Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c++:3565 gnu.g++:210
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!shelby!agate!eos!ames!sgi!kipp@warp.wpd.sgi.com
From: kipp@warp.wpd.sgi.com (Kipp Hickman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,gnu.g++
Subject: C++ compiler enhancement request
Keywords: pitfalls
Message-ID: <34709@sgi.SGI.COM>
Date: 7 Jun 89 04:36:52 GMT
Sender: daemon@sgi.SGI.COM
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 27

Say you have the following class:
	class Something ... {
		virtual ~Something();
	};

If you do this:
	Something* s = ...;
	delete s;

then s is deleted with its virtual function, right?

Well, not always.  If you don't include the declaration
for Something, but instead say this:
	class Something;

you get into trouble because the compiler doesn't know to
invoke the virtual destructor (or any destructor for that matter).

A nice compiler tweak would be to generate warning messages
when system operators are applied to forward declared objects.

does 2.0 do this?  does g++ do this?  cfront 1.2.1 doesn't...

comments (email please)?

				kipp hickman
				silicon graphics inc.