Re: [boost] shared_xxx issues

From: Jens Maurer (Jens.Maurer_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-09-01 03:44:44

David Abrahams wrote:
> Second Issue:
> 
> I found the following code in shared_array (and I assume the analogous code
> is in shared_ptr):
> 
>         void reset(T* p=0)
>         {
>             if ( px == p ) return;  // fix: self-assignment safe
> 
> What this does is to make a silent success of resetting a shared_ptr with
> the pointer it owns. 
[...]
>  I'd rather see an assert() here.

A similar issue has come up with Boost.Thread, where some simple
case of deadlock can be easily detected, but more complicated ones
cannot.  I think the resolution was not to detect the simple case
and specify a reaction to it, but instead treat all cases as a
precondition violation (with undefined behaviour).

David's case is similar.

I second David's suggestion above: It's a precondition violation
which should be handled by an assert(), if easy to detect.

Jens Maurer