Question

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using auto pointers (auto_ptr), compared to ordinary pointers? I’ve heard it does automatic releasing of memory but how come it is not used often?

Answer 1

The main drawback of std::auto_ptr is that it has the transfer-of-ownership semantic. That makes it impossible to store std::auto_ptr in STL containers because the containers use the copy constructor when you store or get an element.

Also, another important aspect that i have noticed about the std::auto_ptr is that they cannot serve in the use of PIMPL idiom. This is because, they require the complete definition of the wrapped class’s destructor. See this thread on c.l.c++.m for more detailed discussion.

Update: Transfer of ownership

class Test {};
std::auto_ptr<Test> ap_test_1(new Test);
std::auto_ptr<Test> ap_test_2(new Test);

ap_test_2 = ap_test_1;  // here ap_test_1's ownership is transferred i.e. ap_test_2 is the 
                        // new owner and ap_test_1 is NULL.

See this thread on Herb Sutter’s site for more details on what this means when used in a STL container used by STL algorithms.