Is std::unique_ptr required to know the full definition of T?

Question

I have some code in a header that looks like this:

#include 

class Thing;

class MyClass
{
    std::unique_ptr< Thing > my_thing;
};
         


        

Answer 1

I was looking for a way to use the PIMPL idiom with std::unique_ptr. This guide is a great resource.

In short, here's what you can do to make it work:

my_class.h

#include 

class Thing;

class MyClass
{
    ~MyClass(); // <--- Added
    std::unique_ptr< Thing > my_thing;
};

my_class.cpp

MyClass::~MyClass() = default; // Or a custom implementation