How do I declare a 2d array in C++ using new?

Question

How do i declare a 2d array using new?

Like, for a "normal" array I would:

int* ary = new int[Size]

but

int** ary = new int[sizeY][sizeX]

a) doesn't work/compile and b) doesn't accomplish what:

int ary[sizeY][sizeX] 

does.

Answer 1

Start by defining the array using pointers (Line 1):

int** a = new int* [x];     //x is the number of rows
for(int i = 0; i < x; i++)
    a[i] = new int[y];     //y is the number of columns

Answer 2

This problem has bothered me for 15 years, and all the solutions supplied weren't satisfactory for me. How do you create a dynamic multidimensional array contiguously in memory? Today I finally found the answer. Using the following code, you can do just that:

#include <iostream>

int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
    if (argc != 3)
    {
        std::cerr << "You have to specify the two array dimensions" << std::endl;
        return -1;
    }

    int sizeX, sizeY;

    sizeX = std::stoi(argv[1]);
    sizeY = std::stoi(argv[2]);

    if (sizeX <= 0)
    {
        std::cerr << "Invalid dimension x" << std::endl;
        return -1;
    }
    if (sizeY <= 0)
    {
        std::cerr << "Invalid dimension y" << std::endl;
        return -1;
    }

    /******** Create a two dimensional dynamic array in continuous memory ******
     *
     * - Define the pointer holding the array
     * - Allocate memory for the array (linear)
     * - Allocate memory for the pointers inside the array
     * - Assign the pointers inside the array the corresponding addresses
     *   in the linear array
     **************************************************************************/

    // The resulting array
    unsigned int** array2d;

    // Linear memory allocation
    unsigned int* temp = new unsigned int[sizeX * sizeY];

    // These are the important steps:
    // Allocate the pointers inside the array,
    // which will be used to index the linear memory
    array2d = new unsigned int*[sizeY];

    // Let the pointers inside the array point to the correct memory addresses
    for (int i = 0; i < sizeY; ++i)
    {
        array2d[i] = (temp + i * sizeX);
    }



    // Fill the array with ascending numbers
    for (int y = 0; y < sizeY; ++y)
    {
        for (int x = 0; x < sizeX; ++x)
        {
            array2d[y][x] = x + y * sizeX;
        }
    }



    // Code for testing
    // Print the addresses
    for (int y = 0; y < sizeY; ++y)
    {
        for (int x = 0; x < sizeX; ++x)
        {
            std::cout << std::hex << &(array2d[y][x]) << ' ';
        }
    }
    std::cout << "\n\n";

    // Print the array
    for (int y = 0; y < sizeY; ++y)
    {
        std::cout << std::hex << &(array2d[y][0]) << std::dec;
        std::cout << ": ";
        for (int x = 0; x < sizeX; ++x)
        {
            std::cout << array2d[y][x] << ' ';
        }
        std::cout << std::endl;
    }



    // Free memory
    delete[] array2d[0];
    delete[] array2d;
    array2d = nullptr;

    return 0;
}

When you invoke the program with the values sizeX=20 and sizeY=15, the output will be the following:

