Thread: ? about pointer variables?

  1. #1
    TransparentMember correlcj's Avatar
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    Question ? about pointer variables?

    Hello,
    can someone tell me why or what of dereferenceing a pointer variable, which has the value NULL? I saw this in the book I was reading and could not find what it meant by that.

  2. #2
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    Dereferencing a NULL pointer results in a segmentation violation. It's not something you want to happen. Run this and see how a segv occurs on your system:
    Code:
    #include <stdio.h>
    
    int main ( void )
    {
      int *p = NULL;
      *p = 10;
      return 0;
    }
    -Prelude
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  3. #3
    Registered User rmullen3's Avatar
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    A NULL pointer is a pointer that points to... "nothing". (NULL is defined as 0, or (void*)0 ).

    Dereferencing a pointer means using the asterisk to get the value it points to.

    Code:
    // ...
    int *pointer;
    int a = 7;
    pointer = &a;
    
    cout << *pointer << endl; // dereferences pointer and outputs 7
    Sorry for using cout... as that's C++.. but you get the picture

  4. #4
    Registered User moi's Avatar
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    Originally posted by rmullen3
    A NULL pointer is a pointer that points to... "nothing". (NULL is defined as 0, or (void*)0 ).

    Dereferencing a pointer means using the asterisk to get the value it points to.

    Code:
    // ...
    int *pointer;
    int a = 7;
    pointer = &a;
    
    cout << *pointer << endl; // dereferences pointer and outputs 7
    Sorry for using cout... as that's C++.. but you get the picture
    null pointing to zero is a compiler specific thing
    hello, internet!

  5. #5
    Registered User
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    Thanks, Prelude, the program "vomitted".

    (Like you knew it wouldn't!)

    The 'type' is undefined, but may be re-defined later. Sans that, get the "barf bags" out!

    -Skipper
    "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." Abraham Maslow

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