"Destructor" functions are the inverse of constructor functions. They are called when objects are destroyed (deallocated). Designate a function as a class's destructor by preceding the class name with a tilde (~). For example, the destructor for class String is declared: ~String().
In a /clr compilation, the destructor has a special role in releasing managed and unmanaged resources. See Destructors and Finalizers in Visual C++ for more information.
Example
The destructor is commonly used to "clean up" when an object is no longer necessary. Consider the following declaration of a String class:
// spec1_destructors.cpp
#include <string.h>
class String {
public:
String( char *ch ); // Declare constructor
~String(); // and destructor.
private:
char *_text;
size_t sizeOfText;
};
// Define the constructor.
String::String( char *ch ) {
sizeOfText = strlen( ch ) + 1;
// Dynamically allocate the correct amount of memory.
_text = new char[ sizeOfText ];
// If the allocation succeeds, copy the initialization string.
if( _text )
strcpy_s( _text, sizeOfText, ch );
}
// Define the destructor.
String::~String() {
// Deallocate the memory that was previously reserved
// for this string.
if (_text)
delete[] _text;
}
int main() {
String str("The piper in the glen...");
}
In the preceding example, the destructor String::~String uses the delete operator to deallocate the space dynamically allocated for text storage.