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std::string_view causing lifetime implementing std::unique_ptr to char in C++17

πŸ‘€ Views: 843 πŸ’¬ Answers: 1 πŸ“… Created: 2025-06-02
c++17 string_view unique_ptr memory_management cpp

I'm a bit lost with I'm attempting to set up I'm building a feature where Quick question that's been bugging me - I'm trying to use `std::string_view` with a `std::unique_ptr<char[]>`, but I'm running into lifetime issues that cause a crash during runtime... My intention is to allocate a C-style string dynamically and then create a `std::string_view` to view that string. Here’s a simplified version of what I have: ```cpp #include <iostream> #include <memory> #include <string_view> std::string_view createStringView(std::unique_ptr<char[]> &strPtr) { return std::string_view(strPtr.get()); } int main() { auto strPtr = std::make_unique<char[]>(11); std::strcpy(strPtr.get(), "Hello World"); std::string_view sv = createStringView(strPtr); std::cout << sv << std::endl; // Prints "Hello World" // Now let's reset strPtr strPtr.reset(); std::cout << sv << std::endl; // Undefined behavior here! } ``` The scenario seems to be that after calling `strPtr.reset()`, the `std::string_view` `sv` is left dangling, leading to undefined behavior when I try to use it afterwards. I understand that `std::string_view` does not manage the memory of the string it references, but I thought as long as the unique pointer was still valid, it would work. I have tried creating a `std::string` instead to avoid the scenario, but I would prefer to use `std::string_view` for performance reasons. Is there a better pattern I could follow here to safely use `std::string_view` with `std::unique_ptr<char[]>` without running into lifetime issues? What’s the best practice for avoiding this kind of question in C++17? I am aware of the guidelines for using `std::string_view`, but I must be missing something here that seems straightforward. My development environment is macOS. Is there a better approach? This issue appeared after updating to Cpp 3.9. I appreciate any insights! This is happening in both development and production on CentOS. My team is using Cpp for this web app. My team is using Cpp for this desktop app. Has anyone dealt with something similar?