Allocating memory for class in C++ - c++

Question

This is my class:
using namespace std;
Class Book {
public:
Book();
Book(vector<string>*, string, int);
Book(const Book&);
~Book();
Book& operator=(const Book&);
void update(vector<string>*);
void update(string);
void update(int);
int getYear() const{
return year;
};
string getTitle() const{
return title;
};
bool operator==(const Book&);
bool operator!=(const Book&);
friend std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, const Book&);
void getAuthors();
private:
vector<string>* authors;
string title;
int year;
};
#endif /* BOOK_H */
Here is the source for it:
#include "Book.h"
using namespace std;
Book::Book():year(0), title(NULL), authors(NULL){}
Book::Book(vector<string>* bookauthors,string booktitle, int bookyear ){
authors = bookauthors;
title = booktitle;
year = bookyear;
}
Book::Book(const Book& aBook){
authors = aBook.authors;
title = aBook.title;
year = aBook.year;
}
Book::~Book(){
delete authors;
delete &title;
delete &year;
}
bool Book::operator==(const Book &aBook){
if(getYear() == aBook.getYear() && getTitle() == aBook.getTitle())
return true;
else return false;
}
bool Book::operator != (const Book &aBook){
if(getYear() != aBook.getYear() && getTitle() != aBook.getTitle())
return true;
else return false;
}
Book& Book::operator =(const Book& rhs){
if(this != &rhs){
authors = rhs.authors;
title = rhs.title;
year = rhs.year;
}
return *this;
}
void Book::update(int newyear){
year = newyear;
}
void Book::update(string newtitle){
title = newtitle;
}
void Book::update(vector<string>* newauthors){
authors = newauthors;
}
std::ostream& operator <<(std::ostream& os, const Book& b){
os<<b.getTitle()<<", "<<b.getYear();
return os;
}
Here is the main file where it runs:
#include "Book.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <limits.h>
//This is the test funcion posted on the class website
using namespace std;
int main(){
//testing constructor
vector<string> authors;
authors.push_back("Ritchie");
authors.push_back("Kernighan");
Book a(&authors, "C", 1990);
authors.push_back("Whatever");
cout << "Book a is: " << a << endl;
cout << "Expected: (C, 1990, Ritchie & Kernighan)" << endl;
//testing copy constructor
Book b(a);
a.update(&authors);
cout << "Book b is: " << b << endl;
cout << "Expected: (C, 1990, Ritchie & Kernighan)" << endl;
//testing constructor
vector<string> authors2;
authors2.push_back("Crockford");
Book c(&authors2, "JavaScript", 2008);
cout << "Book c is: " << c << endl;
cout << "Expected: (JavaScipt, 2008, Crockford)" << endl;
//testing assignment operator
authors2.push_back("whatever");
a=c;
cout << "Book a is changed to: " << a << endl;
cout << "Expected: (JavaScipt, 2008, Crockford)" << endl;
for(int i=0; i < 200000000; i++)
b=c;
cout << "Book b is changed to: " << b << endl;
cout << "Expected: (JavaScipt, 2008, Crockford)" << endl;
}
I keep getting this when I run it:
bookclass(58316) malloc: * error for object 0x7fff522d78b0: pointer being freed was not allocated* set a breakpoint in malloc_error_break to debug
I'm new to C++ so I'm not sure how to allocate the memory. I tried using malloc and it didn't work.

Answer 1

The members are located inside the object, i.e., the memory for them is allocated with the Book object and neither can nor need to delete the memory explicitly. Basically, you need to match your explicit allocations using new with calls to delete but you never need to release something which isn't allocated somewhere explicitly.
That is, you get the error when you try to delete title or delete year. It may also happen when trying to delete authors depending on where authors is coming from. In general, you don't want to delete objects you haven't allocated. Your Book class possibly unreasonably takes ownership of the authors vector.

Answer 2

This is probably a good time to learn to use Valgrind, which will give you much richer debugging facilities for this kind of error.
In your destructor, you are destroying title and year via a pointer. You do not actually need to do this, as they are allocated statically (i.e. you didn't create them using new), so it's complaining that you are trying to delete something you did not create dynamically.
In addition, you are deleting your std::vector, which can refer to the same std::vector contained within another class. Since it's possible you have two classes containing the same reference, you need to find a smarter way to delete this so you don't invoke a double free.