Question

Can anyone please explain me the difference about the below used methods to insert a new object in the map container? I already know about pointers and such, I’m not really deep into virtual memory, only the basics (addresses etc..)

#include "StdAfx.h"
#include <windows.h>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
#include <map>

using namespace std;

class CUser
{
public:
    CUser() { Init(); };
    ~CUser() {};
public:
        BOOL m_bActive;
        BOOL m_bLoggedIn;
        SYSTEMTIME m_sysTime;

        void Init();
};


void CUser::Init()
{
    (*this).m_bActive = FALSE;
    m_bLoggedIn = FALSE;
    GetSystemTime( &m_sysTime );
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{

    map<DWORD, CUser*>mUserMap;


    //what is the difference between this
    {   
        CUser pUser;
        pUser.m_bActive = FALSE;
        pUser.m_bLoggedIn = FALSE;
        GetSystemTime( &pUser.m_sysTime );
        mUserMap.insert( make_pair( 351, &pUser ) );
    }
    //and this?
    {
        CUser *pUser = new CUser;
        if( pUser )
        {
            pUser->m_bActive = TRUE;
            pUser->m_bLoggedIn = TRUE;
            GetSystemTime( &pUser->m_sysTime );
            mUserMap.insert( make_pair( 351, pUser ) );
        }
    }

/*  map<DWORD, CUser*>::iterator it = mUserMap.find( 351 );
    if( it == mUserMap.end() )
        std::cout << "Not found" << std::endl;
    else
    {
        CUser *pUser = it->second;
        if( pUser )
            std::cout << pUser->m_sysTime.wHour << std::endl;
    } */


    return 0;
}

Answer 1

//what is the difference between this
{   
    CUser pUser;
    pUser.m_bActive = FALSE;
    pUser.m_bLoggedIn = FALSE;
    GetSystemTime( &pUser.m_sysTime );
    mUserMap.insert( make_pair( 351, &pUser ) );
}

this creates a local object: your pUser variable only exists inside the scope of this block, and ceases to exist when the last } is reached. That means its destructor is called, and the memory it lived in is reclaimed and may be reused.

Now, when you store a pointer to this short-lived object in your map, you’re storing a problem. If you de-reference that pointer at any time after the closing } of this block, you’re invoking undefined behaviour. It may work. It may work sometimes, and then start to fail. Basically, it’s a logical error and a good source of unpredictable bugs.

//and this?
{
    CUser *pUser = new CUser;
    if( pUser )
    {
        pUser->m_bActive = TRUE;
        pUser->m_bLoggedIn = TRUE;
        GetSystemTime( &pUser->m_sysTime );
        mUserMap.insert( make_pair( 351, pUser ) );
    }
}

here you explicitly create an instance which will outlive the enclosing scope, and all is good. You don’t need to check if new returns NULL though: it’ll throw an exception unless you explicitly request it not to.