When to use virtual destructors?

Question

I have a solid understanding of most OO theory but the one thing that confuses me a lot is virtual destructors.

I thought that the destructor always gets called no matter what and for every object in the chain.

When are you meant to make them virtual and why?

Answer 1

A virtual constructor is not possible but virtual destructor is possible. Let us experiment....

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

class Base
{
public:
    Base(){
        cout << "Base Constructor Called\n";
    }
    ~Base(){
        cout << "Base Destructor called\n";
    }
};

class Derived1: public Base
{
public:
    Derived1(){
        cout << "Derived constructor called\n";
    }
    ~Derived1(){
        cout << "Derived destructor called\n";
    }
};

int main()
{
    Base *b = new Derived1();
    delete b;
}

The above code output the following:

Base Constructor Called
Derived constructor called
Base Destructor called

The construction of derived object follow the construction rule but when we delete the "b" pointer(base pointer) we have found that only the base destructor is call.But this must not be happened. To do the appropriate thing we have to make the base destructor virtual. Now let see what happen in the following:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

class Base
{ 
public:
    Base(){
        cout << "Base Constructor Called\n";
    }
    virtual ~Base(){
        cout << "Base Destructor called\n";
    }
};

class Derived1: public Base
{
public:
    Derived1(){
        cout << "Derived constructor called\n";
    }
    ~Derived1(){
        cout << "Derived destructor called\n";
    }
};

int main()
{
    Base *b = new Derived1();
    delete b;
}

The output changed as following:

Base Constructor Called
Derived constructor called
Derived destructor called
Base Destructor called

So the destruction of base pointer(which take an allocation on derived object!) follow the destruction rule i.e first the derived then the base. On the other hand for constructor there are nothing like virtual constructor.

Answer 2

Calling destructor via a pointer to a base class

struct Base {
  virtual void f() {}
  virtual ~Base() {}
};

struct Derived : Base {
  void f() override {}
  ~Derived() override {}
};

Base* base = new Derived;
base->f(); // calls Derived::f
base->~Base(); // calls Derived::~Derived

Virtual destructor call is no different from any other virtual function call.

For base->f(), the call will be dispatched to Derived::f(), and it's the same for base->~Base() - its overriding function - the Derived::~Derived() will be called.

Same happens when destructor is being called indirectly, e.g. delete base;. The delete statement will call base->~Base() which will be dispatched to Derived::~Derived().

Abstract class with non-virtual destructor

If you are not going to delete object through a pointer to its base class - then there is no need to have a virtual destructor. Just make it protected so that it won't be called accidentally:

// library.hpp

struct Base {
  virtual void f() = 0;

protected:
  ~Base() = default;
};

void CallsF(Base& base);
// CallsF is not going to own "base" (i.e. call "delete &base;").
// It will only call Base::f() so it doesn't need to access Base::~Base.

//-------------------
// application.cpp

struct Derived : Base {
  void f() override { ... }
};

int main() {
  Derived derived;
  CallsF(derived);
  // No need for virtual destructor here as well.
}

Answer 3

I think the core of this question is about virtual methods and polymorphism, not the destructor specifically. Here is a clearer example:

class A
{
public:
    A() {}
    virtual void foo()
    {
        cout << "This is A." << endl;
    }
};

class B : public A
{
public:
    B() {}
    void foo()
    {
        cout << "This is B." << endl;
    }
};

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
    A *a = new B();
    a->foo();
    if(a != NULL)
    delete a;
    return 0;
}

Will print out:

This is B.

Without virtual it will print out:

This is A.

And now you should understand when to use virtual destructors.

Answer 4

Make the destructor virtual whenever your class is polymorphic.

