std::basic_...sic_ostream(3)

🌈 NAME 🌈

std::basic_ostream::~basic_ostream — literally the destructor of std::basic_ostream, and yes bestie the name is the whole name, we're not doing subtitles today 💅

This page lives in the C++ Standard Library manual, section 3, and it's here to walk you through exactly what this little destructor does (and, iconic behaviour, what it doesn't do) 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

virtual ~basic_ostream();

Okay so boom — this destroys the basic_ostream object. That's it. That's the whole job 💀

But here's the part everyone gets wrong, so listen up: this destructor does not perform any operation on the underlying streambuffer (rdbuf()). Like, none. Zero. She's not touching it, no cap 🙈

So who cleans up the buffer? The destructors of the derived output streams, bestie — think std::basic_ofstream and std::basic_ostringstream. Those are the ones responsible for calling the destructors of the stream buffers. They hold it down, periodt 👑

Fr fr, don't expect basic_ostream's destructor to babysit your streambuf. It simply does not. That is not her main character energy 🌸

🎀 EXAMPLE 🎀

Run this code, it's a whole vibe 🔥

// Run this code

#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>

void add_words(std::streambuf* p)
{
    std::ostream buf(p); // buf shares the buffer with s
    buf << " is the answer";
} // calls the destructor of buf. p remains unaffected

int main()
{
    std::ostringstream s;
    s << 42;
    add_words(s.rdbuf());
    s << ".";
    std::cout << s.str() << '\n';
}

Notice that little comment, because it's the whole point 👀 — buf shares the buffer with s, and when buf's destructor runs, p remains unaffected. The buffer survives. Slay 🦋

💖 OUTPUT 💖

42 is the answer.

Ate and left no crumbs, honestly 🍓

And that's the tea, bestie ☕ — this page is straight from http://cppreference.com, dated 2024.06.10, and it answers to the name std::basic_...sic_ostream(3) (the title's a little shy, we love that for her) 💜✨