C++ Dynamic Allocation, Is my use of new correct? - c++

Question

I'm having trouble with dynamic allocation.In my code
am I initializing the dynamic array correctly?.
When I try to write + operator member for my class String, it doesn't return what I want. Any guidance to the correct path would be great.
Ex.
String s1("One");
String s2("Two");
String s3 = s1+ s1;
cout <<s3;
//Output is OneTwo
cout <<s1;
//OUtput is OneTwo.
Also I don't understand why I can not add delete[] buf into my constructor.
class String{
public:
String (const char *s =""):buf(new char[strlen(s)]){
buf = strdup(s);
};
String (const String &s):buf(new char[strlen(s.buf)]){
buf = strdup(s.buf);
delete []buf;
};
String operator =(const String &s){
return buf =strdup(s.buf);
};
char & operator [] (int index){
assert(inBounds(index));
return buf[index];
};
int size()
{
return strlen(buf);
};
String operator + (const String s){
delete []buf;
char *temp = new char[strlen(buf)+strlen(s.buf)];
///NEed to ask about t*his acan get this operator tor work
cout<< s.buf;
return temp;
};
String operator += (const String s){
strcpy(buf + strlen(buf),s.buf);
return buf;
};
void print(ostream & out){
out << buf;
};
void read (istream & in){
in >> buf;
};
~String(){
//delete [] buf;
};
private:
bool inBounds(int x){
return x >= 0 && x < strlen(buf);
};
static int strlen(const char *s){
int len =0;
for(int i=0;s[i] != '\0';i++)
len++;
return len;
};
static char *strcpy(char *dest,const char *src){
int i=0;
for(;(dest[i] = src[i]); ++i);
dest[i] = '\0';
return dest;
};
static char *strdup(const char *s){
char * buf;
buf = new char[strlen(s)+1];
int i=0;
for(;s[i] != '\0';i++)
buf[i] = s[i];
buf[i] = '\0';
return buf;
}
char * buf;
};

Answer 1

Your first constructor
String (const char *s ="") : buf(new char[strlen(s)]){
buf = strdup(s);
}
first allocates a buffer that's one character too small, then it throws it away by pointing bufto the result of strdup – a memory leak.
You want
String (const char *s ="") : buf(new char[strlen(s) + 1]){
strcpy(buf, s);
}
or
String (const char *s ="") : buf(strdup(s))
{
}
Your second constructor
String (const String &s) : buf(new char[strlen(s.buf)]){
buf = strdup(s.buf);
delete []buf;
};
has the same problem with a memory leak, and has the added complication that you immediately deallocate buf.
You want something like
String (const String& s) : buf(strdup(s.buf))
{
}
Your + deallocates buf, allocates an uninitialised (and too small) buffer, prints buf(which is undefined) and then returns a String made from the uninitialised buffer.
The addition operator should not modify *this; it should use += and look like
String operator+ (const String& s) const
{
String result = *this;
result += s;
return result;
};
Which leaves +=, which needs to reallocate buf to be large enough to hold the result.
I'll leave it as an exercise.
And reimplementing standard library functions using the standard name is very confusing.