Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c++:10797 comp.std.c++:487
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From: jgro@lia (Jeremy Grodberg)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.std.c++
Subject: Order of destructor calls for auto objects
Message-ID: <1990Dec14.221247.9487@lia>
Date: 14 Dec 90 22:12:47 GMT
Reply-To: jgro@lia.com (Jeremy Grodberg)
Followup-To: comp.std.c++
Lines: 29

I cannot find anywhere in the ARM where the order of destruction of
automatic objects is defined.  Am I missing something?  If not, I propose
that the ANSI standard add the following to section 6.6 of the ARM:

  Objects are guaranteed to be destroyed in the reverse of their order
  of creation.

Take, for exampe, the following block:
  {
    foo a;
    foo b;
    foo c; 
     
    count << "Hello world\n";

  }

We are already guaranteed that a will be constructed first, then b, then c,
according to section 6.7.  I want to also have the guarantee that on
exit from scope, first c will be destroyed, then b, then a.  This has
important implications for objects which reference other objects.

It appears that CFront 2.0 (from AT&T) already does this, but I would
like it to be formalized.

Comments?
-- 
Jeremy Grodberg      "I don't feel witty today.  Don't bug me."
jgro@lia.com