BITG 1113:

Pointer

LECTURE 12

1
Objectives:
• To understand the concept of pointer.
• Declaration and Assignment of a Pointer.
• Arithmetic Operation using Pointer.
• Pointer to pointer.
• Pointers and functions.
• Relationship between a Pointer and an
Array.
• Pointer to structure.
2
      Introduction

  A pointer is a derived type. Its value may be

any of the addresses available in the computer for
storing and accessing data.
  In a computer, every process is stored in a
compartment or small area inside the memory.
These memories have their own addresses.
By using this address, the computer can
identify where a data or an instruction is stored
physically in a computer.

3
      Introduction
Variable declaration :
int nilai;
Only shows the value that is stored inside
nilai, without knowing where it is stored.
  The name of the variable is an ‘@’ for the
address where it is stored.
   Each time, the variable being used, the
computer will translate the name of that variable to
its address.
By using pointer, the programmer can
determine the address for any location where a
value is stored. 4
  Pointer Declaration and Definition
Syntax :
type * identifier;
Example :
1. char a=‘A’;
char *p; OR
p = &a; char *p = &a;
2. double b=2.5;
double *q; OR
q = &b; double *q=&b;
The type of pointer indicates 5
the type of value it refers.
  Pointer Declaration and definition

int x=7;
int *p;
p = &x;

Suppose that the address of the int variable x is 9640

x 7 p 9640 the variable p

points to x
9640 9642
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   Example
pertama pAlamat
#include<iostream>
void main() 8
{
4444 5555
int pertama=8;
int *pAlamat;
pAlamat
pAlamat = &pertama; pertama

8 4444
cout<<”Nilai pertama ialah ”
4444 5555
<<pertama<<endl;

cout<<”Nilai *pAlamat ialah ”

Output:
<<*pAlamat<<endl; Nilai pertama ialah 8
Nilai *pAlamat ialah 8
cout<<”Kandungan pAlamat ialah\n ” Kandungan pAlamat ialah
<<pAlamat<<endl; 4444
Alamat untuk pAlamat ialah
5555
cout<<”Alamat untuk pAlamat ialah\n”
<<&pAlamat<<endl;
   Example
#include<iostream.h>
int main() pertama pAlamat
{
int pertama=7; 7
int *pAlamat; 6666 8888
pAlamat = &pertama;
pertama pAlamat
cout<<”Nilai pertama ialah ”
<<pertama<<endl; 7 6666
6666 8888
cout<<”Nilai *pAlamat ialah ”
<<*pAlamat<<endl; pertama pAlamat

*pAlamat = 52; 52 6666

cout<<”Nilai *pAlamat ialah ”
<<*pAlamat<<endl;
cout<<”Nilai pertama ialah ”
<<pertama<<endl;
6666 8888
Output:
Nilai pertama ialah 7
Nilai *pAlamat ialah 7
Nilai *pAlamat ialah 52
Nilai pertama ialah 52
   Example

The following program slice swaps the

contents of the variables char1 and char2 but
uses the address and dereferencing operators to
do so.

Line #include<iostream.h>
main()
{
1 char char1 = ‘A’;
2 char char2 = ‘Z’;
3 char temp;
4 char* charPtr;
5 charPtr = &char1;
6 temp = *charPtr;
7 *charPtr = char2;
8 char2 = temp; 9
}
line
1 char char1 = ‘A’;
2 char char2 = ‘Z’;
3 char temp;

char1 char2 temp

A Z

1293 7757 2131

10
 line
4 char* charPtr;

char1 char2 temp charPtr

A Z

1293 7757 2131 4455

11
 line
5 charPtr = &char1;

char1 char2 temp charPtr

A Z 1293

1293 7757 2131 4455

12
line
6 temp = *charPtr;

char1 char2 temp charPtr

A Z A 1293
1293 7757 2131 4455

13
line
7 *charPtr=char2;

char1 char2 temp charPtr

Z Z A 1293
1293 7757 2131 4455

14
line
8 char2 = temp;

char1 char2 temp charPtr

Z A A 1293
1293 7757 2131 4455

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   Example

What is the output for this example?

Line #include<iostream.h>
main()
{
1 char c = ‘O’,d = ‘H’;
2 char *p1, *p2, *temp;
3 p1 = &c;
4 p2 = &d;
5 temp = p1;
6 p1 = p2;
7 p2 = temp;
8 cout<<*p1<<*p2;
9 }
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line
1 char c = ‘O’,d = ‘H’;
2 char *p1, *p2, *temp;
3 p1 = &c;
4 p2 = &d;

c d p1 p2 temp
O H 941 6940

941 6940 2131 4455

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 line
5 temp = p1;

c d p1 p2 temp
O H 941 6940 941

941 6940 2131 4455

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 line
6 p1 = p2;

c d p1 p2 temp
O H 6940 6940 941
941 6940 2131 4455

19
 line
7 p2 = temp;

temp
c d p1 p2

O H 6940 941 941

941 6940 2131 4455

line
8 cout<< *p1 << *p2;

output : HO
 Arithmetic Operation Using Pointer
 
Arithmetic operation can also be done using
pointer.
A pointer will take the value stored at the
address that is kept by the pointer and
compute them just like operations on
normal variables such as add, multiply,
divide, minus and unary operator.

