Does NSArray copy objects?

Question

When I make an NSArray using +[NSArray arrayWithObjects:], does it copy those objects? If I release the objects after adding them to the array, will I run into problems?

Answer 1

No, it doesn't copy them. It retains them. Yes, you can safely release the objects after adding them to the array.

The docs, as always, spell this out very clearly:

Arrays maintain strong references to their contents—in a managed memory environment, each object receives a retain message before its id is added to the array and a release message when it is removed from the array or when the array is deallocated. If you want a collection with different object ownership semantics, consider using CFArray Reference, NSPointerArray, or NSHashTable instead.