Can we use delete on the reference (not the pointer) in a range-for loop?

Question

I am using an object factory with a function to create and register new objects :

Object * MyObjectFactory::createNewObject()
{
   Object * my_object = new Object();
   m_vector_of_objects.push_back(my_object);

   return my_object;
}

I am now writing the delete operator, where I just loop through the vector and delete all the objects, and I am wondering if there is a difference between :

MyObjectFactory::~MyObjectFactory()
{
   // Destroy memory allocated objects
   for (auto * my_object : m_vector_of_objects)
   {
      delete(my_object);
   }
}

and

MyObjectFactory::~MyObjectFactory()
{
   // Destroy memory allocated objects
   for (auto &my_object : m_vector_of_objects)
   {
      delete(my_object);
   }
}

Is it actually de-allocating memory in both case ?

Answer 1

Is it actually de-allocating memory in both case ?

Yes. There is no difference between deleting a copy of a pointer and deleting a the same pointer through a reference. Latter introduces a redundant layer of indirection (which is probably optimised away).

PS Owning bare pointers are a bad design. Prefer smart pointers and consider whether Object s need separate storage in the first place.