class RCObject

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Abstract base class for reference counted objects.

It collaborates with the templace class Pointer<Object>. It is modelled after the class RCObject described in: {center} Scott Meyers, More Effective C++, Addison Wesley, 1996, pg. 195. {/center} The idiom delete this has been avoided by moving the deletion to class Pointer<Object>. All derived classes must implement a clone() method, to allow the Pointer class to copy the object pointed at. All constructors, the destructor, and the assignment operators are protected, since a stand-alone RCObject makes no sense.

Type:	Abstract
Include file:	./MemoryManagement/RCObject.hh

Inheritance

Synopsis (including inherited members):

• Public members:
  • int addReference ()const ;
  • int removeReference ()const ;
  • bool isShared ()const ;
• Protected Members:
  • RCObject () ;
  • RCObject (const RCObject&) ;
  • virtual ~RCObject () = 0 ;
  • RCObject& operator= (const RCObject&) ;

Documentation:

• Public members:

  int addReference ()const ;

  Increment reference count.
  Return the new value of the reference count.

  bool isShared ()const ;

  Test for sharing.
  Return true, if the pointee has more than one reference.

  int removeReference ()const ;

  Decrement the reference count.
  Return the new value of the reference count.

• Protected members:

  RCObject () ;

  Default constructor.
  By default a new object is sharable.

  RCObject (const RCObject&) ;

  Copy constructor.
  The copy inherits the sharable state.