Additional Resources

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Following are more resources that cover unusual data types:

Maguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993. Chapter 3 contains an excellent discussion of the hazards of pointer use and numerous specific tips for avoiding problems with pointers.

Meyers, Scott. Effective C++, 2d ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998; Meyers, Scott, More Effective C++. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1996. As the titles suggest, these books contain numerous specific tips for improving C++ programs, including guidelines for using pointers safely and effectively. More Effective C++ in particular contains an excellent discussion of C++'s memory management issues.

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Checklist: Considerations in Using Unusual Data Types

Structures

• Have you used structures instead of naked variables to organize and manipulate groups of related data?

• Have you considered creating a class as an alternative to using a structure?

Global Data

• Are all variables local or of class scope unless they absolutely need to be global?

• Do variable naming conventions differentiate among local, class, and global data?

• Are all global variables documented?

• Is the code free of pseudoglobal data mammoth objects containing a mishmash of data that's passed to every routine?

• Are access routines used instead of global data?

• Are access routines and data organized into classes?

• Do access routines provide a level of abstraction beyond the underlying data type implementations?

• Are all related access routines at the same level of abstraction?

Pointers

• Are pointer operations isolated in routines?

• Are pointer references valid, or could the pointer be dangling?

• Does the code check pointers for validity before using them?

• Is the variable that the pointer references checked for validity before it's used?

• Are pointers set to null after they're freed?

• Does the code use all the pointer variables needed for the sake of readability?

• Are pointers in linked lists freed in the right order?

• Does the program allocate a reserve parachute of memory so that it can shut down gracefully if it runs out of memory?

• Are pointers used only as a last resort, when no other method is available?