How to handle memory leak in constructor of a C++ class?

How do you know you have a memory leak ?

If you have the class (and the constructor) code then it should be easy to trace the code and pin-point the memory allocations or more importantly, the non-existant memory de-allocation.

If you put the class in a simple project and create an instance of the class on the stack and exit the process normally, does it leak ? (i.e. is the debugger listing memory leak at the end of the debuggin session?)

for example :

class YouClass;

int main(...)
{
  YourClass yourClass;

  return 1;
}

does that leak ?

if you allocate on the heap with new, do you delete the memory with delete ?

class YouClass;

int main(...)
{
  YourClass* yourClass = NULL;
  yourClass = new YourClass;

  delete yourClass;
  yourClass = NULL;
  return 1;
}

If the simple program leaks, check the class and track allocation, and also de-allocation, especially in the destructor.

Max.

http://www.codeproject.com/search.aspx?q=Memory+leak&x=0&y=0&sbo=kw[^]

To clarify is in you event the leak or not, you can use a series of programs. Programs such as valgrind for example. Or, are often advised such plugin as deleaker. The name speaks for itself. Using such detectors can find the line that is leaking and then have to think how to fix it.

Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cppcheck[^]. I'm about to try it myself, although for different purposes.

I've looked for leak detection tools a couple of years ago, but found there were precious few good ones for Windows at the time, and all of them more or less expensive. (I didn't find Cppcheck, maybe it didn't exist yet). If you work on Linux though, check out ValGrind. It's got a good reputation.

I guess you can use klocwork for static checking

http://www.klocwork.com/solutions/insight-defects/index.php[^]

Here is the answer I gave to a similar question.
Memory leakage detection[^]