When Are Raw Pointers and C-Style Arrays Still Relevant in Modern C ?

Revisiting the Use of Raw Pointers and C-Style Arrays in Modern C

Despite the advent of modern C features such as smart pointers and containers, some questions linger about the continued relevance of raw memory management and C-style arrays.

When Raw Pointers and C-Style Arrays May Be Necessary

In some scenarios, using raw pointers and C-style arrays may be warranted:

• Non-local Ownership: When object ownership cannot reside locally within the objects themselves. This may occur in certain data structures where ownership is managed at a higher level, such as in complex graphs or linked lists.
• Complex Lifetimes: In cases where object lifetimes are intricate and non-reference counted, it can be challenging to determine an appropriate location for ownership management.

Are They "More Efficient"?

The supposed efficiency benefits of using new and delete directly are largely overstated. Modern containers and smart pointers employ optimized memory management techniques and typically have comparable performance to manual memory management.

When to Avoid C-Style Arrays

C-style arrays have limited capabilities compared to std::array. The latter offers advantages such as:

• Copyability: std::array allows easy copying and assignment of arrays.
• Referenceability: Elements of std::array can be referenced directly, eliminating the need for awkward pointer arithmetic.

Interaction with Third-Party Libraries

Interfacing with third-party libraries that return raw pointers can be handled seamlessly by wrapping them in smart pointers. This ensures proper resource management, even if the library requires a legacy function for freeing memory.

Conclusion

While smart pointers and containers generally provide superior memory management, raw pointers and C-style arrays may still find occasional application in specialized scenarios. However, it is crucial to approach these techniques with caution and consider their potential drawbacks.

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