CppCon 2019

RAII, or "Resource Allocation is Initialization," is one of the cornerstones of C++. What is it, why is it important, and how do we use it in our own code?

Small resource-managing classes should follow the Rule of Three (or Five); larger, composite, business-logic classes should follow the Rule of Zero. We'll explain these "Rules," what they mean, and how their consistent application helps us avoid resource leaks and double-frees. We'll also show how thinking about the Rule of Three can lead to a consistent guideline for polymorphic classes with virtual destructors.

Finally, we'll touch on the "copy and swap" idiom, which in many cases can reduce the Rule of Five to the Rule of Four (and a Half).

Attendees will leave this session with a clearer understanding of resource management in C++.