0x603010 0x603014 0x603018 0x60301c 0x603020 0x603024 0x603028 0x60302c 0x603030 0x603034 0x603038 0x60303c 0x603040 0x603044 0x603048 0x60304c 0x603050 0x603054 0x603058 0x60305c 0x603060 0x603064 0x603068 0x60306c 0x603070 0x603074 0x603078 0x60307c 0x603080 0x603084 0x603088 0x60308c 0x603090 0x603094 0x603098 0x60309c 0x6030a0 0x6030a4 0x6030a8 0x6030ac 0x6030b0 0x6030b4 0x6030b8 0x6030bc 0x6030c0 0x6030c4 0x6030c8 0x6030cc 0x6030d0 0x6030d4 0x6030d8 0x6030dc 0x6030e0 0x6030e4 0x6030e8 0x6030ec 0x6030f0 0x6030f4 0x6030f8 0x6030fc 0x603100 0x603104 0x603108 0x60310c 0x603110 0x603114 0x603118 0x60311c 0x603120 0x603124 0x603128 0x60312c 0x603130 0x603134 0x603138 0x60313c 0x603140 0x603144 0x603148 0x60314c 0x603150 0x603154 0x603158 0x60315c 0x603160 0x603164 0x603168 0x60316c 0x603170 0x603174 0x603178 0x60317c 0x603180 0x603184 0x603188 0x60318c 0x603190 0x603194 0x603198 0x60319c 0x6031a0 0x6031a4 0x6031a8 0x6031ac 0x6031b0 0x6031b4 0x6031b8 0x6031bc 0x6031c0 0x6031c4 0x6031c8 0x6031cc 0x6031d0 0x6031d4 0x6031d8 0x6031dc 0x6031e0 0x6031e4 0x6031e8 0x6031ec 0x6031f0 0x6031f4 0x6031f8 0x6031fc 0x603200 0x603204 0x603208 0x60320c 0x603210 0x603214 0x603218 0x60321c 0x603220 0x603224 0x603228 0x60322c 0x603230 0x603234 0x603238 0x60323c 0x603240 0x603244 0x603248 0x60324c 0x603250 0x603254 0x603258 0x60325c 0x603260 0x603264 0x603268 0x60326c 0x603270 0x603274 0x603278 0x60327c 0x603280 0x603284 0x603288 0x60328c 0x603290 0x603294 0x603298 0x60329c 0x6032a0 0x6032a4 0x6032a8 0x6032ac 0x6032b0 0x6032b4 0x6032b8 0x6032bc 0x6032c0 0x6032c4 0x6032c8 0x6032cc 0x6032d0 0x6032d4 0x6032d8 0x6032dc 0x6032e0 0x6032e4 0x6032e8 0x6032ec 0x6032f0 0x6032f4 0x6032f8 0x6032fc 0x603300 0x603304 0x603308 0x60330c 0x603310 0x603314 0x603318 0x60331c 0x603320 0x603324 0x603328 0x60332c 0x603330 0x603334 0x603338 0x60333c 0x603340 0x603344 0x603348 0x60334c 0x603350 0x603354 0x603358 0x60335c 0x603360 0x603364 0x603368 0x60336c 0x603370 0x603374 0x603378 0x60337c 0x603380 0x603384 0x603388 0x60338c 0x603390 0x603394 0x603398 0x60339c 0x6033a0 0x6033a4 0x6033a8 0x6033ac 0x6033b0 0x6033b4 0x6033b8 0x6033bc 0x6033c0 0x6033c4 0x6033c8 0x6033cc 0x6033d0 0x6033d4 0x6033d8 0x6033dc 0x6033e0 0x6033e4 0x6033e8 0x6033ec 0x6033f0 0x6033f4 0x6033f8 0x6033fc 0x603400 0x603404 0x603408 0x60340c 0x603410 0x603414 0x603418 0x60341c 0x603420 0x603424 0x603428 0x60342c 0x603430 0x603434 0x603438 0x60343c 0x603440 0x603444 0x603448 0x60344c 0x603450 0x603454 0x603458 0x60345c 0x603460 0x603464 0x603468 0x60346c 0x603470 0x603474 0x603478 0x60347c 0x603480 0x603484 0x603488 0x60348c 0x603490 0x603494 0x603498 0x60349c 0x6034a0 0x6034a4 0x6034a8 0x6034ac 0x6034b0 0x6034b4 0x6034b8 0x6034bc 

0x603010: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 
0x603060: 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 
0x6030b0: 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 
0x603100: 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 
0x603150: 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 
0x6031a0: 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 
0x6031f0: 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 
0x603240: 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 
0x603290: 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 
0x6032e0: 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 
0x603330: 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 
0x603380: 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 
0x6033d0: 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 
0x603420: 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 
0x603470: 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299

As you can see, the multidimensional array lies contiguously in memory, and no two memory addresses are overlapping. Even the routine for freeing the array is simpler than the standard way of dynamically allocating memory for every single column (or row, depending on how you view the array). Since the array basically consists of two linear arrays, only these two have to be (and can be) freed.

This method can be extended for more than two dimensions with the same concept. I won't do it here, but when you get the idea behind it, it is a simple task.

I hope this code will help you as much as it helped me.

Answer 3

This is not the one in much details, but quite simplified.

int *arrayPointer = new int[4][5][6]; // ** LEGAL**
int *arrayPointer = new int[m][5][6]; // ** LEGAL** m will be calculated at run time
int *arrayPointer = new int[3][5][]; // ** ILLEGAL **, No index can be empty 
int *arrayPointer = new int[][5][6]; // ** ILLEGAL **, No index can be empty

Remember:

1. ONLY THE THE FIRST INDEX CAN BE A RUNTIME VARIABLE. OTHER INDEXES NEED TO BE CONSTANT

2. NO INDEX CAN BE LEFT EMPTY.

As mentioned in other answers, call

delete arrayPointer;

to deallocate memory associated with the array when you are done with the array.

Answer 4

Why not use STL:vector? So easy, and you don't need to delete the vector.

int rows = 100;
int cols = 200;
vector< vector<int> > f(rows, vector<int>(cols));
f[rows - 1][cols - 1] = 0; // use it like arrays

Source: How to Create 2, 3 (or Multi) Dimensional Arrays in C/C++?

Answer 5

A 2D array is basically a 1D array of pointers, where every pointer is pointing to a 1D array, which will hold the actual data.

Here N is row and M is column.

dynamic allocation

int** ary = new int*[N];
  for(int i = 0; i < N; i++)
      ary[i] = new int[M];

fill

for(int i = 0; i < N; i++)
    for(int j = 0; j < M; j++)
      ary[i][j] = i;

print

for(int i = 0; i < N; i++)
    for(int j = 0; j < M; j++)
      std::cout << ary[i][j] << "\n";

free

for(int i = 0; i < N; i++)
    delete [] ary[i];
delete [] ary;

Answer 6

This question was bugging me - it's a common enough problem that a good solution should already exist, something better than the vector of vectors or rolling your own array indexing.

When something ought to exist in C++ but doesn't, the first place to look is boost.org. There I found the Boost Multidimensional Array Library, multi_array. It even includes a multi_array_ref class that can be used to wrap your own one-dimensional array buffer.