views:

103

answers:

3

Curious things with g++ (maybe also with other compilers?):

struct Object {
        Object() { std::cout << "hey "; }
        ~Object() { std::cout << "hoy!" << std::endl; }
};

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
        {
                Object myObjectOnTheStack();
        }
        std::cout << "===========" << std::endl;
        {
                Object();
        }
        std::cout << "===========" << std::endl;
        {
                Object* object = new Object();
                delete object;
        }
}

Compied with g++:

===========
hey hoy!
===========
hey hoy!

The first type of allocation does not construct the object. What am I missing?

+12  A: 

The first type of construction is not actually constructing the object. In order to create an object on the stack using the default constructor, you must omit the ()'s

Object myObjectOnTheStack;

Your current style of definition instead declares a function named myObjectOnTheStack which returns an Object.

JaredPar
Try `Object myObjectOnTheStack;` ie without the `()`
Justicle
@Jerry, thanks I corrected the terminology
JaredPar
…"instead *declares* a function"…
Potatoswatter
@Potatoswatter, very true, updated
JaredPar
+4  A: 

Yet another example of the "most vexing parse". Instead of defining an object, you've declared a function named myObjectOnTheStack that takes no arguments and returns an Object.

Jerry Coffin
+2  A: 
Object myObjectOnTheStack();

is a forward declaration of a function myObjectOnTheStack taking no parameters and returning an Object.

What you want is

Object myObjectOnTheStack;
johannes