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    Data Structures and Algorithms: Introduction To Pointers

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    Usama Malik
    This document provides an introduction to pointers in C++. It discusses pointer variables that store memory addresses, declaration and initialization of pointers, dereferencing with the * operator, pointer arithmetic, pointers to pointers, constant pointers, passing arguments by reference using pointers, and the relationship between arrays and pointers. Arrays store elements contiguously in memory and the array name is a constant pointer to the first element.

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    Data Structures and Algorithms: Introduction To Pointers

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    Usama Malik
    34 views13 pages
    This document provides an introduction to pointers in C++. It discusses pointer variables that store memory addresses, declaration and initialization of pointers, dereferencing with the * operator, pointer arithmetic, pointers to pointers, constant pointers, passing arguments by reference using pointers, and the relationship between arrays and pointers. Arrays store elements contiguously in memory and the array name is a constant pointer to the first element.

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    Complete intro of Pointers in Data Structures by Mr. Tauseed Iftikhar

    Original Title

    Intro to Pointers

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    This document provides an introduction to pointers in C++. It discusses pointer variables that store memory addresses, declaration and initialization of pointers, dereferencing with the * operator, pointer arithmetic, pointers to pointers, constant pointers, passing arguments by reference using pointers, and the relationship between arrays and pointers. Arrays store elements contiguously in memory and the array name is a constant pointer to the first element.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    34 views13 pages

    Data Structures and Algorithms: Introduction To Pointers

    Uploaded by

    Usama Malik
    This document provides an introduction to pointers in C++. It discusses pointer variables that store memory addresses, declaration and initialization of pointers, dereferencing with the * operator, pointer arithmetic, pointers to pointers, constant pointers, passing arguments by reference using pointers, and the relationship between arrays and pointers. Arrays store elements contiguously in memory and the array name is a constant pointer to the first element.

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    of 13

    Data Structures and Algorithms

    Lecture 3:
    Introduction to Pointers

    Tauseef Iftikhar

    Department of Computer Science


    Government College University, Lahore.
    Today’s Agenda

    Pointers Basics
    Introduction

    Pointers and Arrays


    Today’s Agenda

    Pointers Basics
    Introduction

    Pointers and Arrays


    Pointer variable
    Pointer is a variable (pointer variable) which holds the memory
    addresses as their value.
    I Usually a variable contains some specific value, we say
    variable directly references a value
    I a pointer variable contains the address of a variable which
    hold some specific value, we say pointer indirectly references a
    value, called indirection.

    ..
    1021 .
    1017 45 variable
    1013
    1009 1017 pointer variable
    1005
    ..
    1001 .
    Table: memory layout
    Pointer declaration and initialization
    Pointers, like any other variables, must be declared before they can
    be used. The declaration
    1 i n t ∗ count ;
    We read it from right to left, count is pointer to integer. Yes count
    is now a pointer to an integer type variable/memory location.
    Similarly,
    1 c h a r ∗ c P t r ; \\ c P t r i s a p o i n t e r t o a c h a r a c t e r
    value
    2 f l o a t ∗ f P t r ; \\ f P t r i s a p o i n t e r t o f l o a t v l a u e
    3 i n t ∗ i P t r , c o u n t ; \\What i s t h i s ?
    4 int ∗ iPtr , ∗ jPtr ;
    5 i n t ∗ i P t r = NULL ; \\ NULL p o i n t e r
    Address of operator (&) is used to initialize a pointer variable.
    Address of operator (&) returns the address of already existing
    variable.
    1 i P t r = & count ;
    Dereferencing operator (*)

    The * operator commonly referred to as the dereferencing


    operator, returns value for the variable to which its operand points.
    For example
    1 i n t count = 5;
    2 i n t ∗ i P t r = & count ;
    3 cout << ∗ i P t r <<e n d l ;
    4 cout << c o u n t <<e n d l ;
    5 ∗ iPtr = 10;
    6 cout << c o u n t <<e n d l ;
    7 c i n >> ∗ i P t r ;
    Don’t Confuse

    Pointer declaration(int *) and Dereferencing operator(*)


