C++ For Dummies, 7th Edition

Chapter 9

Taking a Second Look at C++ Pointers

In This Chapter

Performing arithmetic operations on character pointers

Examining the relationship between pointers and arrays

Increasing program performance

Extending pointer operations to different pointer types

Explaining the arguments to main() in our C++ program template

C++ allows the programmer to operate on pointer variables much as she would on simple types of variables. (The concept of pointer variables is introduced in Chapter 8.) How and why this is done, along with its implications, are the subjects of this chapter.

Defining Operations on Pointer Variables

Some of the same arithmetic operators I cover in Chapter 3 can be applied to pointer types. This section examines the implications of applying these operators both to pointers and to the array types (I discuss arrays in Chapter 7). Table 9-1 lists the three fundamental operations that are defined on pointers. In Table 9-1, pointer, pointer1, and pointer2 are all of some ...