Smart Pointers

Automatic Memory Management

Smart pointers (from #include <memory>) eliminate manual new/delete:

unique_ptr — sole ownership

auto p = make_unique<int>(42);
cout << *p;    // 42
// Memory freed automatically when p leaves scope!

auto q = move(p);   // transfer ownership; p is now null

shared_ptr — shared ownership

auto a = make_shared<int>(100);
auto b = a;          // both own the memory
cout << a.use_count(); // 2
b.reset();
cout << a.use_count(); // 1
// Memory freed when the last shared_ptr is destroyed

Rule of thumb

• unique_ptr — default; zero overhead; one owner
• shared_ptr — multiple owners (graph nodes, caches)
• Raw pointer — only for non-owning observation

Your Task

Write makeRange(int from, int to) returning a unique_ptr<vector<int>> with all integers from from to to inclusive.