need help deleting linked--list type tree

[xian83]

I am trying all day to make some things straight but nothing helps...

Me and my collegue have built a c++ tree of a class VO. I tend to refer to the structure as a tree and not a simple list because of its complexity.

We have reached the point where a button generates an event that returns the place of the node in the tree and we need to delete that node and everything below it...i think that this is pretty much a standard procedure.

The problem is when i try to make a " delete VOobj; " the object keeps all its pointers i.e. ToParent,ToChild and seems to have deleted only the var "name" . all objects have been created with new...thats why we are investigating "delete"

When we deal with object lists do we delete the objects(is there a way?) or only the pointers that point to the object?
Should we use a destructor? how should it be?

[weaknessforcats]

My first question is why you are not using a map<> or multimap<> STL container where the tree code is already written?

That aside, when you delete an object, the class destructor is called. The class destructor is to clean up the various data member before the object is destroyed. Typcially, here is where the object would disengage itself from the tree. That's all it has to do.

Recall that when objects are created that all of the data members have been created and any necessary constructors have already been called before your constructor starts. Your constructor is called as part of the object creation process. Only the compiler can create objects.

Similarly with objects being destroyed. Only the compiler can destroy an object. Therefore, the destructor is only a courtesy call by the compiler for any last minute cleanup of an obect that will be destroyed.

None of the above has anything to do with new or delete. These just allow you to create your object on the heap and to remove it from the heap. As part of the creation/deletion process the class constructor/destrcutor will be called.

Since your class has pointer members, it must have:
1) suitable constructors
2) a destructor
3) a copy constructor
4) an assignment operator

If it is missing any of these, you are headed for trouble.

Add to this the fact that about the worst thing you can do is pass pointers througout a C++ program, and you have real problems of control. I recommend you use smart pointers, or handles, instead.