Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!ulysses!andante!alice!ark
From: ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: do destructors descend hierarchy?
Message-ID: <9555@alice.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jul 89 22:28:55 GMT
References: <1570@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Liberty Corner NJ
Lines: 28

In article <1570@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM>, rpj@redcloud.cad.mcc.com (Rich Johns) writes:

> Assume the class Blue, which is a PrimaryColor, which is a Color.  All three classes
> have destructors. If I have a Blue b allocated from free store:

>    Blue* b = new Blue;

In other words, your declarations look like this:

	class Color { /* stuff */ };
	class PrimaryColor: public Color { /* more stuff */ };
	class Blue: public PrimaryColor { /* still more stuff */ };

> Now if I:

>    delete b;

> will the destructors for PrimaryColor and Color be called?

Yes.

More specifically, when you said `new Blue,' that caused the
constructors for Color, PrimaryColor, and Blue to be executed
in that order.  When you say `delete b,' it causes the destructors
for Blue, PrimaryColor, and Color to be executed in that order.
-- 
				--Andrew Koenig
				  ark@europa.att.com