C++ pointers

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C++ pointers
Subject classification: this is a technology resource .
In C++, pointers are a primitive datatype that reference an object.
What is a pointer?
A pointer is a special kind of variable that stores the address in memory of another variable and can be used to
manipulate that variable. In general, whenever a variable is used in C++, it must exist somewhere in the host
computer's memory and pointers can store the location of a particular variable.
Pointers associate two pieces of information: (1) the memory address, which the "value" of the pointer itself, and (2)
the data type of the variable pointed to, which is the kind of variable located at that address.
Pointers can be dereferenced to access the value of the variable at the pointer's address. For example:
void f(int* p)
{
// The code "*p" takes the value of the data at location stored in p
int n = *p;
}
All the data stored in a program is stored in the computer's memory. For example, if a program has a global variable
named "numberOfEmployees" that variable has both a value, for example 120 employees, and an address, which is
the actual location in the computer's memory where the value is stored.
Declaring pointers
Declaring a pointer is similar to declaring a regular variable, although the name is preceded by an asterisk:
int *ptr;
struct coord *pCrd;
void *vp;
In the example above, ptr is a pointer to an integer. pCrd is a pointer to a structure named coord. vp is a void
pointer, which does not require a specific datatype.
Unlike references, pointers are not guaranteed to be initialized. As such, they should only be used when they are
known to point to an existing object.
C++ pointers
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Arrays
Array is an collection of similar data types under same name. In C++, arrays are declared similar to the following:
int arr[25];
The above statement declares as static array of 25 elements, which can be accessed individually. Although arr
behaves as a pointer, its value cannot be changed as it references a specific region in memory.
Allocating variables
In C++, a new object, variable or array can be created using the new operator, and freed with the delete
operator.
int *ptr = new int;
/* ... */
delete ptr;
The new operator allocates an object from the heap and optionally initialize it. When you have finished using it,
you must delete it. Otherwise, the pointed memory is inaccessible and the result is memory leak.
Referencing variables
The & operator is used to reference an object. When using this operator on an object, you are provided with a
pointer to that object. This new pointer can be used as a parameter or be assigned to a variable.
Multi dimensional arrays
A multidimensional array allows nesting arrays:
int grid[3][3];
This allocates 3*3 elements in one memory block. Even though arrays behave similarly to pointers, a
multidimensional array is not a pointer-to-a-pointer, as shown below.
low address high address

grid

grid[0] grid[1] grid[2]

grid[0][0]grid[0][1]grid[0][2]grid[1][0]grid[1][1]grid[1][2]grid[2][0]grid[2][1]grid[2][2]

The objects grid, grid[0] and grid[0][0] is always at the same location (but different types) but the objects of pptr,
*pptr, **pptr is at different locations. When evaluating grid[0][0], The array grid (which is an int[3][3]) is first
converted to a pointer of type int(*)[3], taking the element at offset 0, and yields an object of int[3], then it is
converted to int* again and the element at offset 0 is taken, generating an object of type int& .
C++ pointers
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Pointer to a pointer
A pointer contains a reference to another variable. It may also point to a pointer:
int **pptr;

pptr*pptr**pptr


For pptr[0][0], the address stored in pptr is taken and the address stored in that address is taken and it is the result of
the expression.
Where To Go Next
Topics in C++
Beginners Data Structures Advanced
Lesson 1: Introduction to C++ Lesson 8: Pointers Lesson 12: The STL
Lesson 2: Variables and User Input Lesson 9: Classes and Inheritance Lesson 13: STL Algorithms
Lesson 3: Simple Math Lesson 10: Templates 1
Lesson 4: Conditional Statements Lesson 11: Templates 2
Lesson 5: Loops
Lesson 6: Functions and Recursion
Lesson 7: More Functions
Part of the School of Computer Science
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