How should I handle a failure in an init: method in Objective-C?

Question

Let's say I'm building a new class for the iPhone in Objective-C. In one of my init methods I want to manually allocate some memory. So, I might have something like this: ``` - (id)initWithSomeObject:(SomeObject *)someObject { self = [super init]; if (self != nil) { myObject = someObject; [myObject retain]; if ( (memory = calloc(1, sizeof(SomeStruct)) == NULL) { // What should I do here to clean up [self release]; self = nil; } } return self; } ``` Now, assuming that the calloc() could fail, and that failing to allocate memory is catastrophic for my object, what should I do inside the if-body to clean up properly? Is there an Objective-C idiom or pattern that I should be using? Edit: I included the code posted by Rob Napier. But, I still have to release myObject, right? Or does the added code somehow trigger dealloc()?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you should release yourself and then return `nil`.

```
[self release];
self = nil;
```

See Issues with Initializers in the Concepts in Objective-C Programming guide.

How should I handle a failure in an init: method in Objective-C?

Solution

Problem