Returning a const reference to an object instead of a copy

Question

Whilst refactoring some code I came across some getter methods that returns a std::string. Something like this for example:

class foo
{
private:
    std::st         


        

Answer 1

One problem for the const reference return would be if the user coded something like:

const std::string & str = myObject.getSomeString() ;

With a std::string return, the temporary object would remain alive and attached to str until str goes out of scope.

But what happens with a const std::string &? My guess is that we would have a const reference to an object that could die when its parent object deallocates it:

MyObject * myObject = new MyObject("My String") ;
const std::string & str = myObject->getSomeString() ;
delete myObject ;
// Use str... which references a destroyed object.

So my preference goes to the const reference return (because, anyway, I'm just more confortable with sending a reference than hoping the compiler will optimize the extra temporary), as long as the following contract is respected: "if you want it beyond my object's existence, they copy it before my object's destruction"