Re: [boost] The quick_allocator not-a-memory-leak

From: Peter Dimov (pdimov_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-01-28 11:10:05

Darren Cook wrote:
> I've a class using the boost quick_allocator like this:
>
> class Chain{
> //...
> void* operator new(std::size_t sz){
> return boost::detail::quick_allocator<Chain>::alloc(sz);
> }
> void operator delete(void *p,std::size_t sz){
> boost::detail::quick_allocator<Chain>::dealloc(p,sz);
> }
> //...
> };
>
>
> I've started using valgrind ( http://valgrind.kde.org/ ) to look for
> memory problems in my unit tests and it is complaining that the
> memory is never released.
>
> Now I understand this:
> // "Listen to me carefully: there is no memory leak"
> // -- Scott Meyers, Eff C++ 2nd Ed Item 10
>
> But is there some function I can call at the end of my program to:
>    a) confirm I've called dealloc() for every alloc() and that the
> next pointer is currently at start

No, sorry. This would require quick_allocator to keep too much debugging
information. It is not a debugging tool. Use a different allocator in
valgrind/test builds.

This might be easier if I add something like BOOST_QA_USE_MALLOC to make
quick_allocator just forward alloc/dealloc to malloc/free.

>    b) release the memory.

Again, no, since currently quick_allocator does not keep track of its
allocations (because it doesn't need to). I'll think about this.