pointers/arrays

Pointers are passed by reference-- are arrays also passed by reference or are they passed by value? :confused:


thankyou
ikkin

> Pointers are passed by reference
No, pointers are passed by value, just like everything else in C

> are arrays also passed by reference
Not in the C++ sense of reference
An array decays to a pointer to the first element of the array, and that gets passed by value.

So in C prog, what is passed by reference?



-ikkin

There isn't, you fake it by passing a pointer to whatever it is you think you need a reference to.

Eg, in C++ you would do this

Code:

---

void foo ( int &*ptr ) {
    ptr = new int;
}
...
int *ptr; foo( ptr );

---

But in C, you have to do this

Code:

---

void foo ( int **ptr ) {
    *ptr = malloc( sizeof int );
}
...
int *ptr; foo( &ptr );

---

>So in C prog, what is passed by reference?
Nothing, C doesn't support pass by reference. It only seems like it does because you can simulate pass by reference through the use of pointers.

Thank You!