References and Dereferences

Pointers are built around two operators:

The address-of operator &.
The dereference operator *.

Address-of Operator

The address-of operator, represented by &, allows us to directly interact with our computer's RAM. Using & lets you obtain the actual memory address of an object.

Main


              123456789101112
            
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int x = 100;

    printf("Value of variable: %d\n", x);

    printf("Address of variable into RAM: %p\n", &x); // using reference operator `&` for getting address

    return 0;
}

Note

%p is the format specifier used for addresses (pointer).

Addresses are typically expressed in hexadecimal notation.

Think of the & operator as identifying your home's address using your name.

Dereference Operator

Conversely, the * operator gives you the resident's name when given their address. So, how can we employ this operator if we're not directly dealing with addresses? If you have an expression like &x, which returns the address of the x variable, applying the * operator to it (*&x) gives you the value of the variable stored at that address.

Note

Essentially, *&x is the same as x.

Main


              1234567891011121314
            
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int x = 100;

    printf("Value of variable: %d\n", x);

    printf("Address of variable in RAM: %p\n", &x); // using reference operator `&`

    printf("Dereferencing address of variable: %d", *(&x)); // using dereference operator `*`

    return 0;
}

Note

Don't mix up the dereference operator (*x) with the multiplication operator (x*y).

Taak

Swipe to start coding

Create an integer array of 5 elements and populate it.
Retrieve the address of the third element.
Increment the address of the third element (i.e., address + 1).
Attempt to dereference the address obtained in the previous step.

Oplossing

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Was alles duidelijk?

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Sectie 6. Hoofdstuk 2

References and Dereferences

Pointers are built around two operators:

The address-of operator &.
The dereference operator *.

Address-of Operator

The address-of operator, represented by &, allows us to directly interact with our computer's RAM. Using & lets you obtain the actual memory address of an object.

Main


              123456789101112
            
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int x = 100;

    printf("Value of variable: %d\n", x);

    printf("Address of variable into RAM: %p\n", &x); // using reference operator `&` for getting address

    return 0;
}

Note

%p is the format specifier used for addresses (pointer).

Addresses are typically expressed in hexadecimal notation.

Think of the & operator as identifying your home's address using your name.

Dereference Operator

Note

Essentially, *&x is the same as x.

Main


              1234567891011121314
            
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int x = 100;

    printf("Value of variable: %d\n", x);

    printf("Address of variable in RAM: %p\n", &x); // using reference operator `&`

    printf("Dereferencing address of variable: %d", *(&x)); // using dereference operator `*`

    return 0;
}

Note

Don't mix up the dereference operator (*x) with the multiplication operator (x*y).

Taak

Swipe to start coding

Create an integer array of 5 elements and populate it.
Retrieve the address of the third element.
Increment the address of the third element (i.e., address + 1).
Attempt to dereference the address obtained in the previous step.

Oplossing

Schakel over naar desktop voor praktijkervaringGa verder vanaf waar je bent met een van de onderstaande opties

Was alles duidelijk?

Bedankt voor je feedback!

Sectie 6. Hoofdstuk 2

Schakel over naar desktop voor praktijkervaringGa verder vanaf waar je bent met een van de onderstaande opties