Question

Consider the belo code snippet:

class Base
{
    public:
    Base()
    {
            cout<<"Constructor"<<endl;
    }
    Base(const Base& rhs)
    {
            cout<<"Copy constructor"<<endl;
    }
    Base* Clone()
    {
            return new Base(*this); <--------------- 2
    }
    void* operator new(size_t size)
    {
            void* p=malloc(size);
            cout<<"Inside new"<<endl;
            return p;
    }
};

int main()
{
    Base b1; <------------ 1
    Base* ptr=b1.Clone();
    return 0;
}

I am getting the output as:

Constructor
Inside new
Copy constructor  

I kept hearing that first operator new allocates a chunk of void type & then new operator calls constructor to convert that chunk into the exact type as that on the LHS.
So, why the constructor is not getting called for statement 2?

I also want to know the exact series of actions undertaken by the C++ compiler for the statement 2.

Answer 1

So, why the constructor is not getting called for statement 2?

It is. Where do you think "Copy constructor" comes from?

Base b1;

Output: Constructor

Base* ptr=b1.Clone();

calls

new Base(*this);

which in turn calls your operator new and then your copy constructor.