title: What increases an object's retain count?
body: <p>Here is code I am referring to.</p>
  
  <pre><code>// Person.h
  
  @interface Person : NSObject {
      NSString *firstName;
      NSString *lastName;
  }
  @end
  
  // Person.m
  
  @implementation Person
  - (id)init {
      if (![super init]) return nil;
      firstName = @"John";
      lastName = @"Doe";
  }
  @end
  
  // MyClass.m
  
  @implementation MyClass
      .....
  - (NSArray *)getPeople {
      NSMutableArray *array = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
  
      int i;
      for (i = 0; i &lt; 10; i++) {
          Person *p = [[Person alloc] init];
          [array addObject:p];
      }
  
      return array;
  }
      .....
  @end
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Now, I know there is no memory-management going on in this sample code. What would be required?</p>
  
  <p>In the getPeople loop, I am alloc'ing a Person (retainCount 1), then adding it to array. The retain count is now 2, right? If it is two, should I be [p release]'ing after adding it to the array, bringing the retainCount back down to 1?</p>
  
  <p>Am I right in that it is the caller's responsibility to release the array returned by the method? (Which would also free the memory of the Person's, and their instance variables, assuming their counts are at 1).</p>
  
  <p>I have read Apple's memory management document, but I guess what I am most unclear about, is what increases an objects retain count? I think I grasp the idea of who's responsibility it is to release, though. This is the fundamental rule, according to Apple:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>You take ownership of an object if you create it using a method whose name begins with “alloc” or “new” or contains “copy” (for example, alloc, newObject, or mutableCopy), or if you send it a retain message. You are responsible for relinquishing ownership of objects you own using release or autorelease. Any other time you receive an object, you must not release it.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>bobDevil's sentence "only worry about the retain counts you add to the item explicitly" made it click for me. After reading the Ownership policy at Apple, essentially, the object/method that created the new object, is the one responsible for releasing /it's/ interest in it. Is this correct?</p>
  
  <p>Now, let's say I a method, that receives an object, and assigns it to a instance variable. I need to retain the received object correct, as I still have an interest in it?</p>
  
  <p>If any of this is incorrect, let me know.</p>