Answer 5

What is a virtual destructor or how to use virtual destructor

A class destructor is a function with same name of the class preceding with ~ that will reallocate the memory that is allocated by the class. Why we need a virtual destructor

See the following sample with some virtual functions

The sample also tell how you can convert a letter to upper or lower

#include "stdafx.h"
#include<iostream>
using namespace std;
// program to convert the lower to upper orlower
class convertch
{
public:
  //void convertch(){};
  virtual char* convertChar() = 0;
  ~convertch(){};
};

class MakeLower :public convertch
{
public:
  MakeLower(char *passLetter)
  {
    tolower = true;
    Letter = new char[30];
    strcpy(Letter, passLetter);
  }

  virtual ~MakeLower()
  {
    cout<< "called ~MakeLower()"<<"\n";
    delete[] Letter;
  }

  char* convertChar()
  {
    size_t len = strlen(Letter);
    for(int i= 0;i<len;i++)
      Letter[i] = Letter[i] + 32;
    return Letter;
  }

private:
  char *Letter;
  bool tolower;
};

class MakeUpper : public convertch
{
public:
  MakeUpper(char *passLetter)
  {
    Letter = new char[30];
    toupper = true;
    strcpy(Letter, passLetter);
  }

  char* convertChar()
  {   
    size_t len = strlen(Letter);
    for(int i= 0;i<len;i++)
      Letter[i] = Letter[i] - 32;
    return Letter;
  }

  virtual ~MakeUpper()
  {
    cout<< "called ~MakeUpper()"<<"\n";
    delete Letter;
  }

private:
  char *Letter;
  bool toupper;
};


int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
  convertch *makeupper = new MakeUpper("hai"); 
  cout<< "Eneterd : hai = " <<makeupper->convertChar()<<" ";     
  delete makeupper;
  convertch *makelower = new MakeLower("HAI");;
  cout<<"Eneterd : HAI = " <<makelower->convertChar()<<" "; 
  delete makelower;
  return 0;
}

From the above sample you can see that the destructor for both MakeUpper and MakeLower class is not called.

See the next sample with the virtual destructor

#include "stdafx.h"
#include<iostream>

using namespace std;
// program to convert the lower to upper orlower
class convertch
{
public:
//void convertch(){};
virtual char* convertChar() = 0;
virtual ~convertch(){}; // defined the virtual destructor

};
class MakeLower :public convertch
{
public:
MakeLower(char *passLetter)
{
tolower = true;
Letter = new char[30];
strcpy(Letter, passLetter);
}
virtual ~MakeLower()
{
cout<< "called ~MakeLower()"<<"\n";
      delete[] Letter;
}
char* convertChar()
{
size_t len = strlen(Letter);
for(int i= 0;i<len;i++)
{
Letter[i] = Letter[i] + 32;

}

return Letter;
}

private:
char *Letter;
bool tolower;

};
class MakeUpper : public convertch
{
public:
MakeUpper(char *passLetter)
{
Letter = new char[30];
toupper = true;
strcpy(Letter, passLetter);
}
char* convertChar()
{

size_t len = strlen(Letter);
for(int i= 0;i<len;i++)
{
Letter[i] = Letter[i] - 32;
}
return Letter;
}
virtual ~MakeUpper()
{
      cout<< "called ~MakeUpper()"<<"\n";
delete Letter;
}
private:
char *Letter;
bool toupper;
};


int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{

convertch *makeupper = new MakeUpper("hai");

cout<< "Eneterd : hai = " <<makeupper->convertChar()<<" \n";

delete makeupper;
convertch *makelower = new MakeLower("HAI");;
cout<<"Eneterd : HAI = " <<makelower->convertChar()<<"\n ";


delete makelower;
return 0;
}

The virtual destructor will call explicitly the most derived run time destructor of class so that it will be able to clear the object in a proper way.

Or visit the link

https://web.archive.org/web/20130822173509/http://www.programminggallery.com/article_details.php?article_id=138

Answer 6

To be simple, Virtual destructor is to destruct the resources in a proper order, when you delete a base class pointer pointing to derived class object.

 #include<iostream>
 using namespace std;
 class B{
    public:
       B(){
          cout<<"B()\n";
       }
       virtual ~B(){ 
          cout<<"~B()\n";
       }
 };
 class D: public B{
    public:
       D(){
          cout<<"D()\n";
       }
       ~D(){
          cout<<"~D()\n";
       }
 };
 int main(){
    B *b = new D();
    delete b;
    return 0;
 }

OUTPUT:
B()
D()
~D()
~B()

==============
If you don't give ~B()  as virtual. then output would be 
B()
D()
~B()
where destruction of ~D() is not done which leads to leak

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