unique_ptr/auto_ptr look alike with custom deleter for c++98

Question

auto_ptr doesn't support custom deleter and tr1 shared_ptr is not a good option for me.
Are there any good options before c11 for unique_ptr/ auto_ptr look alike with custom deleter?

Answer 1

Boost.Move: unique_ptr (C++03, Boost 1.57)

A unique_ptr implementation without the move semantics of C++11 (and beyond) is a bit tricky, but if you could emulate move semantics, you could go forward with an implementation of similar semantics as that of std::unique_ptr.

Boost provided this very implementation for C++03, as part of the Boost.Move library:

What is Boost.Move?

Rvalue references are a major C++0x feature, enabling move semantics for C++ values. However, we don't need C++0x compilers to take advantage of move semanatics. Boost.Move emulates C++0x move semantics in C++03 compilers and allows writing portable code that works optimally in C++03 and C++0x compilers.

Specifically, from Boost 1.57 and onwards, providing boost/move/unique_ptr.hpp

//!\file
//! Describes the smart pointer unique_ptr, a drop-in replacement for std::unique_ptr,
//! usable also from C++03 compilers.
//!
//! Main differences from std::unique_ptr to avoid heavy dependencies,
//! specially in C++03 compilers:
//!   - <tt>operator < </tt> uses pointer <tt>operator < </tt>instead of <tt>std::less<common_type></tt>. 
//!      This avoids dependencies on <tt>std::common_type</tt> and <tt>std::less</tt>
//!      (<tt><type_traits>/<functional></tt> headers. In C++03 this avoid pulling Boost.Typeof and other
//!      cascading dependencies. As in all Boost platforms <tt>operator <</tt> on raw pointers and
//!      other smart pointers provides strict weak ordering in practice this should not be a problem for users.
//!   - assignable from literal 0 for compilers without nullptr
//!   - <tt>unique_ptr<T[]></tt> is constructible and assignable from <tt>unique_ptr<U[]></tt> if
//!      cv-less T and cv-less U are the same type and T is more CV qualified than U.

which allows providing an associated non-default deleter to the unique_ptr:

//! A unique pointer is an object that owns another object and
//! manages that other object through a pointer.
//! 
//! ...
//!
//! \tparam T Provides the type of the stored pointer.
//! \tparam D The deleter type:
//!   -  The default type for the template parameter D is default_delete. A client-supplied template argument
//!      D shall be a function object type, lvalue-reference to function, or lvalue-reference to function object type
//!      for which, given a value d of type D and a value ptr of type unique_ptr<T, D>::pointer, the expression
//!      d(ptr) is valid and has the effect of disposing of the pointer as appropriate for that deleter.
//!   -  If the deleter's type D is not a reference type, D shall satisfy the requirements of Destructible.
//!   -  If the type <tt>remove_reference<D>::type::pointer</tt> exists, it shall satisfy the requirements of NullablePointer.
template <class T, class D = default_delete<T> >
class unique_ptr
{
    /* ... */
}