Chapter 13: Problem 10

What is a constructor? What is a destructor?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Based on the given step by step solution, provide a short answer as follows: Constructors and destructors are special member functions in object-oriented programming languages like C++ and Java. Constructors initialize class object attributes and are called automatically when an object is created, while destructors handle freeing memory and other cleanup tasks and are called when an object is destroyed or goes out of scope. An example of a constructor is creating a `Person` object and setting its name and age attributes, while an example of a destructor is releasing memory allocated for an integer array in a custom class.

Step by step solution

1. Definition of Constructor

A constructor is a special member function of a class in object-oriented programming languages, such as C++ and Java, which is automatically called when an object of a class is created or instantiated. Constructors are used to initialize the class object's attributes or properties with default or provided values, allocate memory, and performing any setup tasks necessary to ensure proper object creation.

2. Example of a Constructor

Let's consider an example in C++: ```cpp class Person { public: std::string name; int age; Person(std::string _name, int _age) { name = _name; age = _age; } }; int main() { Person person("John Doe", 25); } ``` Here, we define a `Person` class with a constructor that accepts two parameters - a string representing the person's name and an integer representing their age. When we create a new `Person` object in the `main` function, the constructor is called, and the object's `name` and `age` attributes are set to the provided values.

3. Definition of Destructor

A destructor is another special type of member function in OOP languages, which is called automatically when an object is destroyed or goes out of scope. Destructors are used to perform clean-up tasks, such as freeing up memory or releasing resources previously acquired by the object, before it gets destroyed.

4. Example of a Destructor

Here's an example of a destructor in C++: ```cpp class MyClass { public: int* myArray; MyClass(int size) { myArray = new int[size]; } ~MyClass() { delete[] myArray; } }; int main() { MyClass myObject(10); } ``` In this example, we define a `MyClass` class with a constructor that allocates memory for an integer array. The destructor releases the memory that was allocated by the constructor by calling `delete[]` on the `myArray` pointer. When the `myObject` instance goes out of the scope at the end of the `main` function, the destructor is called automatically to clean up the allocated memory.

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What is a constructor? What is a destructor?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

1. Definition of Constructor

2. Example of a Constructor

3. Definition of Destructor

4. Example of a Destructor

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