Breaking Circular References With Weak Pointers
Weak pointers are designed to break circular references. By replacing a std::shared_ptr in a circular dependency with a std::weak_ptr, we prevent objects from unintentionally extending each other's lifetimes, allowing proper destruction.
main.cpp
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425#include <iostream> #include <memory> class Node { public: Node() { std::cout << "Node constructed." << std::endl; } ~Node() { std::cout << "Node destructed." << std::endl; } // A weak pointer to the next element prevents circular ownership. std::weak_ptr<Node> next; }; int main() { // Creating three Node objects. std::shared_ptr<Node> node1 = std::make_shared<Node>(); std::shared_ptr<Node> node2 = std::make_shared<Node>(); std::shared_ptr<Node> node3 = std::make_shared<Node>(); // Creating a list where the last node's next is a weak pointer node1->next = node2; node2->next = node3; node3->next = node1; // Now when node1, node2, and node3 go out of scope, their destructors will be called }
The circular reference problem is resolved by changing next from a std::shared_ptr to a std::weak_ptr. Follow the comments in the code for a clearer understanding. Run the code to confirm that the destructors are now called properly no memory leaks!
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Weak pointers are designed to break circular references. By replacing a std::shared_ptr in a circular dependency with a std::weak_ptr, we prevent objects from unintentionally extending each other's lifetimes, allowing proper destruction.
main.cpp
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425#include <iostream> #include <memory> class Node { public: Node() { std::cout << "Node constructed." << std::endl; } ~Node() { std::cout << "Node destructed." << std::endl; } // A weak pointer to the next element prevents circular ownership. std::weak_ptr<Node> next; }; int main() { // Creating three Node objects. std::shared_ptr<Node> node1 = std::make_shared<Node>(); std::shared_ptr<Node> node2 = std::make_shared<Node>(); std::shared_ptr<Node> node3 = std::make_shared<Node>(); // Creating a list where the last node's next is a weak pointer node1->next = node2; node2->next = node3; node3->next = node1; // Now when node1, node2, and node3 go out of scope, their destructors will be called }
The circular reference problem is resolved by changing next from a std::shared_ptr to a std::weak_ptr. Follow the comments in the code for a clearer understanding. Run the code to confirm that the destructors are now called properly no memory leaks!
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