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When is copy constructor called in C++?
The copy constructor is a constructor which creates an object by initializing it with an object of the same class, which has been created previously. The copy constructor is used to −
- Initialize one object from another of the same type.
- Copy an object to pass it as an argument to a function.
- Copy an object to return it from a function.
If a copy constructor is not defined in a class, the compiler itself defines one. If the class has pointer variables and has some dynamic memory allocations, then it is a must to have a copy constructor. The most common form of copy constructor is shown here −
classname (const classname &obj) {
// body of constructor
}Here, obj is a reference to an object that is being used to initialize another object.
Example Code
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class Line {
public:
int getLength( void );
Line( int len ); // simple constructor
Line( const Line &obj); // copy constructor
~Line(); // destructor
private:
int *ptr;
};
// Member functions definitions including constructor
Line::Line(int len) {
cout << "Normal constructor allocating ptr" << endl;
// allocate memory for the pointer;
ptr = new int;
*ptr = len;
}
Line::Line(const Line &obj) {
cout << "Copy constructor allocating ptr." << endl;
ptr = new int;
*ptr = *obj.ptr; // copy the value
}
Line::~Line(void) {
cout << "Freeing memory!" << endl;
delete ptr;
}
int Line::getLength( void ) {
return *ptr;
}
void display(Line obj) {
cout << "Length of line : " << obj.getLength() <<endl;
}
// Main function for the program
int main() {
Line line(10);
display(line);
return 0;
}Output
Normal constructor allocating ptr Copy constructor allocating ptr. Length of line : 10 Freeing memory! Freeing memory!
Let us see the same example but with a small change to create another object using an existing object of the same type −
Example Code
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class Line {
public:
int getLength( void );
Line( int len ); // simple constructor
Line( const Line &obj); // copy constructor
~Line(); // destructor
private:
int *ptr;
};
// Member functions definitions including constructor
Line::Line(int len) {
cout << "Normal constructor allocating ptr" << endl;
// allocate memory for the pointer;
ptr = new int;
*ptr = len;
}
Line::Line(const Line &obj) {
cout << "Copy constructor allocating ptr." << endl;
ptr = new int;
*ptr = *obj.ptr; // copy the value
}
Line::~Line(void) {
cout << "Freeing memory!" << endl;
delete ptr;
}
int Line::getLength( void ) {
return *ptr;
}
void display(Line obj) {
cout << "Length of line : " << obj.getLength() <<endl;
}
// Main function for the program
int main() {
Line line1(10);
Line line2 = line1; // This also calls copy constructor
display(line1);
display(line2);
return 0;
}Output
Normal constructor allocating ptr Copy constructor allocating ptr. Copy constructor allocating ptr. Length of line : 10 Freeing memory! Copy constructor allocating ptr. Length of line : 10 Freeing memory! Freeing memory! Freeing memory!
Updated on: 30-Jul-2019
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