How to determine the type of a C++ object from an address at run-time?

Question

I would like to determine the type of an object from a memory address, such that I can apply the correct cast in the VS Watch window and view the object.

I am attempting to debug in the disassembly view, as my own code is loaded as a DLL into an existing exe for which I have no source code or pdb.

The existence of typeid and dynamic_cast give me hope that there is some way this could be achieved (perhaps in a limited fashion) without any additional coding.

However I am happy if the solution includes modifying my code, I have access to all the class definitions, although I can't necessarily change the in memory layout of some of them.

I also have an override for the allocation of the objects, so I have the chance to allocate extra memory for my own purposes here, eg 4 bytes before the object in which I could put a name tag of some kind.

Answer 1

Answering my own question. I solved this using a system designed for tracking allocations: http://www.almostinfinite.com/memtrack.html It is a drop in replacement for new that will tag all allocations with the type id being allocated (along with other information).