dynamic memory allocation c++

Dynamic memory allocation in C++ allows you to allocate and deallocate memory during runtime. Here's an explanation of each step involved in dynamic memory allocation in C++:

  1. Include the necessary header file: To use dynamic memory allocation, you need to include the <cstdlib> header file in your program. This header file provides functions such as malloc() and free().

  2. Declare a pointer: Declare a pointer variable of the appropriate type to hold the address of the dynamically allocated memory. For example, if you want to allocate memory for an integer, you can declare a pointer like this: int* ptr;.

  3. Allocate memory: Use the new operator to allocate memory dynamically. The new operator returns the address of the allocated memory. For example, to allocate memory for an integer, you can write: ptr = new int;. This allocates memory for a single integer and assigns the address of the allocated memory to the pointer ptr.

  4. Initialize the allocated memory (optional): If you want to initialize the allocated memory with a specific value, you can do so using the assignment operator. For example, to initialize the allocated memory for an integer with the value 10, you can write: *ptr = 10;.

  5. Use the allocated memory: You can access and manipulate the allocated memory using the pointer. For example, to print the value stored in the dynamically allocated integer, you can write: cout << *ptr;.

  6. Deallocate memory: When you're done using the dynamically allocated memory, it's important to deallocate it to avoid memory leaks. Use the delete operator to deallocate the memory. For example, to deallocate the memory for the dynamically allocated integer, you can write: delete ptr;.

  7. Set the pointer to nullptr (optional): After deallocating the memory, it's a good practice to set the pointer to nullptr to avoid using it by mistake. For example, you can write: ptr = nullptr;.

Remember that dynamic memory allocation should be used judiciously, and it's important to deallocate the memory once you're done using it to avoid memory leaks.