Thread: Classes and Destroyed Instances

if you're not using pointers, the only way to really destroy an object is to let it run out of scope. in that case, you'd get a compile error when you hit the statements with them in it. if you're talking dynamic memory, you're talking new/delete, and this is how you could do it (essentially what Sfpiano just told you about the pointers):

Code:

#include<iostream>

struct test     //I'm using this in place of your classes
{
        int i;  //just some dummy data
};

int main()
{
        test a;                 //instantiate test
        test*b=new test;        //create a test pointer, and initilize it
        a.i=0;                  //fill in the dummy data for a
        b->i=1;                 //fill in the dummy data for b
        delete b;               //delete b
        b=0;                    //make the pointer point to nothing (NULL)

        std::cout<<a.i;         //output a
        if(b!=0)                //check if b pointer is pointing to a test
        {
                std::cout<<'\n'<<b->i;  //if it is, print it
        }
        std::cout<<std::endl;   //either way put a newline & flush the stream
        return 0;               //return 0
}