Automatic Resource Management

Need for Automatic resource management

The use of the Symbian Cleanup Stack is more difficult, error-prone and requires writing extra code for explicit cleanup using the CleanupStack. In contrast, the Symbian C++ class templates for automatic resource management are relatively easier to use. They provide automatic exception-safe cleanup upon normal or exceptional exit from a scope, in which case they do not require writing any code for invoking the cleanup of resources. The resources are automatically cleaned up by the destructors of the template classes in that case.

Characteristics of Automatic resource management

The following are the characteristics of automatic resource management:

• Improved usability versus the cleanup stack and the manual authoring of destructors.

• Covering data member management as well as local variable management.

• A comprehensive replacement for the existing cleanup stack API.

• Ability to handle C-classes, R-classes, and custom cleanups.

Template classes

The following variants of the class templates for automatic resource management have been provided:

• LCleanedup class templates

  The LCleanedup class templates provided are:

  Templates	Description
  LCleanedupPtr	Provides automatic management of pointers
  LCleanedupHandle	Provides automatic management of resource handles
  LCleanedupRef	Provides automatic management of object references
  LCleanedupArray	Provides automatic management of C++ style arrays
  LCleanedupGuard	Provides automatic generic cleanup

• LManaged class templates

  The LManaged class templates provided are:

  Templates	Description
  LManagedPtr	Provides automatic management of pointers
  LManagedHandle	Provides automatic management of resource handles
  LManagedRef	Provides automatic management of object references
  LManagedArray	Provides automatic management of C++ style arrays
  LManagedGuard	Provides automatic generic cleanup

See Also

EUser High Level Overview

EUser High Level Tutorials