Dynamically sized raw array

// Example of raw dynamic size array. It's generally better to use std::vector.
#include <algorithm>            // std::sort
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

auto int_from( istream& in ) -> int { int x; in >> x; return x; }

auto main()
    -> int
{
    cout << "Sorting n integers provided by you.\n";
    cout << "n? ";
    int const   n   = int_from( cin );
    int*        a   = new int[n];       // ← Allocation of array of n items.
    
    for( int i = 1; i <= n; ++i )
    {
        cout << "The #" << i << " number, please: ";
        a[i-1] = int_from( cin );
    }

    sort( a, a + n );
    for( int i = 0; i < n; ++i ) { cout << a[i] << ' '; }
    cout << '\n';
    
    delete[] a;
}

A program that declares an array T a[n]; where n is determined a run-time, can compile with certain compilers that support C99 variadic length arrays (VLAs) as a language extension. But VLAs are not supported by standard C++. This example shows how to manually allocate a dynamic size array via a new[]-expression,

int*        a   = new int[n];       // allocation of array of n items.

… then use it, and finally deallocate it via a delete[]-expression:

delete[] a;

The array allocated here has indeterminate values, but it can be zero-initialized by just adding an empty parenthesis (), like this: new int[n](). More generally, for arbitrary item type, this performs a value-initialization.

As part of a function down in a call hierarchy this code would not be exception safe, since an exception before the delete[] expression (and after the new[]) would cause a memory leak. One way to address that issue is to automate the cleanup via e.g. a std::unique_ptr smart pointer. But a generally better way to address it is to just use a std::vector: that’s what std::vector is there for.