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The C language does not support references, that is, the C++ concept of creating an alias to a variable. You can create pointers and dereference them, or you can use the preprocessor's #define mechanism to use another name for a variable.
Even in C++, however, you cannot create a pointer to a reference. If you try to, you will end up creating a pointer to the original value. This is because all a reference is is an automatically dereferenced pointer - a compiler shortcut, rather than a totally new feature. So the limitation of not being able to point at a reference isn't really too bad.
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When would you use a pointer and a reference variable?
pointer: to access data by address reference: there is no reference in C language
WHAT IS POINTER TO POINTER IN C POINTER?
Pointer in C is Memory Reference. It stores memory address of any variable, constant, function or something you later use in your programming. Pointer basically used to ease the referencing of variables and others or in polymorphism and inheritance.
Explain reference variable and how it is different from pointer variable?
In JAVA, all variables are reference variables, and there are no pointer variables. Even though the platform may implement them as pointers, they are not available as such. In C, no variables are reference variables. They are a C++ enhancement. In C++ a reference variable is syntactically the same as a pointer variable, except that the use of the indirection operator (*) is implicit. You do declare reference variables slightly differently than pointer variables but, once you do so, they can be treated as non-pointer variables. Reference variables also cannot be redefined once they have been initialized to point to some object. They are const. Structurally, there is no difference between a pointer variable and a reference variable. They are both still pointers. The compiler just makes it easier to treat reference variables and non-pointer variables the same way.
Call by reference using pointer in c plus plus?
Example: void foo( MyClass& object ){} // function with call by reference signature MyClass* p = new MyClass(); // instantiate a pointer to MyClass foo( *p ); // call by reference using the pointer
32 can you create a linked list with out structure pointer?
Not in C, no.
How can one create a pointer to structure in C?
Create a pointer of the type (pointer to struct) and assign the address of an instance of the structure to your pointer: typedef struct x { /* ... */ }; struct x my_structure; struct x* ptr = &my_structure;
What is an alias name given to a variable in opp with c plus plus?
An alias is a reference, an alternate name for a variable or constant. You can assign the address of any variable or constant to a reference of the same type. A reference is a bit like a constant pointer to the type but, unlike a pointer, a reference has no address of its own thus you cannot store references. More importantly, references can never be NULL. They are simply an alternative name by which you can refer to an existing variable or constant. When you assign a value to an existing reference to a variable, you are assigning the value to the variable itself. When you pass a reference to a function, you are passing the address of the value being referred to, and that address is assigned to the function's reference argument and is local to the function. This is not unlike passing a pointer, but pointers may be NULL, references are guaranteed to be non-NULL (a NULL reference invalidates your program). Note that C++ references are not the same as C reference variables or constants. In C, a reference variable is simply a non-const pointer, while a reference constant is a constant pointer. Hence pointers can be dereferenced (both in C and C++). But in C++, a reference is neither a variable nor a pointer, but is constant (it always refers to the same object and cannot be reassigned once assigned).
What is a pointerin c?
Pointer in C are fun to programming.Pointers in C are variables which doesn't stores the value but points to the address where the value is stored.They are used for reference.
How are the strings passed to a function?
By reference. The name of the string is converted to a pointer (in C/C++) and given to the function as the address of the first element. (In Java, all objects are passed by reference, and there are no pointers.)
How do you update a data file in c plus plus with a reference?
You cannot store references. A reference is nothing more than an alias, an alternate name for an existing variable or constant. References are primarily used when passing variables to functions such that the function can operate upon the variable itself -- known as passing by reference. The function refers to the variable by a different name, an alias, but it is the same variable. By contrast, when passing a variable by value the function uses a copy of that variable, assigning the variable's value to that copy. References are often confused with pointers, primarily because C uses the term to mean a pointer (hence the term, dereferencing). But in C++ a reference is a separate entity altogether. Unlike a reference, a pointer is a variable in its own right, one that can be used to store a memory address. Since a pointer has storage, you can store a pointer in a data file. However, in reality you are only storing the pointer's value -- a memory address -- not an actual pointer. Pointers and references are similar insofar as they can both refer to an object. A pointer does this by storing the memory address of the object, while a reference refers directly to the object itself. Thus if you have a pointer and a reference to the same object, the pointer's value is exactly the same as the address of the reference. Therefore the only way you can store a reference is by storing the object being referred to, not the reference itself.
What is dangling pointer reference in c plus plus?
A dangling pointer (we also use the terms stray pointer and wild pointer) is created whenever we call delete on a pointer and then try to use the pointer without reassigning it.We can also create dangling pointers inadvertently by calling a rogue function that returns a pointer to an object that is local to the function we are calling. The object will fall from scope when the function returns so the pointer is left dangling.Note that there is no such thing as a dangling pointer reference. Pointers and references are not the same. A reference is merely an alias to an object -- it consumes no memory beyond the object it refers to. Whereas a pointer is a variable that may contain the address of an object, but it requires additional memory to do so (4 bytes on 32-bit architecture). Pointers may be NULL, references can never be NULL. Pointers to valid objects require indirection, references do not. References are the preferred method of accessing an object's members, not least because they are easier to work with.
What is the difference between Typedef and Reference in C plus plus?
A typedef is a compiler macro. A reference is a pointer, usually implemented with transparent syntax. They have no relationship between each other.
