Trivial raw pointer that self-initializes to nullptr in C++

Question

I like the new pointer types in C++11, but sometimes I still need a raw pointer. Something that makes me increasingly sad about "raw" types in C++, however, is their habit of initializing as undefined when not given an explicit value. As I use std::shared_ptr<> and the like more often, this need to initialize raw pointers to null feels increasingly brittle and unnecessary. I'm talking about: ``` class foo { ... std::shared_ptr< bar > pb; // Initially null in whatever constructor. std::unique_ptr< dar > pd; // Likewise. std::weak_ptr< gar > pg; // And again. lar* pr; // Uh-oh! Who knows what this is? Better remember to initialize... }; foo::foo( int j ) : pr( nullptr ) {...} foo::foo( const string& s ) : pr( nullptr ) {...} ... etc.: many tedious and error-prone constructor definitions follow. ``` What I'd like, therefore, is a "raw pointer with null initialization." Something like: ``` class foo { ... std::shared_ptr< bar > pb; // Initially null in whatever constructor. std::unique_pt…

Accepted Answer

C++11 allows in class initialization of data members.

```
class foo
{
  // ...
  lar *pr = nullptr;
};
```

That'll always initialize `pr` to `nullptr` unless you assign another value in the constructor.

Trivial raw pointer that self-initializes to nullptr in C++

Solution

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