empty pointers are not empty using 'new' operator

[DJMaze]

I have a structure and when i use the new operator to create it somehow the pointers inside it are not empty.
Instead i must force each to be NULL.

PHP Code:

typedef struct {
  TCHAR         *FileName;
  int            Index;
  int            Frequency;
} my_struct;

my_struct *test = new my_struct;

if (test->FileName != NULL) {
  print("Odd pointer found");
  return -1;
} 


Could someone explain this to me ?
I even tried to use malloc() instead.

[redhead]

Nothing in the ANSI C/C++ state that memory allocated by new or malloc will be filled with NULL, all it states is that the memory will be reserved for your use..
What you want to check for when creating it, is if malloc returns NULL, then an error has happened, same thing goes for new.. but nothing ever said that it would initialy set the memory allocated to NULL.

edit... woohoo, my number 700 post... yay me...

[DJMaze]

Hmm i thought it was, shame on my bad thoughts.

Now i must go weed in all my code where i use the delete operator and be shure they are NULL or do have something

Thanks red

[redhead]

You could make it C++ like:

 class my_struct{
  public:
    TCHAR    *FileName;
    int            Index;
    int            Frequency;
    mystruct(){ 
        Filename = NULL; 
        Index = 0;
        Frequency = 0;
     };
};

my_struct *test = new my_struct;

if (test->FileName != NULL) {
  print("Odd pointer found");
  return -1;
}

Or make it the way real C programmers do

 typedef struct {
  TCHAR         *FileName;
  int            Index;
  int            Frequency;
} my_struct;

my_struct *test = (my_struct*)malloc (sizeof(my_struct));
if(!test)
{
    perror("Not enough space on the heap\n");
    return -1;
}
memset(test, 0, sizeof(my_struct));
if (test->FileName != NULL) {
  print("Odd pointer found");
  return -1;
}