Debug assertion failed

Question

I get the "Debug assertion failed" error when my program ends. I've been trying to fix it for a long time and just can't find the cause. Even my prof in uni said he sees nothing wrong. So you are my last hope, stackoverllow. Please help.

The program finds the intersection of two lists and then checks if the third list is a subset of the intersection.

The screenshot of the error:

The code:

list.h:

#ifndef __LIST_H_INCLUDED__
#define __LIST_H_INCLUDED__
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>

struct node
{
    int value;
    node *next;
};

class list
{
    node* head;
public:
    list();
    ~list();
    void AddNodes(std::istream &input);
    void PrintList(std::ostream &output = std::cout);
    void AddOneNode(int AddVal);
    node* RetHead();
    list* Intersection(list* list2);
    bool IsPresent(int val);
    bool Subset(list subset);
 };

 #endif

list.cpp:

#include "stdafx.h"
#include "list.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>


list::list()
{
    head=NULL;
}

list::~list()
{

    node* current = head;
    while( current != 0 ) 
    {
        node* next = current->next;
        delete current;
        current = next;
    }
    head = 0;

}

void list::AddNodes(std::istream &input)
{
    int InVal;
    while(input>>InVal)
        AddOneNode(InVal);
}

void list::AddOneNode(int AddVal)
{
    node *NewNode= new node;
    NewNode->value=AddVal;
    NewNode->next=NULL;
    if(!head)
        head=NewNode;
    else
        {
            node *temp=head;
            while(temp->next)
                temp=temp->next;
            temp->next=NewNode;
        }
}

void list::PrintList(std::ostream &output)
{
    node *temp=head;
    while(temp)
    {
        output<<temp->value<<std::endl;
        temp=temp->next;

    }
}

list* list::Intersection(list *list2)
{
    list* result=new list;
    node* temp1=head;
    while(temp1)
    {
        if(list2->IsPresent(temp1->value))
            result->AddOneNode(temp1->value);
        temp1=temp1->next;

    }
    return result;
}

bool list::IsPresent(int val)
{
    node *temp=head;
    while(temp)
    {
        if(temp->value==val)
            return true;
        temp=temp->next;
    }
    return false;
}


bool list::Subset(list subset) // head=set
{
    bool flag;
    node* tempset=head;
    node* tempsub=subset.RetHead();
    while(tempset)
    {
        if (tempsub->value==tempset->value)
        {
            flag=true;
            break;
        }
        tempset=tempset->next;
    }
    if (!tempset)
        return false;
    while(tempsub)
    {
        tempsub=tempsub->next;
        if(!tempsub)
            return true;
        while(tempsub->value!=tempset->value&&tempset)
            tempset=tempset->next;
        if(!tempset)
            return false;
    }
    return flag;
}

node* list::RetHead()
{
    return head;
}

main.cpp:

#include "stdafx.h"
#include "list.h"
#include <Windows.h>
#include <fstream>

list Cross (list list1, list list2);
bool Subset (list set, list subset);

int main()
{
    setlocale (LC_ALL, "Russian");
    list l1,l2,l3;
    std::ifstream fl1 ("l1.txt");
    std::ifstream fl2 ("l2.txt");
    std::ifstream fl3 ("l3.txt");
    l1.AddNodes(fl1);
    std::cout<<"List 1:"<<std::endl;
    l1.PrintList();
    std::cout<<std::endl;
    l2.AddNodes(fl2);
    std::cout<<"List 2:"<<std::endl;
    l2.PrintList();
    std::cout<<std::endl;
    l3.AddNodes(fl3);
    std::cout<<"List 3:"<<std::endl;
    l3.PrintList();
    std::cout<<"Intersection of list 1 and list 2"<<std::endl;
    list *intersec=l1.Intersection(&l2);
    intersec->PrintList();
    std::cout<<std::endl;
    if(intersec->Subset(l3))
        std::cout<<"Third set is a subset of the intersection"<<std::endl;
    else
        std::cout<<"Third set is not a subset of the intersection"<<std::endl;
    system("pause");
    return 0;
}

Answer 1

The problem is that the function list::Subset(list subset) takes its argument by value causing a copy of the list to be made. Since you did not follow the Rule of Three (as noted in Chris' comment) a shallow copy is made. This means that two instance of list "own" the pointers. When the Subset function returns the copy goes out of scope causing the nodes to be deleted. When the program exits the original copy of the list goes out of scope and it attempts to delete the same nodes again causing the assertion.

You can get around this by taking the argument by reference instead of by value. Change

class list
{
    // ... snip ...
    bool Subset(list subset);
    // ... snip ...
};

to

class list
{
    // ... snip ...
    bool Subset(list& subset);
    // ... snip ...
};

and

bool list::Subset(list subset)
{
    // ... snip ...
}

to

bool list::Subset(list& subset)
{
    // ... snip ...
}

Some other suggestions:

1. Either implement a proper copy constructor or declare one and make it private to prevent copies from being made
2. Learn const correctness. Since Subset does not modify the contents of the list passed to it you can declare it bool list::Subset(const list&) const instead. This will require list::RetHead() to be declared const as well.
3. bool flag in list::Subset is not initialized meaning that any value can be returned if your logic is not correct.