Restrict Object Allocation to Specific Memory Types

C++ inherited from C its three memory storage types: automatic storage (also called stack memory), static storage for namespace-scope objects and local static objects, and the free-store (also called the heap), which is used for dynamically-allocated objects.

In many cases, this diversity complicates things. For example, in mobile platforms such as Symbian, free-store objects are mandatory due to the system's tiny stack size. Likewise, garbage collectors and smart-pointers require that objects be allocated on the free-store exclusively. But in other cases, you want to ensure that objects are never allocated on the free-store. The following sections show how to enforce such class-specific memory usage policies.

How do you ensure that objects of a certain class are allocated on the free-store exclusively? Similarly, how can you encourage automatic and static storage types for a given class while disabling free-store allocation?

Enforce memory allocation policies by controlling the access type of a class's member functions.