std::shared_ptr<Value> is one of the starlets in C++11’s recently polished standard template library. shared_ptrs work just like normal C-style pointers except that they keep track of how many pointers point to the same object. Once the last shared_ptr pointing to an object goes out of scope, the object pointed at will be deleted. For convenience, the standard library offers the factory function std::make_shared<Value>():
auto value = std::make_shared<Value>("a", "few", "arguments");
std::make_shared<Value>() creates a new object of type Value, where the arguments given to make_shared() are forwarded to the constructor of Value. The newly created object is immediately wrapped in a std::shared_ptr<Value>, which is then returned to the caller.
Continue reading “Underprivileged unique pointers: retrofitting make_unique”