Using std::shared_ptr to Ensure Returned Chilkat Objects are Deleted in C++

The Chilkat C++ library documentation specifies that objects returned by methods like ObjectOf are dynamically allocated and must be deleted by the application using the standard C++ delete operator.

Because std::shared_ptr uses delete as its default deleter, you can simply pass the raw pointer returned by the Chilkat method directly to the std::shared_ptr constructor.

How to Implement It

Here is the correct syntax to wrap the returned Chilkat object:

#include <CkJsonObject.h>
#include <memory> // Required for std::shared_ptr

void ProcessJson(CkJsonObject& json, const char* jsonPath) {
    // 1. Call the Chilkat method and immediately wrap the result in a shared_ptr.
    //    If json.ObjectOf returns nullptr (failure), the shared_ptr will be empty.
    std::shared_ptr<CkJsonObject> jsonObj(json.ObjectOf(jsonPath));

    // 2. Check if the pointer is valid before using it.
    if (jsonObj) {
        // Access members using the arrow operator ->
        const char* value = jsonObj->stringOf("someMember");
    }

    // 3. Automatic Cleanup:
    // When 'jsonObj' goes out of scope (end of function), the std::shared_ptr destructor
    // is called. It will automatically call 'delete' on the underlying CkJsonObject*,
    // ensuring no memory is leaked.
}

Why this works

1. Default Deleter: std::shared_ptr automatically defaults to using delete ptr; when it is destroyed. Since Chilkat requires standard delete (not a custom Free() or Release() function), no custom deleter logic is required.
2. Null Safety: If json.ObjectOf fails and returns NULL (nullptr), the std::shared_ptr will simply be initialized as empty (null). When it goes out of scope, std::shared_ptr safely ignores the null pointer, so you don't need to add extra checks for deletion.

Alternative: std::unique_ptr

If you do not need to share ownership of this object across multiple parts of your application, std::unique_ptr is often the preferred choice. It is lighter weight and makes it clear that the current scope owns the returned object.

// unique_ptr is often better if you don't need to share the pointer
std::unique_ptr<CkJsonObject> jsonObj(json.ObjectOf(jsonPath));

if (jsonObj) {
    // Use normally
}
// Automatically deleted here