Question

I’d like to know how C++ is dealing with memory of “objects” created by pointer inside class methods or functions.
For example method of class Example

void Example::methodExample()
{

  ExampleObject *pointer = new ExampleObject("image.jpg");

}

Should i somehow delete this or it’s automatically removed?
Sorry if my question is stupid but i am beginner : P

Answer 1

You have two options.

If you use a raw pointer, as you are using in your example, you must manually delete objects that were created with new.

If you don’t, you have created a memory leak.

void Example::methodExample()
{
  ExampleObject *pointer = new ExampleObject("image.jpg");

  // Stuff

  delete pointer;
}

Or you may use smart pointers, such as boost::scoped_ptr or C++11’s std::unique_ptr.

These objects will automatically delete their pointed-to contents when they are deleted.

Some (like me) will say that this approach is preferred, because your ExampleObject will be correctly deleted even if an exception is thrown and the end of the function isn’t reached.

void Example::methodExample()
{
  boost::scoped_ptr<ExampleObject> pointer( new ExampleObject("image.jpg") );

  // Stuff

}