Thread: Can anybody explain this line?

Hi, can anybody explain this code? I saw this on a proprietary 3rd party library so I don't quite understand what it is trying to achieve. I don't understand the reason for the reinterpret casting. It seems redundant (CMIIW). Why would anyone want to do that? Thanks in advance.

Code:

...
private:
T *freeListHead;

T *myfunction()
{
    ...
    freeListHead = *(reinterpret_cast<T**>(freeListHead));
    return freeListHead ;
}

It's not redundant, it's treating the freeListHead variable as if it had a different level of indirection. The code must have a linked list where the next pointer is basically at the same address as the item pointed to. That is not the clearest way to write it, but it works. I've done it that way before I learnt how to do it cleaner.

Originally Posted by iMalc

It's not redundant, it's treating the freeListHead variable as if it had a different level of indirection. The code must have a linked list where the next pointer is basically at the same address as the item pointed to. That is not the clearest way to write it, but it works. I've done it that way before I learnt how to do it cleaner.

You're right. Silly me for not noticing earlier. It is a linked list. And a peculiar one I must say.

Thanks. Consider the problem solved.

Now, back to the memory leak problem. The debugging never ends.