delete vs delete[] operators in C++

Question

What is the difference between delete and delete[] operators in C++?

Answer 1

The delete operator deallocates memory and calls the destructor for a single object created with new.

The delete [] operator deallocates memory and calls destructors for an array of objects created with new [].

Using delete on a pointer returned by new [] or delete [] on a pointer returned by new results in undefined behavior.

Answer 2

Hey user265260,

The operators delete and delete [] are used respectively to destroy the objects created with new and new[], returning to the allocated memory left available to the compiler's memory manager.

Objects created with new must necessarily be destroyed with delete, and that the arrays created with new[] should be deleted with delete[]

Santi! :)

Answer 3

The delete[] operator is used to delete arrays. The delete operator is used to delete non-array objects. It calls operator delete[] and operator delete function respectively to delete the memory that the array or non-array object occupied after (eventually) calling the destructors for the array's elements or the non-array object.

The following shows the relations:

typedef int array_type[1];

// create and destroy a int[1]
array_type *a = new array_type;
delete [] a;

// create and destroy an int
int *b = new int;
delete b;

// create and destroy an int[1]
int *c = new int[1];
delete[] c;

// create and destroy an int[1][2]
int (*d)[2] = new int[1][2];
delete [] d;

For a new that creates an array (so, either the new type[] or new applied to an array type construct), the Standard looks for a operator new[] in the array's element type class or in the global scope, and passes the amount of memory requested. It may request more than N * sizeof(ElementType) if it wants (for instance to store the number of elements, so it later when deleting knows how many destructor calls to done). If the class declares an operator new[] that additional to the amount of memory accepts another size_t, that second parameter will receive the number of elements allocated - it may use this for any purpose it wants (debugging, etc...).

For a new that creates a non-array object, it will look for a operator new in the element's class or in the global scope. It passes the amount of memory requested (exactly sizeof(T) always).

For a delete[], it looks into the arrays' element class type and calls their destructors. The operator delete[] function used is the one in the element type's class, or if there is none then in the global scope.

For a delete, if the pointer passed is a base class of the actual object's type, the base class must have a virtual destructor (otherwise, behavior is undefined). If it is not a base class, then the destructor of that class is called, and a operator delete in that class or the global operator delete is used. If a base class was passed, then the actual object type's destructor is called, and the operator delete found in that class is used, or if there is none, a global operator delete is called. If the operator delete in the class has a second parameter of type size_t, it will receive the number of elements to deallocate.

Answer 4

Technically, there is no such thing as a delete[] operator in C++ (see 2.13 §1). You probably mean the delete operator followed by the punctuators [ and ] ;-)