Re: Memory leaks - what causes them?

David Norwood wrote:

> To tell you the truth, I've seen this question asked many times but
> never seen an example of code that causes a memory leak in misterhouse.

It's always been unbounded arrays that I've seen be the culprit.
Specifically, shoving the same value or object into an array w/o
checking on its existence first (if appropriate).  An example here of
proper bounding is Base_Item::add_item_if_not_present.  If memory leaks
happen on reload, then it's usually non-object arrays that I've seen in
both common code and libs.

Also, consuming memory doesn't necessarily mean a "leak" (where the
occurrence is accidental) since some code/objects "accumulate"
data/objects over time.

I don't see my own mh instance grow by more than 10M over a week.  So, I
attribute that to either "slow leaks" or just normal object "accumulated
bloat".  And, since I routinely develop libs, then I have to restart
usually far more frequently.  Any time I've seen memory leaks grow by
more than that, tracking it down requires you to know a great deal about
what your specific environment/config is implying as well as detailed
knowledge of the code.  Unfortunately, no "magic bullets" for easy
detection (unless good "gut intuition" counts).

Gregg

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