C++ functions returning arrays

Question

I am sort of new to C++. I am used to programming in Java. This particular problem is causing me great issues, because C++ is not acting like Java when it is dealing with Ar

Answer 1

The problem is that you cannot return local arrays:

int a[] = {1, 2, 3};
...
return a;

is invalid. You need to copy a into dynamic memory before returning it. Currently, since a is allocated in the automatic storage, the memory for your array gets reclaimed as soon as the function returns, rendering the returned value invalid. Java does not have the same issue because all objects, including arrays, are allocated in the dynamic storage.

Better yet, you should avoid using arrays in favor of C++ classes that are designed to replace them. In this case, using a std::vector would be a better choice.