Pointer references
In C, if you want to modify the
contents of the pointer rather than what it points to, your function
declaration looks like:
void f(int**);
and you’d have to take the address
of the pointer when passing it in:
int i = 47;
int* ip = &i;
f(&ip);
With references in C++, the syntax is
cleaner. The function argument becomes a reference to a pointer, and you no
longer have to take the address of that pointer. Thus,
//: C11:ReferenceToPointer.cpp
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
void increment(int*& i) { i++; }
int main() {
int* i = 0;
cout << "i = " << i << endl;
increment(i);
cout << "i = " << i << endl;
} ///:~
By running this program, you’ll
prove to yourself that the pointer is incremented, not what it points
to.
