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整理自:Thinking in C++


overloading 时需要考虑 deep copy vs shallow copy 的问题

Default assigment operator= in c++ is a shallow copy? 有一个回答讲的非常清晰:

  • Default copy assignment operator = (const X&) is a shallow copy.
  • The actual difference between shallow copy and deep copy becomes visible when the class has pointers as member fields. In the absence of pointers, there is no difference.

对有 pointer member 的 class,我们自己在 overload operator= 就要注意 shallow copy 和 deep copy 的区别。

Deep copy 策略

Deep copy 自然是最万全的做法,copy 的时候把 pointer 指向的内容也复制一份,于是 t1.ptrt2.ptr 就指向两块不同的内存(两块内存的内容一致),至于后续对这个内存块的 read、write、destruction 都由 t1t2 自行维护,大家井水不犯河水

Shallow copy 策略

Shallow copy + Read-only / Reference counting

t1.ptrt2.ptr 所指向的这同一块内存是 read-only,i.e. 无论是 t1t2 还是 tn 都不会去写这块内存,那大家倒也相安无事。

但需要注意的是 destruction。如果我 t1 destruction 的时候顺带把这块内存也 destruction 了,那 t2.ptr 就成了 wild pointer。

解决这个问题的办法就是 reference counting(引用计数):

  • Copy-construction or assignment means attaching another pointer to an existing object and incrementing the reference count.
  • Destruction means reducing the reference count and destroying the object if the reference count goes to zero.
  • 注意 reference count 应该设置在 T.ptr 所指向的那个对象中,我们记为类型 P。假设 t1.ptr == &p,然后 t2 来自 t1,这样上面两条就可以进一步写成:
    • Copy-construction or assignment of t1 means attaching another pointer t2.ptr to the existing object p and incrementing the reference count in p.
    • Destruction of t2 means reducing the reference count in p and destroying the object p if the reference count goes to zero.

Shallow copy + Write / Copy-on-write

若你使用了 shallow copy 还偏要对 t1.ptrt2.ptr 所指向的这同一块内存做 write 操作,可以考虑用 copy-on-write 技术

copy-on-write 就是 “等我要做写操作的时候再 deep copy”,某种程度上有点像 lazy initialization,都是事到临头才开始操作:

  • 假设是 t2 要发起写操作:
    • If the reference count in p is greater than one, t2 must make a personal copy of p for t2.ptr before writing it. 我们假设这个 copy of p 的名字为 papapapa 的 reference counting 为初始值 1
    • 同时 p 的 reference counting 减 1
  • 如果 t1.ptr == &p 然后 t2.ptr == &papa,此时再赋值 t2 = t1;,就需要把 papa 的 reference counting 减 1,p 的 reference counting 加 1。这个逻辑在 operator= 的实现中要写清楚.

具体的例子见书上 P575。

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