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# _com_ptr_t Class
**Microsoft Specific**  
  
 A `_com_ptr_t` object encapsulates a COM interface pointer and is called a "smart" pointer. This template class manages resource allocation and deallocation through function calls to the **IUnknown** member functions: `QueryInterface`, `AddRef`, and **Release**.  
  
 A smart pointer is usually referenced by the typedef definition provided by the **_COM_SMARTPTR_TYPEDEF** macro. This macro takes an interface name and the IID and declares a specialization of `_com_ptr_t` with the name of the interface plus a suffix of `Ptr`. For example:  
  
```  
_COM_SMARTPTR_TYPEDEF(IMyInterface, __uuidof(IMyInterface));  
```  
  
 declares the `_com_ptr_t` specialization **IMyInterfacePtr**.  
  
 A set of [function templates](../cpp/relational-function-templates.md), not members of this template class, support comparisons with a smart pointer on the right side of the comparison operator.  
  
### Construction  
  
|||  
|-|-|  
|[_com_ptr_t](../cpp/com-ptr-t-com-ptr-t.md)|Constructs a `_com_ptr_t` object.|  
  
### Low-Level Operations  
  
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|-|-|  
|[AddRef](../cpp/com-ptr-t-addref.md)|Calls the `AddRef` member function of **IUnknown** on the encapsulated interface pointer.|  
|[Attach](../cpp/com-ptr-t-attach.md)|Encapsulates a raw interface pointer of this smart pointer's type.|  
|[CreateInstance](../cpp/com-ptr-t-createinstance.md)|Creates a new instance of an object given a **CLSID** or **ProgID**.|  
|[Detach](../cpp/com-ptr-t-detach.md)|Extracts and returns the encapsulated interface pointer.|  
|[GetActiveObject](../cpp/com-ptr-t-getactiveobject.md)|Attaches to an existing instance of an object given a **CLSID** or **ProgID**.|  
|[GetInterfacePtr](../cpp/com-ptr-t-getinterfaceptr.md)|Returns the encapsulated interface pointer.|  
|[QueryInterface](../cpp/com-ptr-t-queryinterface.md)|Calls the `QueryInterface` member function of **IUnknown** on the encapsulated interface pointer.|  
|[Release](../cpp/com-ptr-t-release.md)|Calls the **Release** member function of **IUnknown** on the encapsulated interface pointer.|  
  
### Operators  
  
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|-|-|  
|[operator =](../cpp/com-ptr-t-operator-equal.md)|Assigns a new value to an existing `_com_ptr_t` object.|  
|[operators ==, !=, \<, >, \<=, >=](../cpp/com-ptr-t-relational-operators.md)|Compare the smart pointer object to another smart pointer, raw interface pointer, or **NULL**.|  
|[Extractors](../cpp/com-ptr-t-extractors.md)|Extract the encapsulated COM interface pointer.|  
  
**END Microsoft Specific**  
  
## Requirements  
 **Header:** comip.h  
  
 **Lib:** comsuppw.lib or comsuppwd.lib (see [/Zc:wchar_t (wchar_t Is Native Type)](../build/reference/zc-wchar-t-wchar-t-is-native-type.md) for more information)  
  
## See Also  
 [Compiler COM Support Classes](../cpp/compiler-com-support-classes.md)