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 nombor pnum
//Example:
#include<iostream.h> 6
void main()
{
int nombor = 6, jumlah;
int *pnum=&nombor;
jumlah = *pnum * *pnum;
cout<<”Hasil darab *pnum dengan “
<<”*pnum ialah “<<jumlah<<endl;
}

Output:
Hasil darab *pnum dengan *pnum ialah 36 22
  Pointer to pointer
 
  So far the pointers we have been using have
pointed directly to data. It is possible and often
with advanced data structures necessary to use
pointers that point to other pointers.

eg: *p dereferenced once

**q dereferenced twice

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 a p q
integer 58 4444 5555
variable
4444 5555 6666

Pointer to Pointer to
integer pointer to
#include<iostream.h> integer
main() {
int a;
int *p;
int **q;
a = 58;
p = &a; Output:
q = &p;
cout<< a <<endl; 58 58 58
cout<< *p <<endl;
cout<< **q <<endl; 24
}
 Pointers and functions
• C++ provides two ways to pass parameters to
functions : pass by value and pass by reference.

• When we passed by reference, C++ passes the

address of the parameter variable, and the
parameter name becames an alias for the variable.

• We can add an alternative to pass by reference:

pass a pointer and use it to change the original
variable.

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 Example
void main()
{
//Pass by reference
int a = 5;
int b = 7;
exchange (a,b);
}
void exchange(int& x, int& y)
{
int temp = x;
x=y;
y= temp; a b
return;
7 5
}//exchange
x y
5
temp 26
 Example
void main()
{
//Passing pointers a b
int a = 5;
int b = 7;
7 5
exchange (&a,&b);
y
}
void exchange(int* px, int* py)
{
int temp = *px; px py
*px=*py;
*py= temp;
5
return;
}//exchange temp

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 Relationship between a
Pointer and an Array

  A pointer and an array have a close

relationship.
  In C++ Programming Language, the name of
an array without the index is the first address
of that array. In other words, the name of an
array is actually a pointer to that array.         
 So, the name of an array can be used to be
set as an initial value for a pointer.
    The name of an array will refer to the
address of the first element of that array.
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 Relationship between a
Pointer and an Array

The difference between a pointer and an array’s

name is, a pointer points to any address in the
memory but the name of an array points only to
the first element of that array and it is fixed.      
Example :
double value[10];
double *pValue = value;
From the declaration above, *pValue will store
the first element of array value which is the address
of value[0].
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 Relationship between a
Pointer and an Array
   To achieve the next element in an array,
use this formula :-
*( penuding + i )
where , i represents the location of the element
in an array.
Example :
double value[5]={2.5,4.1,5.6,4.7,4.3};
double *pValue = value;
cout<<*(pValue + 2);

- will print the third element of the array :

5.6 30
Example of program that use an
array and index
 
#include <iostream.h>
main()
{ {
const int saiz = 5;
int i;
int gred[saiz]={98,88,90,65,83};
for( i = 0; i<saiz; i++)
cout<<”Unsur “<<i
<<” tatasusunan ini ialah “
<<gred[i]<<endl;
} cout<<”Unsur “<<i
Output:
 
Unsur 0 tatasusunan ini ialah 98
Unsur 1 tatasusunan ini ialah 88
Unsur 2 tatasusunan ini ialah 90
Unsur 3 tatasusunan ini ialah 65
Unsur 4 tatasusunan ini ialah 83
Example of program that use a
pointer to refer the elements in
an array.
#include <iostream.h>
main()
const int saiz = 5;
int i;
int gred[saiz]={98,88,90,65,83};
int *pNilai = gred;
//*pNilai=&gred[0]
 
for( i = 0; i<saiz; i++)
<<” tatasusunan ini ialah “
<<*( pNilai + i )<<endl;
}
 
 Relationship between a
Pointer and an Array

From the example, each element in array

gred can be reach using pointer :
    
Array Pointer Value in Array

gred[0] *pNilai 98
gred[1] *( pNilai + 1 ) 88
gred[2] *( pNilai + 2 ) 90
gred[3] *( pNilai + 3 ) 65
gred[4] *( pNilai + 4 ) 83
 

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 Relationship between a
Pointer and an Array

Example :
double value[5]={2.5,4.1,5.6,4.7,4.3};
double *pValue = &value[1];
cout<<*(pValue + 2);

- will print the fourth element of the array :

4.7

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 Pointer to Structure
Structure can be accessed through pointers.

Example : use SAMPLE structure with pointers.

The first thing is define a pointer for the

structure as shown below.

Refer to whole structure

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 Pointer to Structure

The parentheses are absolutely necessary –

because the precedence priority of the
member operator is higher than the priority of the
indirection operator.

If the parentheses are not used, C++ applies

the dot operator first and the asterisk operator
next.

In other words, *ptr.x is interpreted as

*(ptr.x)

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Pointer to Structure

36
 Selection Operator
Another operator that eliminates the problem
with pointers to structures – the selection
operator.

The selection operator is at the same level in the

Precedence Table as the member operator.

The token for the selection operator is an arrow

formed by the minus sign and the greater than
symbol (->).

The token is placed immediately after the pointer

identifiers and before the member to be
referenced.
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Selection Operator

(* pointerName) . fieldName

SAME AS

pointerName -> fieldName

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Selection Operator

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