Thread: Difference between "char* buf "and "char *buf"

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Difference between "char* buf "and "char *buf"

    Hi everyone,

    I am working with someone else's code that uses a struct defined as ...

    Code:
    typedef struct RawFrame{
    unsigned char* buf;
    } RawFrame;
    If it were ...

    Code:
    typedef struct RawFrame{
    unsigned char *buf;
    } RawFrame;
    then I would simply read this as a pointer called buf that points to char objects.

    How does the dereference (*) symbol being on the "char" instead of the pointer name (buf) change the meaning?

    Many thanks.

  2. #2
    Gawking at stupidity
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    Jul 2004
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    Oregon, USA
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    It doesn't change it. It's a style preference.
    If you understand what you're doing, you're not learning anything.

  3. #3
    ... kermit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    1,534
    Something to keep in mind about one style vs. the other:

    Code:
    char* x, y, z;
    Some people consider the above style to be a bad idea as it is tempting to read the declaration as three char pointers, when in fact there is one char pointer and two regular chars, like so:

    Code:
    char *x, y, z;
    Of course if one was to declare three char pointers in the same line, it would look more like this:

    Code:
    char *p, *q, *r;
    ~/

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