Objectpointers - MQL4

MQL4 Object Pointers

Overview

MQL4 supports dynamic object creation using the new operator, which returns an 8-byte object descriptor (syntactically similar to C++ pointers). These descriptors are not direct memory pointers. All objects in function parameters must be passed by reference.

Dynamic Object Creation and Management

**Creation:** Use the new operator to create objects dynamically. Example: MyObject* hobject = new MyObject();

**Deletion:** Objects created with new must be explicitly deleted using the delete operator before termination to prevent memory leaks. Example: delete(foo2);

Object Passing

**By Reference:** Objects are always passed by reference to functions. Example: void PrintObject(Foo &object)

**Pointers to Objects:** Pointers to objects can also be passed. The compiler automatically converts pointers to object references when needed. Example: PrintObject(foo2);

Arrays

**Arrays of Objects:** Can be declared and passed to functions. Example: Foo foo_objects[5];

**Arrays of Pointers:** Can be declared, populated with dynamically created objects, and passed to functions. Example: Foo* foo_pointers[5];

Key Differences from C++

MQL4 descriptors are not direct memory pointers.

All function parameters involving objects are passed by reference.

Related Concepts

new operator

delete operator

Pass-by-reference

Arrays

User-defined Types

this keyword