Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
About the CComAllocator Class
3.
Public Methods
3.1.
CComAllocator::Allocate
3.2.
CComAllocator::Free
3.3.
CComAllocator::Reallocate
4.
Frequently Asked Questions
4.1.
What is the use of the throw() keyword?
4.2.
What do you understand by COM?
4.3.
What is the difference between static and dynamic functions?
5.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Memory Management Class-CComAllocator

Author Lokesh Sharma
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Introduction

Proper allocation and deallocation of memory occupied by objects are essential in any computer application. In Microsoft COM (Component Object Model) library, this service is provided by the CComAllocator Class. This class manages the memory occupied by COM objects. 

Let us learn about this class and its members in detail.

Memory Management Class-CComAllocator

About the CComAllocator Class

CComAllocator is a class in the Microsoft COM (Component Object Model) library that provides memory allocation services for COM objects. It is used to allocate and deallocate memory for COM objects. 

The library implements this as a template class that takes a type parameter. This parameter indicates the type of object for which memory is being allocated. The class manages memory using COM memory routines. "COM memory" routines typically refer to routines that manage memory allocation and deallocation in the case of a COM (Component Object Model) program. 

Syntax:

class CComAllocator
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Note: To use this class in your program, you must have the atlbase.h as the header. 

The members of this class comprise mainly three methods. Let us look at each of them one by one.

Public Methods

Let us take a look at the public methods provided in this class.

CComAllocator::Allocate

Allocate is a static function used to allocate memory to a COM object. It takes the number of bytes to be allocated as the parameter. 

Syntax

static void* Allocate(size_t nBytes) throw();
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This method returns a void pointer to the allocated space. It may also return NULL if the memory available is not sufficient.

CComAllocator::Free

This method is also a static function. It is used to free the allocated memory. It takes the pointer pointing to the allocated memory as the parameter.

Syntax: 

static void Free(void* p) throw();

 

Here, ‘p’ is the pointer to the allocated memory.

CComAllocator::Reallocate

This static function is used to reallocate memory. It is useful when we change the size of an already existing object. It takes the pointer pointing to the allocated memory and byte size as parameters. 

Syntax:

static void* Reallocate(void* p, size_t nBytes) throw();
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Here, ‘p’ is the pointer to the allocated memory and ‘nBytes’ is the number of bytes to reallocate. 

This function returns a void pointer to the allocated space. It may also return NULL if the memory present is insufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the use of the throw() keyword?

The throw() keyword is used to specify whether a function does not throw any exceptions regardless of whether it contains try/catch blocks. This can be useful for improving the performance of the function, as the compiler can optimize the code, knowing that it does not need to generate any exception-handling code.

What do you understand by COM?

COM (Component Object Model) is a platform-independent, object-oriented system for creating binary software applications that can interact. COM defines a set of rules and conventions for creating and using binary software components that are flexible, modular, and easy to develop.

What is the difference between static and dynamic functions?

A static function is a function with a single copy in memory that is shared by all class instances. This means that the function is not bound to any particular class instance and can be called using the class name rather than an object of the class. On the other hand, a dynamic function is a function bound to a specific class instance and can only be called using an object of the class.

Conclusion

This blog discussed the CComAllocator Class. We learned about its various methods and their syntax. We say how to assign and free memory of COM objects.

If you wish to learn more about ATL, you can refer to the following blogs.

 

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