Linked List Delete List

[h4ckb0x7]

I'm working on a linked list and was wondering how this looks to everybody else for a deleteList function.

void deleteList(Node* head)
{
    Node* iterator = head;
    
    while (iterator != 0)
    {
        head = iterator->next;
        delete iterator;
        iterator = head;
    }
    
    delete head;
}

[cire]

Looks reasonable enough, although line 12 is unnecessary since both iterator and head must be null when that line is reached.

[h4ckb0x7]

That makes sense. Although, if I had a line after a call to this function that says
delete head;
I get a malloc error. Why do I not get an error at line 12??

[h4ckb0x7]

I'm still not sure why I would get a malloc error outside the function but not inside. However, since head was a part of main I needed to change my deleteList function's parameters to pass the Node* by reference so that head ends up as a NULL pointer upon completion of the function.
void deleteList(Node*& head)

Once all of these are member functions of a class the pass by reference will not be needed.

[cire]

On line 12, head is null.

In the calling code, head still points to the same place. Only a copy of the pointer is sent to deleteList. The fact that it is referred to by a variable of the same name is coincidental.

[h4ckb0x7]

@cire, Thanks, that was what I figured out when I was testing it. So delete head on line 12 doesn't throw a malloc because it is a null pointer??

[cire]

Correct. It is perfectly safe to delete a null pointer.