &num3;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 //	ptr4 output and function call
	 *ptr4 = 123.4;
	 cout << "ptr4 - main: address: " << ptr4 << " contents: " << *ptr4 << endl;
	 iaddress(ptr4);

	 int num4 = 10;
	 int * ptr2 = new int;
	 cout << "num4 - main: address: " << &num4 << " contents: " << num4 << endl;
	 ptr2 = &num4;
	 iaddress(ptr2);


	 char *str2 = new char[26];
	 strcpy(str2, "Computer Science is Cool!");
	 cout << "str2 - main: address: "  << &str2 << " contents: " << str2 << endl;
	 iaddress(&str2);

	 Employee emp1("Bugs Bunny", 12.47);
	 Employee * ptr_emp = new Employee;
	 cout << "emp1 - main: address: " << &emp1 << " contents: " << emp1 << endl;
	 ptr_emp = &emp1;
	 iaddress(ptr_emp);

	 delete ptr4;
	 delete ptr2;
	 delete [] str1;
	 delete [] str2;



	 return 0;
 	 }


 	 template <class Type>
 	 Type iaddress(Type * obj)
 	 {
		 cout << "  function: address: " << obj << " contents: " << *obj << endl;
	 }

Thanks again.


Brian

[Sebastiani]

You're still missing a very important point. Look:

double *ptr4 = new double;
ptr4 = &num1;// <-- You just lost track of the memory you new'ed
delete ptr4; // <-- because of that, you are effectively deleting num1, do you see why?

[Polymorphic OOP]

You're not understanding new and delete

Think of it like this:

a pointer's value represents a location in memory.

new SomeDatatype

Allocates for you sizeof( datatype ) amount of memory (and calls the default constructor if it's a class). It returns the location in memory of that data it just made.

delete says "delete the memory at this location" (it knows the amount to delete from the type (and from another value if it's delete [] ).

So, if you do

double *ptr4 = new double; // Allocates memory and stores the location in ptr4
ptr4 = &num1; // Now you don't know where the "new" memory is!
delete ptr4; // Now you're deleting num1 instead and leaving ptr4 -- both very very bad

[brianptodd]

Then how can I make ptr4 point to num1? And then change the pointer to point to num2 and so on?

Brian

[Polymorphic OOP]

Just keep assigning it the address of those variables and don't use new or delete.