RefCountedPointer.h

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/*   after N.M. Josuttis, The C++ Standard Library, Addison Wesley, 
   Reading, 1999, p. 222 ff.  */
/* Copyright 1999 by Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 
   and Nicolai M. Josuttis.  All rights reserved. */

/* The reference counted pointer must be a return from new */

#ifndef _RefCountedPointer_h
#define _RefCountedPointer_h

namespace BSUtilities {

template <class T> class RefCountedPointer
{
    private:

      T *pointer;

      long *reference_count;

    public:

      explicit RefCountedPointer (T *p = 0) 
        : pointer (p), reference_count (new long (1))
        {}

      RefCountedPointer (const RefCountedPointer<T> &p) throw ()
        : pointer (p.pointer), reference_count (p.reference_count)
        {++*reference_count;}

      ~RefCountedPointer () throw ()
        {dispose ();}

      RefCountedPointer<T> & operator= (const RefCountedPointer<T> &p)
        throw ()
        { 
          if (this != &p)
          {
            dispose ();

            pointer = p.pointer;

            reference_count = p.reference_count;

            ++*reference_count;
          }

          return *this;
        }

      T & operator* () const throw ()
        {return *pointer;}

      T * operator-> () const throw ()
        {return pointer;}

    private:

      void dispose ()
      {
        if (--*reference_count == 0)
        {
          delete reference_count;

          delete pointer;
        }
      }
  };

}
#endif /* _RefCountedPointer_h */

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