Thread: Trouble with double pointers

In our code we are using double pointers, and when compiling we are receiving error messages from all the double pointers that are called through another function acting as an interface, but no problem arises from the pointers straight between the main function and the function in question. What is causing the double pointers to be incorrect when they are called from a function and not from the main? I hope this is understandable.

OK, we have a program that uses a doubly linked list. *top points the the first element, *bottom points to the last.
Certain functions, like the swap function use double pointers as arguments to change where top and bottom point to.

Code:

void swap(song_t *a, song_t *b, song_t **top, song_t **bottom)
...
*top=b;

when calling these functions straight from the main function, we have no problem:

Code:

swap(a, b, &top, &bottom)

the problem is we also have interfaces, functions that call other functions. when the interface calls a function that has these double pointers as arguments, it gives us the error message like "passing arg 3 of 'swap' from incompatible pointer type"
right now the interface has **top and **bottom as arguments and tries to pass &top and &bottom as arguments to other functions.
Is there some other way we should be doing this?

This is why you should probably use different variable names. I'm just guessing at your problem but I'm pretty sure its this.

top and bottom are both single pointers in main. So you pass the address to make them double pointers. Wham, you understand that I know.

However, inside of your function swap, top and bottom are already double pointers. Therefore you just pass just top and bottom. No addresses, no dereferences, just top and bottom.