Question

I remember first learning about vectors in the STL and after some time, I wanted to use a vector of bools for one of my projects. After seeing some strange behavior and doing some research, I learned that a vector of bools is not really a vector of bools.

Are there any other common pitfalls to avoid in C++?

Answer 1

A short list might be:

• Avoid memory leaks through use shared pointers to manage memory allocation and cleanup
• Use the Resource Acquisition Is Initialization (RAII) idiom to manage resource cleanup – especially in the presence of exceptions
• Avoid calling virtual functions in constructors
• Employ minimalist coding techniques where possible – for example, declaring variables only when needed, scoping variables, and early-out design where possible.
• Truly understand the exception handling in your code – both with regard to exceptions you throw, as well as ones thrown by classes you may be using indirectly. This is especially important in the presence of templates.

RAII, shared pointers and minimalist coding are of course not specific to C++, but they help avoid problems that do frequently crop up when developing in the language.

Some excellent books on this subject are:

• Effective C++ – Scott Meyers
• More Effective C++ – Scott Meyers
• C++ Coding Standards – Sutter & Alexandrescu
• C++ FAQs – Cline

Reading these books has helped me more than anything else to avoid the kind of pitfalls you are asking about.