Delphi RTL and Language Wisdom

6/26/2007 7:28:50 PM #

Where can I get SafeMM?

Sebastian Zierer |

6/27/2007 1:37:47 AM #

First: always use FreeAndNil(X) instead of X.Free.

Second, the biggest single time-saver for me is my own TMonitoredObject class.  It inherits from TObject, but adds a sequential ID number for each instance.  If I $DEFINE DEBUG, the constructor and destructor each write a log entry indicating that they've been called, along with the actual class name and ID number.  At the end of a program run, the unit that defines TMonitoredObject gives me a list of any objects that haven't been freed.  It also tracks double-freeing, although that's less of an issue if you use FreeAndNil.  Just insure you always use type TFoo = class(TMonitoredObject) instead of TFoo = class, and you're set.  In one fell swoop, it makes memory leaks virtually impossible.  I can stick a copy up somewhere if you want to see it, but it's pretty easy to produce just from that description.

Eric TF Bat |

6/27/2007 3:20:23 PM #

Sebastian,
Ben Taylor did work on SafeMM though I can't find much about it on the web. I'll dig up what I have about it and get it posted. We use it here to help strictly with memory leak detection.

Steve Trefethen |