| Lesson 10 | Free store operators |
| Objective | C++ delete operator |
C++ delete Operator
Examine the use of the operator delete to deallocate free store memory.
The operator delete destroys a variable created by new, in effect returning its allocated storage to free store for re-use. The operator delete returns type void and has two forms.
Non-array form
When the corresponding new expression did not allocate an array, you use this form:
delete expression
Example
When
p = new my_type;
is executed, you use
delete p;
to deallocate the free store used by p.
Array form
When the corresponding new expression allocated an array, you use this form:
delete []expression
Example
When
p = new my_type[size];
is executed, you use
delete []p;
to deallocate the free store used by p.
In the next lesson, we will look at how new and delete are used to dynamically allocate an array.