Question

So I decided to have some pointer fun tonight 🙂

CursorHBList::CursorHBList(UINT iNumHB)
    :m_ppCursorHB(nullptr)
    ,m_iNumHB(iNumHB)
{
    if (iNumHB != 0) {
        m_ppCursorHB = new CursorHitBox* [iNumHB];
    }   
}

so you can see, I’ve now dynamically allocated pointer-types.

Those pointers will each point to another (single) object in the heap. (later on, not in code sample)

So I’ve been wondering if I should delete all the pointer-to-object-types pointed to by the pointer-to-pointer-type first, and then delete[] the pointer-to-pointer-type?

Or is there a better way?

EDIT: Without using smart pointers…

Answer 1

As suggested, a better way would be using a container of smart pointers.

However, since you can’t use smart pointers (I don’t know why because all a smart pointer is is a very simple class, you could write your own), you’ll need to loop through the array and delete each pointer, then delete[] the array, in that order. That’s just what you have to do when you manage your own memory.