Static pointer variable in a function C++

Question

If I implement this code, is it producing a memory leak? If it is not a memory leak, when will the memory be deleted?

class MyClass 
{
  public:
    void foo() {
      static MyClass *element = new MyClass(); 
    }
};

It will be deleted when you call a delete on it. I don't see the point of doing this since it's a static variable anyway. Technically if you never call delete it is a memory leak, but it's pretty much the same as a simple static variable, so it's not really a leak. (as long as you keep pointing to this heap object) — Melkon
– Melkon, Commented Sep 10, 2015 at 14:10

Niall · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-10 15:39:39Z

5

Well, a little of both.

Yes; there is no code that deletes it (the associated delete element).

No; there will only be a single instance of it and the OS will reclaim the memory when the process exits anyway. The memory usage will not grow unbounded.

Taking into account possible future maintenance and changes; I would be inclined to use a std::unique_ptr and avoid the risk of any future memory leaks.

edited Sep 10, 2015 at 15:39

answered Sep 10, 2015 at 14:10

Niall

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