iphone objectiveC alloc/release question

Question

Hi, I am new to ObjectiveC language. I am having trouble understanding memory management syntax. My code is below:

NSDate* someDate;
someDate=[[NSDate alloc] init];
loop
{ 
   someDate=[[NSDate alloc] init];
}

will I have a memory leak here ? or the NSDate object returned is [autorelease]?

Thanks

Answer 1

You will have many memory leaks. Objects are initially retained (not autoreleased) if they are returned by methods that have new, alloc or copy in the name. [NSDate date] would be autoreleased. If you post more substantive code I can give you some help in accomplishing your goal cleanly.

Also have a look at Apple's Memory Management Guide.

Answer 2

Hi,

As @DavidKanarek says, you will have leaks.

There are a number of ways to fix these leaks :

NSDate* someDate;
someDate=[NSDate date];
loop
{ 
   someDate=[NSDate date];
}

or

NSDate* someDate=nil;
someDate=[[NSDate alloc] init];
loop
{ 
   [someDate release];
   someDate=[[NSDate alloc] init];
}

[someDate release];

The first one is easier code to read but the second one keeps your memory usage down as low as possible. If your loop is not too big, use the first. If you're going through the loop thousands of times, I'd use the second.

Sam