Compilation problems with the vector <auto_ptr <>>

Question

Consider the following code:

#include <iostream> #include <memory> #include <vector> using namespace std; struct A { int a; A(int a_):a(a_) {} }; int main() { vector<auto_ptr<A> > as; for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) { auto_ptr<A> a(new A(i)); as.push_back(a); } for (vector<auto_ptr<A> >::iterator it = as.begin(); it != as.end(); ++it) cout << (*it)->a << endl; } 

When I try to compile it, I get the following incomprehensible compiler error from g ++:

 g++ -O0 -g3 -Wall -c -fmessage-length=0 -MMD -MP -MF"src/proba.d" -MT"src/proba.d" -o"src/proba.o" "../src/proba.cpp" /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/ext/new_allocator.h: In member function 'void __gnu_cxx::new_allocator<_Tp>::construct(_Tp*, const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>]': /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_vector.h:606: instantiated from 'void std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc>::push_back(const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>, _Alloc = std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> >]' ../src/proba.cpp:19: instantiated from here /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/ext/new_allocator.h:104: error: passing 'const std::auto_ptr<A>' as 'this' argument of 'std::auto_ptr<_Tp>::operator std::auto_ptr_ref<_Tp1>() [with _Tp1 = A, _Tp = A]' discards qualifiers /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/vector.tcc: In member function 'void std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc>::_M_insert_aux(__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<typename std::_Vector_base<_Tp, _Alloc>::_Tp_alloc_type::pointer, std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc> >, const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>, _Alloc = std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> >]': /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_vector.h:610: instantiated from 'void std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc>::push_back(const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>, _Alloc = std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> >]' ../src/proba.cpp:19: instantiated from here /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/vector.tcc:256: error: passing 'const std::auto_ptr<A>' as 'this' argument of 'std::auto_ptr<_Tp>::operator std::auto_ptr_ref<_Tp1>() [with _Tp1 = A, _Tp = A]' discards qualifiers /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_construct.h: In function 'void std::_Construct(_T1*, const _T2&) [with _T1 = std::auto_ptr<A>, _T2 = std::auto_ptr<A>]': /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_uninitialized.h:86: instantiated from '_ForwardIterator std::__uninitialized_copy_aux(_InputIterator, _InputIterator, _ForwardIterator, __false_type) [with _InputIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >, _ForwardIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >]' /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_uninitialized.h:113: instantiated from '_ForwardIterator std::uninitialized_copy(_InputIterator, _InputIterator, _ForwardIterator) [with _InputIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >, _ForwardIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >]' /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_uninitialized.h:254: instantiated from '_ForwardIterator std::__uninitialized_copy_a(_InputIterator, _InputIterator, _ForwardIterator, std::allocator<_Tp>) [with _InputIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >, _ForwardIterator = __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<std::auto_ptr<A>*, std::vector<std::auto_ptr<A>, std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> > > >, _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>]' /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/vector.tcc:279: instantiated from 'void std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc>::_M_insert_aux(__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<typename std::_Vector_base<_Tp, _Alloc>::_Tp_alloc_type::pointer, std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc> >, const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>, _Alloc = std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> >]' /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_vector.h:610: instantiated from 'void std::vector<_Tp, _Alloc>::push_back(const _Tp&) [with _Tp = std::auto_ptr<A>, _Alloc = std::allocator<std::auto_ptr<A> >]' ../src/proba.cpp:19: instantiated from here /usr/include/c++/4.1.2/bits/stl_construct.h:81: error: passing 'const std::auto_ptr<A>' as 'this' argument of 'std::auto_ptr<_Tp>::operator std::auto_ptr_ref<_Tp1>() [with _Tp1 = A, _Tp = A]' discards qualifiers make: *** [src/proba.o] Error 1 

It seems to me that there is some kind of problem with consts. Does this mean that auto_ptr cannot be used in vector s?

Answer 1

That's right, std::auto_ptr cannot be used in std::vector .

That the compiler complains that the assignment operator for auto_ptr changes the assigned object, so it cannot be const .

Do you want to use boost :: ptr_vector or vector boost :: shared_ptr s

Answer 2

auto_ptr has a copy constructor with a non-constant parameter, so the compiler cannot call it from vector::push_back() , since the latter has a const parameter.

The reason is that when you initialize one instance of auto_ptr from another, a new instance disconnects the object from another instance and connects it to itself, so avoid the situation with a dangling pointer when one instance of the delete object and the other still have a pointer to it.