Deleting one of 2 pointers that point to the same thing

Question

So i have an array of pointers that point to objects, and a pointer that points to each object elsewhere in my code. What i want is when i delete those other pointer. How do i rearrange my array of pointers so that there's no garbage values in the middle of it. I have a rearrange function that checks for NULL but the pointer doesn't point to NULL.

void Floor::rearrange(){
    for (int i=0;i<numEnemies;i++){
            if(Enemies[i] == NULL){
                    Enemies[i] = Enemies[i+1];
                    Enemies[i+1] = NULL;
            }
    }

}

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 29 '14 at 17:48

3

Use automatically owning pointers. shared_ptr, weak_ptr and unique_ptr can automatically solve this problem for you with correct usage.

Using delete is a major code smell.

answered Nov 29 '14 at 17:48

Puppy

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delete can be fine to use when you can guarantee single ownership for the heap objects lifetime – foips Nov 29 '14 at 18:31
@foips, correct use of `unique_ptr` guarantees that for you using the type system, with no overhead. – Jonathan Wakely Nov 29 '14 at 18:54

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 29 '14 at 18:18

3

It sounds like you want the pointers in the array to be weak_ptr then the other pointers should be shared_ptr.

That way, when the other pointer is deleted you can safely detect it.

answered Nov 29 '14 at 18:18

Chris Drew

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Deleting one of 2 pointers that point to the same thing

2 Answers2