Pointers in C++

Introduction

If you're looking to expand your programming knowledge and build up skills, learning C++ can be an excellent place to start. With its focus on object-oriented design, it's a powerful language capable of developing amazing applications. But before you can get into the good stuff, getting acquainted with basic C++ operations is essential. Pointers are often one of the most difficult concepts when learning programming languages but don’t let that hold you back! In this post, we'll break down exactly what pointers are and how the pointers in C++ can help you optimize your code with ease. This blog will include some key features of pointers to keep in mind when getting started with coding in C++ - perfect for any beginner or amateur programmer!

What is Pointers in C++

Pointers in C++ are a valuable tool for anyone programming the language, as they allow the user to manipulate data stored in memory. Pointers in C++ are a way of storing the address of a variable. Pointers allow you to use one variable to access another by using its stored address. Pointers are basically variables that contain an address of another variable and can be used to take advantage of dynamic memory allocation. Pointers can also be used to return more than one value from a function, allowing for better efficiency. Pointers also enable functions to modify their arguments directly without creating copies of data stored along the way. Finally, various operations on pointers help create reusable and organized code within C++ programming. With all these features, Pointers have become an integral part of the C++ language and offer many advantages over non-pointer approaches.

Syntax

datatype *var_name;
int *ptr; // ptr can point to an address which holds int data

Example

// C++ program to illustrate Pointers
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
void scholar()
{
    int var = 30;

    // declare pointer variable
    int* ptr;

    // note that data type of ptr and var must be same
    ptr = &var;

    // assign the address of a variable to a pointer
    cout << "Value at ptr = " << ptr << "\n";
    cout << "Value at var = " << var << "\n";
    cout << "Value at *ptr = " << *ptr << "\n";
}
// Driver program
int main()
{
scholar();
return 0;
}

Output

Value at ptr = 0x7ffe454c08cc
Value at var = 30
Value at *ptr = 30

Advantages of using Pointers in C ++

• Pointers help to reduce the code and improve the performance of the program. It mainly assists in retrieving trees, strings, and many more. Pointers are primarily used with arrays, functions, and structures.
• The programmer or user can return multiple values from a particular function with the help of the pointer
• Pointers help its users to be able to any memory location in the memory of the computer

How to declare a pointer in c++

• First, the user needs to define a pointer variable
• After doing this, the user needs to assign the address of a variable to a particular pointer by using the unary operator (&) for getting the returns of the address of that variable.
• And lastly, the user can access the value that is stored in the address by using the unary operator (*) which assists to return the value of the variable that is located at the specific address depending on its operand.

What is the use of pointers in c++?

1. Dynamic memory allocation - In the c++ programming language, the user and the programmers as well can dynamically allocate the memory by using the malloc() and calloc() functions particularly where the pointer is used. This is the primary use of pointers in c++
2. Arrays, Functions, and Structures - Pointers in the c ++ programming language are widely used in arrays, structures, and functions. It reduces the code and improves the performance of that particular program. This is another use of pointers in c++

Pointer symbol in c++

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