std::weak_ptr::lock

From cppreference.com
< cpp‎ | memory‎ | weak ptr
 
 
Utilities library
Type support (basic types, RTTI, type traits)
Dynamic memory management
Error handling
Program utilities
Variadic functions
Date and time
Function objects
(C++11)
Relational operators
Optional and any
(C++17)
(C++17)
Pairs and tuples
(C++11)
(C++17)
Swap, forward and move
(C++14)
(C++11)
(C++11)
Type operations
(C++11)
(C++17)
 
 
 
std::shared_ptr<T> lock() const;
(since C++11)

Creates a new std::shared_ptr that shares ownership of the managed object. If there is no managed object, i.e. *this is empty, then the returned shared_ptr also is empty.

Effectively returns expired() ? shared_ptr<T>() : shared_ptr<T>(*this), executed atomically.

Contents

[edit] Parameters

(none)

[edit] Return value

A shared_ptr which shares ownership of the owned object.

[edit] Exceptions

noexcept specification:  
noexcept
  

[edit] Notes

Both this function and the constructor of std::shared_ptr may be used to acquire temporary ownership of the managed object referred to by a std::weak_ptr. The difference is that the constructor of std::shared_ptr throws an exception when its std::weak_ptr argument is empty, while std::weak_ptr<T>::lock() constructs an empty std::shared_ptr<T>.

[edit] Example

#include <iostream>
#include <memory>
 
void observe(std::weak_ptr<int> weak) 
{
    if (auto observe = weak.lock()) {
        std::cout << "\tobserve() able to lock weak_ptr<>, value=" << *observe << "\n";
    } else {
        std::cout << "\tobserve() unable to lock weak_ptr<>\n";
    }
}
 
int main()
{
    std::weak_ptr<int> weak;
    std::cout << "weak_ptr<> not yet initialized\n";
    observe(weak);
 
    {
        auto shared = std::make_shared<int>(42);
        weak = shared;
        std::cout << "weak_ptr<> initialized with shared_ptr.\n";
        observe(weak);
    }
 
    std::cout << "shared_ptr<> has been destructed due to scope exit.\n";
    observe(weak);
}

Output:

weak_ptr<> not yet initialized
        observe() unable to lock weak_ptr<>
weak_ptr<> initialized with shared_ptr.
        observe() able to lock weak_ptr<>, value=42
shared_ptr<> has been destructed due to scope exit.
        observe() unable to lock weak_ptr<>

[edit] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG 2316 C++11 lock() was not required to be atomic, but required to be noexcept, which led to a contradiction specified to be atomic

[edit] See also

checks whether the referenced object was already deleted
(public member function)