Leak on iPad that I don't understand - objective-c

Question

I've got a leak in my application and I do not know why. Maybe I've got all memory managment thing wrong. In my code I've got UIViewController object which have ivar TelephoneValidator *validator
TelephoneValidator is TelephoneValidator : NSObject
So in my initialization function of UIViewController object (initWithFieldData) I've got:
-(id) initWithFieldData: (NSMutableDictionary*) fieldData
{
...
validatorOptions = [fieldData objectForKey:#"fieldValidator"];
...
}
Now in my viewDidLoad I've got:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
...
if (![validatorOptions respondsToSelector:#selector(isEqualToString:)]) {
validator = [[TelephoneValidator alloc] initWithOptions: validatorOptions];
}
else {
validator = nil;
}
...
}
Basicly if my validatorOptions isn't NSString the validator ivar became TelephoneValidator instance.
In my dealloc:
- (void)dealloc {
if(validator != nil)
{
[validator release];
validator = nil;
}
...
[super dealloc];
}
I've checked a couple of times if dealloc works, and it is. After calling dealloc the validator is released (calling any method on validator after [validator release] gets me exception).
And yet in Instruments it is telling me that TelephoneValidator is leaked. And after double clicking in Instruments the line of code that is highlited is:
validator = [[TelephoneValidator alloc] initWithOptions: validatorOptions];
What am I doing wrong?
UPDATE:
Here is my header information of UIViewController:
#interface GenericViewController : UIViewController <UITextFieldDelegate>{
UIImage *backgroundImage;
NSString *step; // na ktorym kroku jestesmy
id <GenericControllerDelegate> delegate; //delegata z ktorej bedziemy pobierali dane
UITextField *textField;
NSString *fieldName; //nazwa pola (potrzebujemy zeby zapisac do modelu odpowiedni tekst
UILabel *textLabel;
UILabel *stepsLabel;
UILabel *prefixTextLabel;
NSString *fieldPlaceholder;
NSString *textLabelText;
NSString *textLabelTextPl; //w jezyku polskim
NSString *prefixTextLabelText; //w jezyku eng
NSString *prefixTextLabelTextPl; //w jezyku polskim prefix
NSString *fieldRequired;
NSString *keyboardType;
NSString *capitalizeType;
UIButton *button; //forward button
UIButton *button2; //backward button
//to bedzie do przerobienia bo bedziemy mieli tablicje walidatorow a nie jeden walidator
NSString *validatorType;
//maksymalna dlugosc pola
int maxLengthOfTextField;
NSArray* validatorOptions;
TelephoneValidator *validator;
//patientModel
PatientData *patientModel;
}
TelephoneValidator header:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#import "MAOTranslate.h"
#interface TelephoneValidator : NSObject {
//opcje walidacyjne
NSString *phonePrefix;
NSString *phonePostfix;
int phoneLength;
NSString *message;
NSString *messagePl;
UIAlertView *alertView;
}
-(id) initWithOptions:(NSArray *) optionsArray;
-(void) displayMessage;
-(BOOL) validate: (NSString *) phoneNumber;
#end
TelephoneValidator class:
#import "TelephoneValidator.h"
#implementation TelephoneValidator
//#synthesize phoneNumber;
-(id) initWithOptions:(NSArray *) optionsArray;
{
if(self = [[TelephoneValidator alloc] init])
{
phonePrefix = [optionsArray objectAtIndex:0];
phonePostfix = [optionsArray objectAtIndex:1];
phoneLength = [[optionsArray objectAtIndex:2] intValue];
message = [optionsArray objectAtIndex:3];
messagePl = [optionsArray objectAtIndex:4];
}
else {
self = nil;
}
return self;
}
//wyswietlamy wiadomosc
-(void) displayMessage
{
NSString *displayMsg;
if ([[MAOTranslate getLanguage] isEqualToString:#"pl"]) {
displayMsg = messagePl;
}
else {
displayMsg = message;
}
alertView = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:#"Alert" message:displayMsg delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:#"ok" otherButtonTitles:nil];
[alertView show];
}
-(BOOL) validate: (NSString *) phoneNumber
{
//dlugosc
if ([phoneNumber length] != phoneLength) {
NSLog(#"zla dlugosc");
return NO;
}
NSLog(#"tutaj");
//sprawdzamy prefix
if ([phonePrefix length]!= 0) {
NSLog(#"w srodku ifa");
if ([phoneNumber compare:phonePrefix options:NSLiteralSearch range:NSMakeRange(0, [phonePrefix length])] != 0) {
NSLog(#"zly prefix");
[self displayMessage];
return NO;
}
}
//sprawdzamy postfix
if([phonePostfix length] != 0)
{
if ([phoneNumber compare:phonePostfix options:NSLiteralSearch range:NSMakeRange([phoneNumber length]-[phonePostfix length], [phonePostfix length])] != 0) {
NSLog(#"zly postfix");
[self displayMessage];
return NO;
}
}
//sprawdzamy czy string jest numeryczny
NSCharacterSet *alphaNums = [NSCharacterSet decimalDigitCharacterSet];
NSCharacterSet *inStringSet = [NSCharacterSet characterSetWithCharactersInString:phoneNumber];
if (![alphaNums isSupersetOfSet:inStringSet])
{
NSLog(#"zly format ");
[self displayMessage];
return NO;
}
return YES; //zwalidowany poprawnie
}
-(void) dealloc
{
[alertView release];
alertView = nil;
[super dealloc];
}

Answer 1

You need to call [super dealloc] at the end of the dealloc method.

Answer 2

See These both lines
validator = [[TelephoneValidator alloc] initWithOptions: validatorOptions];
and inside initWithOptions
if(self = [[TelephoneValidator alloc] init])
You are allocing twice the validator, so there is a leak.

Answer 3

Could it be that instruments is pointing to validatorOptions as the source of the leak? Is it a retained property being released at dealloc or not? I can't say for sure, the code you posted is not enough to arrive to a conclusion.
Also, as willcodejavaforfood says, you must always call [super dealloc]; at the end of your dealloc method. No code must come after it.
Edit:
I'm back. But Bruno Domingues got it right already, you are allocating twice, in which case, the first one leaks. You should change your -initWithOptions: code to:
-(id) initWithOptions:(NSArray *) optionsArray;
{
if((self = [super init])){
// ... rest of code is fine
}
return self;
}