Big O for the delete [] operator

[pinkkfloydd]

If you have a dynamic array and call delete [] to return the array to the heap, is that a constant function or a linear function? Any clarification would be appreciated.

[Zhuge]

IIRC, the specifics of it may actually be up to the implementation. So I think it would be compiler dependent, though even if it was I wonder if the makers would bother to note it anywhere.

[PanGalactic]

delete[] for POD types is typically O(1). When destructors must be called, delete[] is O(n).

[pinkkfloydd]

Thanks for the replies. So if I have a destructor for say a sequence class that has a dynamic array private member variable data, and I implement the destructor as

sequence::~sequence()
{
    delete [] data;
}

Then in that instance, the Big-O for the destructor (and therefore the delete operator) is O(n)?

[PanGalactic]

It depends on whether data is an array of POD or non-POD types.