Can I use unique_ptr with inherited classes

Can I use unique_ptr with inherited classes

Yes.
std::unique_ptr supports using the pointer polymorphically, similarly to a raw pointer.
For C++11, you can initialize the smart pointer from a new B or new C.

This is demonstrated below:

#include <memory> #include <iostream> struct A { virtual ~A(){} // virtual destructor is required !!! virtual void do_something() {} }; struct B : public A { void do_something() override { std::cout << "B::do_something()\n"; } }; struct C : public A { void do_something() override { std::cout << "C::do_something()\n"; } }; class Foo { public: void someFunction(bool cond) { if (cond) { // Create a B: a = std::unique_ptr<A>(new B); } else { // Create a C: a = std::unique_ptr<A>(new C); } // Invoke a virtual method: a->do_something(); } private: std::unique_ptr<A> a; }; int main() { Foo foo; foo.someFunction(true); foo.someFunction(false); }

Output:

B::do_something() C::do_something()

Live demo 1.

If you can use C++14, there's a better option to initialize the smart pointer with std::make_unique:

a = std::make_unique<B>(); // or: a = std::make_unique<C>();

Live demo 2.