In C++, especially since we're talking about RAII, we really shouldn't be using C-style arrays at all. The Standard Library provides many containers with different properties that obviate most needs for C-style arrays. By default, you should be using std::vector<>
unless you have an understanding of the other containers and a compelling reason not to 1.
Judging from your comments, it looks like what you're trying to do is build an array of string data. This is simple in modern C++ -- just use a std::vector <std::string>
.
int main()
{
std::vector <std::string> myStrings;
myStrings.push_back ("hello");
myStrings.push_back ("goodbye");
}
This achieves all your mentioned goals of being RAII and no need to new
or delete
anything. It also integrates very nicely with other Standard Library facilities, such as find
.
I did say "obviate most needs," emphasis mine. There is still occasional need to go old-school. I won't discuss them here since if you actually need it you already know. Which is to say, if you don't know you probably don't need it.
All that being said, std::unique_ptr
does support managing C-style arrays with special syntax:
std::unique_ptr <unsigned []> myArray (new unsigned [256]);
the array managed by myArray
above will be properly deleted with delete []
at destruction time.
Since there is no unique_ptr
analogue to shared_ptr
's make_shared
, you will either have to use new
to actually construct the array, or provide your own (or someone else's) implementation of make_unique
Sidebar: make_unique
will be added to C++14.
1 " you should be using std::vector<> unless you have an understanding of the other containers and a compelling reason not to"
This isn't just my opinion. It's also the general (unofficial) opinion of StackOverflow as a whole, C++'s creator Bjarne Stroustup, and the C++ Standard itself (23.1.1).