C++ Pointer

Pointer is a variable in C++ that holds the address of another variable. They have data type just like variables, for example an integer type pointer can hold the address of an integer variable and an character type pointer can hold the address of char variable.

C++ pointer syntax

data_type *pointer_name;

C++ Pointer example

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main() {
  string fruit = "Banana";

  cout << fruit << "\n";
  cout << &fruit << "\n";
  return 0;
}

Output

Banana
0x7ffff55a4960

Why C++ pointers are important?

Pointers are very important, because it will allows us to access addresses and manipulate their contents. Pointers are the most complex and difficult feature in C/C++ language. If pointers are used in a correct way it will improve the efficiency and performance of the application.

Initializing null pointers

We can initialize a pointer to 0 or NULL, which is pointing to nothing. Null pointer points to empty location in memory.

Example

int * nullPtr = 0;  // Initialize the pointer to point to nothing
int * nullPtr = NULL; // Also declare a NULL pointer points to nothing

Conclusion

In this page (written and validated by A. Gawali) you learned about C++ Pointer . What's Next? If you are interested in completing Cpp tutorial, your next topic will be learning about: Cpp OOP.

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