Beyong New and Delete: from auto_ptr to unique_ptr
The article discusses the transition from using std::auto_ptr to std::unique_ptr in C++ programming. It highlights the issues associated with auto_ptr, such as confusing ownership semantics and deprecated status in modern C++. The guide provides a step-by-step refactoring process to improve code clarity and align with contemporary C++ practices.
- ▪The std::auto_ptr has been deprecated since C++11 and removed in C++17, making it incompatible with modern standards.
- ▪Using auto_ptr can lead to dangerous behaviors, such as silent ownership transfers that leave the source pointer null.
- ▪Refactoring to std::unique_ptr clarifies ownership and eliminates the need for verbose access syntax and defensive null checks.
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| Original publisher | DEV.to (Top) |
| Canonical URL | https://dev.to/legacycpp/beyong-new-and-delete-from-autoptr-to-uniqueptr-5e35 |
| Publication time | Mon, 18 May 2026 19:22:14 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-18T19:34:56.983Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-18T19:34:56.983Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
| Excerpt source | publisher body |
| Excerpt method | First ~120 words (~800 chars) of extracted publisher body, fair-use limited. |
| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
| Cluster | NQ8VQOOSHktw |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
| Substitutes article? | No — link-out required for full text |
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| Indexing | May the item be indexed (stored, ranked, made findable)? | Allowed |
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| AI summary | May WeSearch generate its own short summary of the article? | Limited |
| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
| Model training | May the content be used to train AI models? | Not asserted |
| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
try { if(localStorage) { let currentUser = localStorage.getItem('current_user'); if (currentUser) { currentUser = JSON.parse(currentUser); if (currentUser.id === 3830024) { document.getElementById('article-show-container').classList.add('current-user-is-article-author'); } } } } catch (e) { console.error(e); } Wang - C++ Developer Posted on May 18 Beyong New and Delete: from auto_ptr to unique_ptr #cpp #legacy #refactoring #ptr This guide walks through a legacy pattern built around std::auto_ptr, something still found in many older C++ codebases. The pattern usually involves a helper like cdup that deep‑copies an object and returns it as an auto_ptr, and classes that store these copies and access them through get() checks and raw pointer calls.
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