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std::shared_ptr

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std::shared_ptr
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Defined in header <memory>
template< class T > class shared_ptr;
 (since C++11)

std::shared_ptr is a smart pointer that retains shared ownership of an object through a pointer. Several shared_ptr objects may own the same object. The object is destroyed and its memory deallocated when either of the following happens:

  • the last remaining shared_ptr owning the object is destroyed;
  • the last remaining shared_ptr owning the object is assigned another pointer via operator= or reset().

The object is destroyed using delete-expression or a custom deleter that is supplied to shared_ptr during construction.

A shared_ptr can share ownership of an object while storing a pointer to another object. This feature can be used to point to member objects while owning the object they belong to. The stored pointer is the one accessed by get(), the dereference and the comparison operators. The managed pointer is the one passed to the deleter when use count reaches zero.

A shared_ptr may also own no objects, in which case it is called empty (an empty shared_ptr may have a non-null stored pointer if the aliasing constructor was used to create it).

All specializations of shared_ptr meet the requirements of CopyConstructible,