C++ Vector read access violation Mylast returned 0x8

Question

I really need help on this one cause I am extremely stuck and have no idea what to do.

Edit:

A lot of you guys are saying that I need to use the debugger but let me be clear I have not used C++ for an extremely long time and I've used visual studio for a grand total of 2 weeks so I do not know all the cool stuff it can do with the debugger.

I am a student at university at the beginning of my second year who is trying to work out how to do something mostly by failing.

I AM NOT a professional coder and I don't have all the knowledge that you people have when it comes to these issues and that is why I am asking this question. I am trying my best to show my issue so yes my code contains a lot of errors as I only have a very basic understanding of a lot of C++ principles so can you please keep that in mind when commenting

I'm only posting this here because I can don't know who else to ask right now.

I have a function called world that is suppose to call my render class to draw all the objects inside of its vector to the screen.

#include "C_World.h"

C_World::C_World()
{
// creates an instance of the renderer class to render any drawable objects 
C_Renderer *render = new C_Renderer;

}


C_World::~C_World()
{
delete[] render;
}

// adds an object to the world vector 
void C_World::addToWorld(C_renderable* a) 
 {
world_list.push_back(a);
  }


 void C_World::World_Update()
{
render->ClearScreen();
World_Render();
}


void C_World::World_Render() {

for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++)
{
    //render->DrawSprite(world_list[i]->getTexture(), world_list[i]->get_X,  world_list[i]->get_Y());
    render->DrawSprite(1, 1, 1);
}
}

While testing I commented out the Sprites get functions in order to check if they were causing the issue.

the renderer sprites are added to the vector list in the constructor through the create sprite function

C_Renderer::C_Renderer()
{
// test sprite: Id = 1
CreateSprite("WhiteBlock.png", 250, 250, 1);
}

I thought this might of been the issue so I had it in other functions but this didn't solve anything

Here are the Draw and create Sprite functions

 // Creates a sprite that is stored in the SpriteList
 // Sprites in the spriteList can be used in the drawSprite function
 void C_Renderer::CreateSprite(std::string texture_name,
 unsigned int Texture_Width, unsigned int Texture_height, int spriteId) 
 {
 C_Sprite *a = new C_Sprite(texture_name,Texture_Width,
 Texture_height,spriteId);
 SpriteList.push_back(a);
 size_t b = SpriteList.size();
 HAPI.DebugText(std::to_string(b));
 }

// Draws a sprite to the X and Y co-ordinates
void C_Renderer::DrawSprite(int id,int x,int y)
 {
 Blit(screen, _screenWidth, SpriteList[id]->get_Texture(), 
 SpriteList[id]->getTexture_W(), SpriteList[id]->getTexture_H(), x, y);
 }

I even added some test code into the create sprite function to check to see if the sprite was being added too the vector list. It returns 1 so I assume it is.

Exception thrown: read access violation.
std::_Vector_alloc<std::_Vec_base_types<C_Sprite *,
std::allocator<C_Sprite     *> > >::_Mylast(...) returned 0x8.

that is the full error that I get from the compiler

I'm really really stuck if there is anymore information you need just say and ill post it straight away

Edit 2:

 #pragma once
 #include <HAPI_lib.h>
 #include <vector>
 #include <iostream>
 #include "C_renderable.h"
 #include "C_Renderer.h"
class C_World
{
public:
C_World();
~C_World();
C_Renderer *render = nullptr;
void World_Update();
void addToWorld(C_renderable* a);
private:
std::vector<C_renderable*> world_list;
void C_World::World_Render();


};


#pragma once
#include <HAPI_lib.h>
#include "C_renderable.h"
#include "C_Sprite.h"
#include <vector>

class C_Renderer
{

public:
C_Renderer();
~C_Renderer();
// gets a pointer to the top left of screen
BYTE *screen = HAPI.GetScreenPointer();
void Blit(BYTE *destination, unsigned int destWidth,
BYTE *source, unsigned int sourceWidth, unsigned int sourceHeight,
int posX, int posY);
void C_Renderer::BlitBackground(BYTE *destination,
unsigned int destWidth,   unsigned int destHeight, BYTE *source,
unsigned int sourceWidth, unsigned int   sourceHeight);
void SetPixel(unsigned int x,
unsigned int y, HAPI_TColour col,BYTE *screen,    unsigned int width);
unsigned int _screenWidth = 1750;
void CreateSprite(std::string texture_name, 
unsigned int Texture_Width,unsigned int Texture_height, int spriteId);
void DrawSprite(int id, int x, int y);
void ClearScreen();
private:
std::vector<C_Sprite*> SpriteList;


 };

Answer 1

I don't say this lightly, but the code you've shown is absolutely terrible. You need to stop and go back several levels in your understanding of C++.

In all likeliness, your crash is the result of a simple "shadowing" issue in one or more of your functions:

C_World::C_World()
{
// creates an instance of the renderer class to render any drawable objects 
C_Renderer *render = new C_Renderer;
}

C_World::~C_World()
{
delete[] render;
}

There are multiple things wrong here, and you don't show the definition of C_World but if this code compiles we can deduce that it has a member render, and you have fallen into a common trap.

C_Renderer *render = new C_Renderer;

Because this line starts with a type this is a definition of a new, local variable, render. Your compiler should be warning you that this shadows the class-scope variable of the same name.

What these lines of code

C_World::C_World()
{
// creates an instance of the renderer class to render any drawable objects 
C_Renderer *render = new C_Renderer;
}

do is:

. assign an undefined value to `this->render`,
. create a *local* variable `render`,
. construct a dynamic `C_Renderer` presumably on the heap,
. assign that to the *local* variable `render`,
. exit the function discarding the value of `render`.

So at this point the memory is no-longer being tracked, it has been leaked, and this->render is pointing to an undefined value.

You repeat this problem in several of your functions, assigning new results to local variables and doing nothing with them. It may not be this specific instance of the issue that's causing the problem.

Your next problem is a mismatch of new/delete vs new[]/delete[]:

C_World::~C_World()
{
delete[] render;
}

this would result in undefined behavior: this->render is undefined, and delete[] on a non-new[] allocation is undefined.

Most programmers use a naming convention that distinguishes a member variable from a local variable. Two common practices are an m_ prefix or an _ suffix for members, e.g.

class C_World
{
public:
     C_Foo* m_foo;  // option a
     C_Renderer* render_;  // option b
// ...
}

Perhaps you should consider using modern C++'s concept of smart pointers:

#include <memory>

class C_World {
    // ...
    std::unique_ptr<C_Renderer> render_;
    // ...
};

C_World::C_World()
    : render_(new C_Renderer)   // initializer list
{}

But it's unclear why you are using a dynamic allocation here in the first place. It seems like an instance member would be better:

class C_World {
    C_Renderer render_;
};

C_World::C_World() : render_() {}