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C++ Pointers PDF

Pointers are a type of variable whose value is the address of another variable. Pointers can be declared using the same asterisk you use for multiplication. Dynamic memory allocation cannot be performed without pointers.

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2K views

C++ Pointers PDF

Pointers are a type of variable whose value is the address of another variable. Pointers can be declared using the same asterisk you use for multiplication. Dynamic memory allocation cannot be performed without pointers.

Uploaded by

Anonymous eyZfIXp
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7/22/2015

C++Pointers

C++POINTERS
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C++pointersareeasyandfuntolearn.SomeC++tasksareperformedmoreeasilywithpointers,andotherC++tasks,suchasdynamic
memoryallocation,cannotbeperformedwithoutthem.
Asyouknoweveryvariableisamemorylocationandeverymemorylocationhasitsaddressdefinedwhichcanbeaccessedusingampersand &
operatorwhichdenotesanaddressinmemory.Considerthefollowingwhichwillprinttheaddressofthevariablesdefined:
#include<iostream>
usingnamespacestd;
intmain()
{
intvar1;
charvar2[10];
cout<<"Addressofvar1variable:";
cout<<&var1<<endl;
cout<<"Addressofvar2variable:";
cout<<&var2<<endl;
return0;
}

Whentheabovecodeiscompiledandexecuted,itproducesresultsomethingasfollows:
Addressofvar1variable:0xbfebd5c0
Addressofvar2variable:0xbfebd5b6

WhatArePointers?

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C++Pointers

Apointerisavariablewhosevalueistheaddressofanothervariable.Likeanyvariableorconstant,youmustdeclareapointerbeforeyoucan
workwithit.Thegeneralformofapointervariabledeclarationis:
type*varname;

Here,typeisthepointer'sbasetypeitmustbeavalidC++typeandvarnameisthenameofthepointervariable.Theasteriskyouusedto
declareapointeristhesameasteriskthatyouuseformultiplication.However,inthisstatementtheasteriskisbeingusedtodesignatea
variableasapointer.Followingarethevalidpointerdeclaration:
int*ip;//pointertoaninteger
double*dp;//pointertoadouble
float*fp;//pointertoafloat
char*ch//pointertocharacter

Theactualdatatypeofthevalueofallpointers,whetherinteger,float,character,orotherwise,isthesame,alonghexadecimalnumberthat
representsamemoryaddress.Theonlydifferencebetweenpointersofdifferentdatatypesisthedatatypeofthevariableorconstantthatthe
pointerpointsto.

UsingPointersinC++:
Therearefewimportantoperations,whichwewilldowiththepointersveryfrequently.a wedefineapointervariablesb assigntheaddressofa
variabletoapointerandc finallyaccessthevalueattheaddressavailableinthepointervariable.Thisisdonebyusingunaryoperator*that
returnsthevalueofthevariablelocatedattheaddressspecifiedbyitsoperand.Followingexamplemakesuseoftheseoperations:
#include<iostream>
usingnamespacestd;
intmain()
{
intvar=20;//actualvariabledeclaration.
int*ip;//pointervariable
ip=&var;//storeaddressofvarinpointervariable
cout<<"Valueofvarvariable:";

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C++Pointers

cout<<var<<endl;
//printtheaddressstoredinippointervariable
cout<<"Addressstoredinipvariable:";
cout<<ip<<endl;
//accessthevalueattheaddressavailableinpointer
cout<<"Valueof*ipvariable:";
cout<<*ip<<endl;
return0;
}

Whentheabovecodeiscompiledandexecuted,itproducesresultsomethingasfollows:
Valueofvarvariable:20
Addressstoredinipvariable:0xbfc601ac
Valueof*ipvariable:20

C++PointersinDetail:
PointershavemanybuteasyconceptsandtheyareveryimportanttoC++programming.Therearefollowingfewimportantpointerconcepts
whichshouldbecleartoaC++programmer:

Concept

Description

C++NullPointers

C++supportsnullpointer,whichisaconstantwithavalueofzerodefinedin
severalstandardlibraries.

C++pointerarithmetic

Therearefourarithmeticoperatorsthatcanbeusedonpointers:++,,+,

Thereisacloserelationshipbetweenpointersandarrays.Letuscheckhow?

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C++Pointers

C++pointersvsarrays

C++arrayofpointers

C++pointertopointer

Youcandefinearraystoholdanumberofpointers.

C++allowsyoutohavepointeronapointerandsoon.

Passingpointerstofunctions

Passinganargumentbyreferenceorbyaddressbothenablethepassedargument
tobechangedinthecallingfunctionbythecalledfunction.

Returnpointerfromfunctions

C++allowsafunctiontoreturnapointertolocalvariable,staticvariableand
dynamicallyallocatedmemoryaswell.

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