Q167733: PRB: Operator New Doesn’t Throw bad_alloc Exception on Failure

Article: Q167733
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): 5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbCompiler kbCPPonly kbCRT kbVC kbVC500 kbVC600
Last Modified: 11-JUN-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- The C Run-Time (CRT), used with:
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Learning Edition, version 6.0 
   - Microsoft Visual C++.NET (2002) 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Operator new does not throw a bad_alloc exception when it fails. It simply
returns a null pointer.

RESOLUTION
==========

Operator new does call the new handler function after it fails to procure the
requestion block of memory, but before it returns the null pointer. An
application could install a new handler to throw a bad_alloc exception as
follows:

     #include <new>
     #include <new.h>
     int my_new_handler(size_t) {
        throw std::bad_alloc();
        return 0;
     }
     int main () {
        _PNH _old_new_handler;
        _old_new_handler = _set_new_handler(my_new_handler);
        /* ... application processing ... */ 
        _set_new_handler(_old_new_handler);
        return 0;
     }

To call new handler when malloc fails to obtain the requested block of memory,
use the _set_new_mode function.

To install the new handler before your global objects are initialized, create a
class that sets the new handler in its constructor and installs the old new
handler in its destructor. Create a global object of that type and use the
init_seg pragma to force this global object to be initialized before any of your
global objects. The example below demonstrates this. It also demonstrates the
use of _set_new_mode to cause a failed malloc call to generate an exception.
Note that to do this, the code below must reside in its own source file. You
cannot change the initializations segment more than once per translation unit
(source file) with the pragma init_seg.

     #include <new>
     #include <new.h>
     #pragma init_seg(lib)
     int my_new_handler(size_t) {
     throw std::bad_alloc();
     return 0;
     }
     struct my_new_handler_obj{
     _PNH _old_new_handler;
     int _old_new_mode;
     _tag_g_new_handler_obj() {
        _old_new_mode = _set_new_mode(1);
        _old_new_handler = _set_new_handler(my_new_handler);
     }
     ~_tag_g_new_handler_obj() {
        _set_new_handler(_old_new_handler);
        _set_new_mode(_old_new_mode);
     }

     } _g_new_handler_obj;

Operator new, as implemented by Visual C++ 5.0, ignores the function exception
specification. So new(std::nothrow) still generates an exception if your new
handler is installed to throw an exception as the examples above demonstrate. To
change this behavior, override operator new as follows:

     void *__cdecl operator new(size_t cb, const std::nothrow_t&) throw()
     {
      char *p;
      try {
          p = new char[cb];
      }
      catch (std::bad_alloc) {
          p = 0;
      }
      return p;
     }

STATUS
======

This is a bug in Microsoft's implementation of operator new as this in not in
conformance with the ANSI C++ Standard.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Visual C++
5.0 online Help:

  Using _set_new_handler

  _set_new_handler

  _set_new_mode

  init_seg

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbCompiler kbCPPonly kbCRT kbVC kbVC500 kbVC600 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbAudDeveloper kbCRT
Version           : :5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbprb

=============================================================================

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