In C++ programming, when you usedeleteAfter the operator frees the memory pointed to by the pointer, it is usually recommended to empty the pointer (i.e. set the pointer tonullptr). This is because there are several important benefits to doing this that can help avoid some common problems in your program. Specifically, there are several main reasons:
1. Prevent the hanging pointer (Dangling Pointer)：
When a pointer is deleted (Releases the memory it points to) After , if it is not empty, the pointer will still point to the freed memory address. At this time, the pointer is called a dangling pointer. Hanging a pointer is very dangerous because if you accidentally access or operate this pointer again, the program may crash, or, worse, undefined behavior that is difficult to debug.
2. Improve the readability and maintainability of the code：
Empty the pointer can be used as a clear sign that the pointer no longer points to a valid memory area. This makes the code easier to understand during subsequent maintenance and debugging. For example, if a pointer is empty (nullptr), then you can be sure that this pointer no longer points to any valid data.
3. Simplify the debugging process：
If you encounter null pointer access during debugging, it will usually throw an explicit error (e.g.segmentation fault), which is relatively easy to identify and fix. By contrast, hanging pointers can cause more hidden and harder to detect problems, especially if the program only occurs after a long period of time.
4. Prevent double delete：
If a pointer is not empty after being deleted, and you try to delete the same pointer again in other parts of the code, it may cause the program to crash or produce undefined behavior. After emptying the pointer, it is safe to delete a null pointer repeatedly becausedeleteA null pointer is a no-op.
Examples are as follows:
int* ptr = new int(10);
delete ptr; // Free memoryptr = nullptr; // Put the pointer empty// If you try to access ptr, you can avoid errors by checking whether it is emptyif (ptr != nullptr) {
// Secure access to ptr} else {
// ptr has been released without any operation}In summary, deleting the pointer after emptying it is a good programming practice, which can improve the security, maintainability and readability of the code and prevent various potential errors and problems.
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