Grasp the concept of pointers and references from "summary" of C/C++ Programmer's Reference by Herbert Schildt
Pointers and references are two important concepts in C/C++ programming that allow you to work with memory addresses. Pointers are variables that store memory addresses, while references are aliases for existing variables. Understanding pointers is essential in C/C++ programming because they allow you to directly access and manipulate memory locations. By using pointers, you can pass variables by reference, dynamically allocate memory, and create complex data structures such as linked lists and trees. To declare a pointer, you use an asterisk (*) before the variable name, like this: int *ptr; This declares a pointer named ptr that can store the memory address of an integer variable. You can then assign the address of a variable to the pointer using the address-of operator (&), like this: ptr = # This assigns the address of the variable num to the pointer ptr. To access the value stored at the memory address pointed to by a pointer, you use the dereference operator (*), like this: *ptr = 10; This assigns the value 10 to the variable num through the pointer ptr. References, on the other hand, provide a more convenient and safer way to work with variables by allowing you to create an alias for an existing variable. To declare a reference, you use an ampersand (&) before the variable name, like this: int &ref = num; This declares a reference named ref that is an alias for the variable num. References are commonly used in function parameters to pass variables by reference without the overhead of pointers. They can also be used to create more readable and maintainable code by providing meaningful names for variables.- Pointers and references are powerful concepts in C/C++ programming that allow you to work with memory addresses and create more efficient and flexible code. By understanding how to use pointers and references effectively, you can take full advantage of the features and capabilities of the C/C++ programming languages.
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