Beginning Programming with C++ For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 17

Pointing the Way to C++ Pointers

In This Chapter

Introducing the concept of pointer variables

Declaring and initializing a pointer

Using pointers to pass arguments by reference

Allocating variable-sized arrays from the heap

This chapter introduces the powerful concept of pointers. By that I don’t mean specially trained dogs that point at birds but rather variables that point at other variables in memory. I start with an explanation of computer addressing, before getting into the details of declaring and using pointer variables. This chapter wraps up with a discussion of something known as the heap and how we can use it to solve a problem that I slyly introduced in the last chapter.

But don’t think the fun is over when this chapter ends. The next chapter takes the concept of pointers one step further. In fact, in one way or another, pointers will reappear in almost every remaining chapter of this book.

It may take you a while before you get comfortable with the concept ...