Re: [boost] Re: Re: dynamic_void_cast

From: Alan Bellingham (alan_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-12-11 12:24:42

Terje Slettebø <tslettebo_at_[hidden]>:

>>>in this thread, void * is type erasure. More or less the only safe thing you
>>>can do with it, is to delete it. You can also cast it back to its original

[snip David Abrahams demurral]

>Of course, it depends on whether the type supports polymorphic deletion, and
>whether or not it's an array (so you would need delete[]), but are there
>other issues besides this? I assumed that if types were used in this way,
>then at least the above was known.

Well, in addition, you've forgotten that because void* has no type
associated with it, any real object behind the pointer will not have its
dtor called. Not good news, usually.