Help! Strange problem with pointer to vector

[Al Newton]

My class has this member function:

vector<UniqueCustId*>* CMyClass::GetCustList( void )
{
SYSTEMTIME st;
string strServiceDate;
UniqueCustId* uci = new UniqueCustId;
string strCustNumberOld = "0";

for ( int i = 0; i < m_ParsedRecords.size(); ++i )
{
uci->CustNumber = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strCustNumber;
strServiceDate = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strDateOfService;
st = ConvertDateToSystemTime( strServiceDate );
uci->ServiceDate = st;
if ( uci->CustNumber != strCustNumberOld )
{
m_UniqueCust->push_back( uci );
strCustNumberOld = uci->CustNumber;
}
else
{
continue;
}
}

string strCustNbr01 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 0 ]->CustNumber; // Test
string strCustNbr02 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 1 ]->CustNumber; // Ditto

return m_UniqueCust;
}

The intent is to loop through m_ParsedRecords (a private member
variable declared as: vector<RECORD> m_ParsedRecords) and store only
unique customer numbers in m_UniqueCust (a private member variable
declared as:
vector<UniqueCustId*>* m_UniqueCust). This last variable is declared
in an initialize function as: m_UniqueRx = new vector<UniqueRxId*>;

My problem is that by setting a breakpoint on the push_back line, I
see unique numbers going into the vector. But ... if I breakpoint the
strings before the return I see only the last number! The function
that calls GetCustList() also sees a vector containing that same
number repeated over and over and over.

I've looked at this code until my eyes glaze and I see nothing wrong
with the logic. Could someone *please* tell me what's wrong. Many
thanks ... Al

 

[John Harrison]

My class has this member function:

vector<UniqueCustId*>* CMyClass::GetCustList( void )
{
SYSTEMTIME st;
string strServiceDate;
UniqueCustId* uci = new UniqueCustId;
string strCustNumberOld = "0";

for ( int i = 0; i < m_ParsedRecords.size(); ++i )
{
uci->CustNumber = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strCustNumber;
strServiceDate = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strDateOfService;
st = ConvertDateToSystemTime( strServiceDate );
uci->ServiceDate = st;
if ( uci->CustNumber != strCustNumberOld )
{
m_UniqueCust->push_back( uci );
strCustNumberOld = uci->CustNumber;
}
else
{
continue;
}
}

string strCustNbr01 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 0 ]->CustNumber; // Test
string strCustNbr02 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 1 ]->CustNumber; // Ditto

return m_UniqueCust;
}

The intent is to loop through m_ParsedRecords (a private member
variable declared as: vector<RECORD> m_ParsedRecords) and store only
unique customer numbers in m_UniqueCust (a private member variable
declared as:
vector<UniqueCustId*>* m_UniqueCust). This last variable is declared
in an initialize function as: m_UniqueRx = new vector<UniqueRxId*>;

My problem is that by setting a breakpoint on the push_back line, I
see unique numbers going into the vector. But ... if I breakpoint the
strings before the return I see only the last number! The function
that calls GetCustList() also sees a vector containing that same
number repeated over and over and over.

Well of course, you are repeatedly pushing the _same_ pointer onto your
vector.

Either don't pointers, (usually the sensible solution, but newbies love
pointers even though they often don't understand how to handle them).
Alternatively make sure that you allocate a different UniqueCustId each time
you add an item to your unique vector.

I've looked at this code until my eyes glaze and I see nothing wrong
with the logic. Could someone *please* tell me what's wrong. Many
thanks ... Al

john

 

[Al Newton]

My class has this member function:

vector<UniqueCustId*>* CMyClass::GetCustList( void )
{
SYSTEMTIME st;
string strServiceDate;
UniqueCustId* uci = new UniqueCustId;
string strCustNumberOld = "0";

for ( int i = 0; i < m_ParsedRecords.size(); ++i )
{
uci->CustNumber = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strCustNumber;
strServiceDate = m_ParsedRecords[ i ].strDateOfService;
st = ConvertDateToSystemTime( strServiceDate );
uci->ServiceDate = st;
if ( uci->CustNumber != strCustNumberOld )
{
m_UniqueCust->push_back( uci );
strCustNumberOld = uci->CustNumber;
}
else
{
continue;
}
}

string strCustNbr01 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 0 ]->CustNumber; // Test
string strCustNbr02 = (*m_UniqueCust)[ 1 ]->CustNumber; // Ditto

return m_UniqueCust;
}

The intent is to loop through m_ParsedRecords (a private member
variable declared as: vector<RECORD> m_ParsedRecords) and store only
unique customer numbers in m_UniqueCust (a private member variable
declared as:
vector<UniqueCustId*>* m_UniqueCust). This last variable is declared
in an initialize function as: m_UniqueRx = new vector<UniqueRxId*>;

My problem is that by setting a breakpoint on the push_back line, I
see unique numbers going into the vector. But ... if I breakpoint the
strings before the return I see only the last number! The function
that calls GetCustList() also sees a vector containing that same
number repeated over and over and over.

Well of course, you are repeatedly pushing the _same_ pointer onto your
vector.

Either don't pointers, (usually the sensible solution, but newbies love
pointers even though they often don't understand how to handle them).
Alternatively make sure that you allocate a different UniqueCustId each time
you add an item to your unique vector.

I've looked at this code until my eyes glaze and I see nothing wrong
with the logic. Could someone *please* tell me what's wrong. Many
thanks ... Al

john

Moving the pointer allocation inside the for loop did the trick.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm finally starting to believe that
pointers are evil.

.... Al

 

[John Harrison]

Moving the pointer allocation inside the for loop did the trick.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm finally starting to believe that
pointers are evil.

... Al

Sometimes a necessary evil, but only sometimes.

john