Operator Placement New
Operator to construct an object at a specified memory address.
Syntax
`
result = New(address) datatype
or
result = New(address) datatype ( initializers, ... )
or
result = New(address) datatype[ count ]
`
Parameters
`address`
the location in memory to construct. the parenthesis are not optional.
`initializers`
Initial value(s) for the variable.
`datatype`
name of the data type to construct.
`count`
Number of elements to construct.
Return Value
A pointer of type `datatype` to the newly constructed data.
Description
The `Placement New` operator constructs a specified data type at the specified memory location.
For simple types, like integers, an initial value can be given. For types without `Constructor`s, initial values can be specified for each field (either with default initializer at data-field declaration, or with initializer list as in `New datatype (initializers, ..)` if all type data-fields are numeric primitives only and without any default initializers). For types with at least one constructor, the initialize list (if any) must match an existing constructor. If no initializers are given, the default values for those types will be set.
Memory is not allocated when using the `Placement New` operator. Instead, the memory at the specified `address` is used (the provided memory size must be large enough to contain all the placement).
It is incorrect to call `Delete Statement` on the address. The proper way is to only call the destructor if one exists (implicitly or explicitly), with syntax as for a member method by using member access operator.
See examples below for proper `Placement New` operator usage.
`Placement New[]` operator is the (one-dimensional) array-version of the `Placement New` operator and constructs the specified number of objects from the specified memory location. The default constructor for the type will be used to set the initial values for each item.
Specifying an initial value of `Any`, as in `New(address)datatype (Any)` or `New(address)datatype[count] {Any}` will not initialize the data. This is only valid on data types that do not have constructors (otherwise for data types with constructors, syntax of simple pointer conversion, like Cptr(datatype Ptr, address), can be substituted to the invalid use of New...Any).
Because it does not provide any dynamic memory allocation process, the `Placement New` operator (unlike the `New Expression` operator) does not allow any overloading by a member operator for user-defined types.
Note: Using `pointer = New(address)datatype[count]` may be unsafe if `pointer` was declared with a type different from `datatype` (for sub-type polymorphism purpose for example), because the pointer arithmetic fails to access the elements if the pointer type size is different from the size of `datatype` (when using `Operator [] (Pointer Index)` or adding an offset (element number) to the pointer).
Example
`
'' "placement new" example
Type Rational
As Integer numerator, denominator
Declare Constructor ( ByVal n As Integer, ByVal d As Integer )
As String ratio = "/"
End Type
Constructor Rational ( ByVal n As Integer, ByVal d As Integer )
This.numerator = n
This.denominator = d
End Constructor
Scope
'' allocate some memory to construct as a Rational
Dim As Any Ptr ap = CAllocate(Len(Rational))
'' make the placement new call
Dim As Rational Ptr r = New (ap) Rational( 3, 4 )
'' you can see, the addresses are the same, just having different types in the compiler
Print ap, r
'' confirm all is okay
Print r->numerator & r->ratio & r->denominator
'' delete must not be used with placement new
'' destroying must be done explicitly if a destructor exists (implicitly or explicitly)
'' (in this example, the var-string member induces an implicit destructor)
r->Destructor( )
'' we explicitly allocated, so we explicitly deallocate
Deallocate( ap )
End Scope
`
Dialect Differences

- Only available in the -lang fb dialect.

Differences from QB

- New to FreeBASIC

See also

- `Destructor`
- `New Expression`