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In computer programming, a virtual method table (VMT), virtual function table, virtual call table, dispatch table, vtable, or vftable is a mechanism used in a programming language to support dynamic dispatch (or run-time method binding).
In inheritance hierarchies, the declaration of a virtual destructor in the base class ensures that the destructors of derived classes are invoked properly when an object is deleted through a pointer-to-base-class. Objects that may be deleted in this way need to inherit a virtual destructor. A destructor should never throw an exception. [8]
Virtual functions allow a program to call methods that don't necessarily even exist at the moment the code is compiled. [citation needed] In C++, virtual methods are declared by prepending the virtual keyword to the function's declaration in the base class. This modifier is inherited by all implementations of that method in derived classes ...
For example, the compiler generated destructor will destroy each sub-object (base class or member) of the object. The compiler generated functions will be public , non- virtual [ 3 ] and the copy constructor and assignment operators will receive const& parameters (and not be of the alternative legal forms ).
The C++ language does allow a program to call a destructor directly, and, since it is not possible to destroy the object using a delete expression, that is how one destroys an object that was constructed via a pointer placement new expression.
Suppose a pure virtual method is defined in the base class. If a deriving class inherits the base class virtually, then the pure virtual method does not need to be defined in that deriving class. However, if the deriving class does not inherit the base class virtually, then all virtual methods must be defined.
To elaborate on the above example, consider a base class with no virtual functions. Whenever the base class calls another member function, it will always call its own base class functions. When we derive a class from this base class, we inherit all the member variables and member functions that were not overridden (no constructors or destructors).
The deallocation counterpart of new is delete, which first calls the destructor (if any) on its argument and then returns the memory allocated by new back to the free store. Every call to new must be matched by a call to delete; failure to do so causes a memory leak. [1]