Improve exception safety with smart pointers

[elfring]

Would you like to wrap any pointer data members with the template class "std::unique_ptr"?

Update candidate: DofMap

[benkirk]

Perhaps when we are willing to require C++11, which is will not be for a while yet, unfortunately.

[elfring]

How do you think about to reuse the approach by Howard E. Hinnant in the meantime?

[jwpeterson]

How do you think about to reuse the approach by Howard E. Hinnant in the meantime?

From the link: "unique_ptr.hpp requires a boost header installation, but does not require a compiled boost source."

We do provide a minimal boost installation in contrib which is available by default... this class seems like it would be a nice bridge between the current use of AutoPtr in the library and the capabilities that will be provided by C++11. So I think it would be a nice feature, but I don't really have time to implement it personally.

[jwpeterson]

I'll add a configure test for std::unique_ptr in the meantime...

[jwpeterson]

Test for unique_ptr added in 7f43d02

[jwpeterson]

#335 #357

[jwpeterson]

As of #357, you can configure libmesh with --enable-unique-ptr and libmesh will use a non-deprecated smart pointer type appropriate to your compiler.