Thread: Beginner Question about Pointers in C

I'm reading through a great book on C but it hasn't done a great job making pointers easy to understand. What I'm having trouble with is not the concept of pointers (although I'm still not sure yet how/why it will be useful in writing a program) but how the difference between the use of * and & in terms of pointers...

from what i can tell * is only for declaring a variable as a pointer variable right? so...

Code:

int *myVariable
float *myOtherVariable   //can a float do this?

would both be valid right?

what i'm confused about is when i refer to *myVariable from this point on do i need to use *myVariable everytime, or can I simply use myVariable (without the * infront of it) later in the program?

ok, the other question is i saw an example in the book...

Code:

int *myVariable, myVariable2

i'm going to assume myVariable2 is NOT a pointer variable because there is no * infront of it, right? or is it a pointer variable, because its on the same line as *myVariable?

Ok, the 3rd and final question is about the uses of &...

I assume you can put an & before any variable no matter what, and even if it hasn't been declared earlier as a pointer variable? and does an & mean you are taking the variable's address in memory from it instead of what the actual value store in the variable is?

so would this be correct (would it work)...?

Code:

int *myPointerVariable;
int boxOfBaseballs;

int main( void ) {

boxOfBaseballs = 24;
*myPointerVariable = &boxOfBaseballs   //will store boxOfBaseballs memory address not "24"

printf( "This address in memory is: %d", *myPointerVariable );

return 0;
}

... If the code above is valid, then why couldn't I just do this instead? (referring to the printf line) ...

Code:

printf( " This address in memory is: %d", &boxOfBaseballs );

and another point... the pointer address in memory is going to an interger number so why bother with a *variable to store the information in? why wouldn't it make sense to simply say... someAddress = &whatever;

I believe your confusion stems from the fact that a pointer is a variable that contains a memory address!
Since a pointer "points" to something, it must contain the address of that which it is pointing to.
To access the stored address in the pointer, you would simply use it like a normal variable. To access what it points to, you prefix it with *.

Originally Posted by lucidrave

Code:

int *myVariable
float *myOtherVariable   //can a float do this?

would both be valid right?

Both are valid.

what i'm confused about is when i refer to *myVariable from this point on do i need to use *myVariable everytime, or can I simply use myVariable (without the * infront of it) later in the program?

ok, the other question is i saw an example in the book...

Code:

int *myVariable, myVariable2

i'm going to assume myVariable2 is NOT a pointer variable because there is no * infront of it, right? or is it a pointer variable, because its on the same line as *myVariable?

myVariable's type is int*, but myVariable2's type is int.
Be careful with this. Declare each pointer on a separate row.
Also, the * says it's a pointer, but it doesn't matter where you put it. These are all fine:

Code:

int* p;
int * p;
int*p;

Ok, the 3rd and final question is about the uses of &...

I assume you can put an & before any variable no matter what, and even if it hasn't been declared earlier as a pointer variable? and does an & mean you are taking the variable's address in memory from it instead of what the actual value store in the variable is?

so would this be correct (would it work)...?

Code:

int *myPointerVariable;
int boxOfBaseballs;

int main( void ) {

boxOfBaseballs = 24;
*myPointerVariable = &boxOfBaseballs   //will store boxOfBaseballs memory address not "24"

printf( "This address in memory is: %d", *myPointerVariable );

return 0;
}

No, because you want to assign an address (the pointer's value) to the pointer first. By using * you actually dereference the pointer which contains no valid address.

... If the code above is valid, then why couldn't I just do this instead? (referring to the printf line) ...

Code:

printf( " This address in memory is: %d", &boxOfBaseballs );

and another point... the pointer address in memory is going to an interger number so why bother with a *variable to store the information in? why wouldn't it make sense to simply say... someAddress = &whatever;

First, use %x to print an address.
Also, the benefit is not immediately obvious in this example, but when you pass arguments to a function, copies of those arguments are made. So if you want a function to CHANGE the value of a variable you pass in, you must pass a pointer, because otherwise the change is made to the copy!
By using a pointer, it can modify what it points to. The pointer will be copied to, but its value is the variable it points to, so it's alright!