    Reference operator (&)and Address of operator(&)
    1 i n t count = 5;
    2 i n t & temp = c o u n t ;
    3 cout << temp <<e n d l ;
    4 cout << c o u n t <<e n d l ;
    5 temp = 1 0 ;
    6 cout << c o u n t <<e n d l ;
    7 cout << &count <<e n d l ;
    8 cout << &temp<<e n d l ;
    9 i n t ∗ i P t r = & count ;
    10 cout << ∗ i P t r <<e n d l ;
    Pointer to pointer
    As name indicates it will be a pointer to a pointer to some object.
    1 i n t count = 10;
    2 i n t ∗p = & c o u n t ;
    3 i n t ∗q = & p ;

    ..
    1021 .
    1017 45 variable
    1013
    1009 1017 pointer variable
    1005
    1001 1009 pointer to pointer
    Table: pointer to pointer

    1 cout << c o u n t << ∗p << ∗∗ q <<e n d l ;


    2 cout << p << q <<e n d l ;
    3 cout << &p << ∗q << &q <<e n d l ;
    Calling functions by Reference
    There are 3 ways in C++ to pass arguments to a function
    I Call-by-value
    I Call-by-reference with reference arguments
    I Call-by reference with pointer arguments
    We have discussed call-by-value and call-by-reference with
    reference arguments in Lecture 2. Just for recall
    1
    2 i n t cubeByValue ( i n t ) ;
    3 v o i d c u b e B y R e f e r e n c e ( i n t &) ;
    4 v o i d c u b e B y R e f e r e n c e P o i n t e r ( i n t ∗) ;
    5
    6 i n t main ( v o i d ) {
    7 i n t number = 2 ;
    8
    9 c o u t<<”The o r i g i n a l v a l u e o f number i s ”<< number<<e n d l ;
    10 i n t c u b e = c u b e B y V a l u e ( number ) ;
    11 c o u t<< ”The v l a u e o f number a f t e r c a l l B y V a l u e ( ) i s ”<<number <<e n d l ;
    12 c u b e B y R e f e r e n c e ( number ) ;
    13 c o u t<< ”The v a l u e o f number a f t e r c a l l B y R e f e r e n c e ( ) i s ” << number<<e n d l ;
    14 c u b e B y R e f e r e n c e P o i n t e r (&number ) ;
    15 c o u t<<”The v a l u e o f number a f t e r c a l l B y R e f e r e n c e P o i n t e r i s ”<< number<<e n d l ;
    16 return 0;
    17 }
    Constant pointers

    The const qualifier enables the programmer to inform the compiler


    that value of a particular variable should not be modified.
    The const qualifier can be used to enforce the principle of least
    privilege.
    Always award a function enough access to the data in its
    parameters to accomplish its specified task, but no more.
    For example, size of array is passed in a function as parameter, its
    value should not be changed in a function accidentally so it should
    be treated as const
    Pointer Arithmetic

    Pointers are valid operands in arithmetic expressions, assignment


    expression and comparison expression. Valid operators are:
    I ++, –
    I integer addition (+,+=), subtraction (-, -=): When an
    integer is added to or subtracted from a pointer, the pointer
    incremented by that integer times the size of the object to
    which the pointer refers.
    When an integer is added or subtracted from a pointer, the pointer
    is incremented or decremented by that integer times the size of the
    object pointed to.
    Secret behind arrays
    Array name is a constant pointer to first element.

    1017 56 a[4]
    1013 89 a[3]
    1009 56 a[2]
    1005 12 a[1]
    1001 34 a[0]
    ..
    .
    0100 1001 a
    Table: 1D-Array

    1 cout << &a [ 0 ] <<e n d l ;


    2 cout << a <<e n d l ;
    3 cout << a [ 0 ] <<e n d l ;
    4 cout << ∗ a <<e n d l ;
    5
    Pointer and Array
    A pointer can be used to access an array.
    1 i n t a [ 5 ] = {20 ,30 ,40 ,50 ,60};
    2 i n t ∗p = a ;
    3 cout << p [ 2 ] <<e n d l ;
    4 p = &a [ 2 ] ;
    5 cout << p [ 2 ] <<e n d l ;
    6 cout << p [ −2] <<e n d l ;
    7

    Some conclusions
    I address calculations *(a+index): we know the pointer
    arithmetic. What about *a+ index ?
    I *(a+index) is equivalent to a[index]: [] is fancy dereferencing
    operator
    I array name is constant pointer it can’t be allocated to point
    to some other location.

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