Class members that are objects - Pointers or not? C++

Question

If I create a class MyClass and it has some private member say MyOtherClass, is it better to make MyOtherClass a pointer or not? What does it mean also to have it as not a

Answer 1

This question could be deliberated endlessly, but the basics are:

If MyOtherClass is not a pointer:

• The creation and destruction of MyOtherClass is automatic, which can reduce bugs.
• The memory used by MyOtherClass is local to the MyClassInstance, which could improve performance.

If MyOtherClass is a pointer:

• The creation and destruction of MyOtherClass is your responsibility
• MyOtherClass may be NULL, which could have meaning in your context and could save memory
• Two instances of MyClass could share the same MyOtherClass