Safe in C# not in C++, simple return of pointer / reference

Question

C++ code:

person* NewPerson(void)
{
  person p;
  /* ... */
  return &p; //return pointer to person.
}

C# code:

person          


        

Answer 1

This will not work in C++ because you are returning a reference to a temporary which will be destroyed once the function is over. You need to create a new person on the heap and then return a reference to that.

Answer 2

person* NewPerson(void)
{
  person p();
  /* ... */
  return &p; //return pointer to person.
}

p is not a person, see most vexing parse. As such, you'd get a compiler error.

For the rest, yes you're right.

Answer 3

Yes, you got it right.

However, in C++ you would really do like this

person NewPerson()
{
  person p;
  /* ... */
  return p; //return person.
}

and be pretty sure that in a call

person x = NewPerson();

the compiler will optimize out the copying of the return value.

Answer 4

The example in C++ is not ok because the 'p' will go out of scope, and the function will return an invalid pointer.

Correct.

The example in C# is ok because the anonymous 'new Person' will stay in scope as long there is any reference to it.

That is more or less correct but your terminology is not quite right. Scope in C# is the region of text in which an unqualified name can be used. The object here does not have a name. Lifetime is the period of runtime during which a storage location is guaranteed to be valid. Scope and lifetime are connected; when control leaves code associated with a scope, the lifetimes of locals declared within that scope are usually permitted to end. (There are situations where lifetimes of locals are longer or shorter than the time when control is in their scope though.)

Also, note that it is not any reference to the Person object that keeps it alive. The reference has to be rooted. You could have two Person objects that reference each other but are otherwise unreachable; the fact that each has a reference does not keep them alive; one of the references has to be rooted.

Answer 5

The scoping rules in this example are analogous but in C# if the returned value is assigned to something then it will not be garbage collected as long as something holds a reference to it. If it's not assigned to something, nothing holds a reference to it and it will be garbage collected next time the collector executes

Answer 6

Did i get this right?

Yes.

BTW: in C++ person p(); declares a function and will not call the default ctor of person. Just write person p;