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Principles of Programming in C

Basic Usage of Pointers ( )

Reza Azimi

Variable Declaration
int number;

number 0x18879A5B

Name

Memory Space What happens to the name number after the program is compiled? The compiler translates: number address
>=

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A multi-byte unit of memory address is called word, which is usually 4 bytes.
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0000 0000 0000 0000

Memory Addressing (repeated)

Memory address space of each running program is independent of the others.

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Basic unit of memory addressing is one byte (8 bits).

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Remembering Memory Address

int number;

number 0x18879A5B
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p
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int *p; p = &number;

address of
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Pointer (Address) Variables

int *p; int i = 100; int j = 50; i
ypoc

p = &i; j = *p; j
content of (pointer dereferencing)

i=?, j=?

*p = 50;
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Typed Pointers
int *p; double *q; char *r; int i; p q i r = = = = &i; &i; *p; *p; /* points only to integers */ /* points only to doubles */ /* points only to characters */

/* /* /* /*

CORRECT */ WRONG */ CORRECT */ WRONG */

But this is C, well see how to do typecasting on pointers too!

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Initializing a Pointer Variable

int *p; *p = 50;
Crash or Undefined Behavior

p has a random value,

so it points to a random location in memory!

int *p, i; p = &i; *p = 50;

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More Pointer Examples

int k, j, *p, *q; k = 100; j = 50; p = &j; q = p; k = *q; *p = k;
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k=?, j=?
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A Common Mistake
int k, j, *p, *q; k = 100; j = 50; q = k; *q = 10;

Compiler may give you only a warning! Software may crash as a result.

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Passing Pointers as Argument

int f(int *k) { int t; t = *k; printf(%d \n, t); } int main(void) { int x = 10; f(&x); ...
01

Whats the output of this program?

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Passing Pointers as Argument

int f(int *k) { int t; t = *k; printf(%d \n, t); *k = 100; } int main(void) { int x = 10; x f(&x); printf(%d\n, x); ...
Call Stack

t
sserdda .ter

&x (k) . . .

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Pass by Reference

void max_min(int a[], int n, int *max, int *min) { max_min from p 250 int j; Call Stack *max = a[0]; *min = a[0]; for (j = 1; j < n; j++) { if (a[j] > *max) *max = a[j]; max else if (a[j] < *min) min *min = a[j]; } } int main(void) { int b[N], big, small; big max_min(b, N, &big, &small);

small
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]koob sgniK eht morf nekat elpmaxe[

Remember Pass by Value?

double weird_avg(double x, double y) { x = x + y; Whats the output of this program? return x / 2; }

Where are x and y located?

int main() { double number1 = 10.5, number2 = 7.5, avg; printf(Enter the two numbers: \n); scanf(%lf %lf, &number1, &number2); avg = weird_avg(number1, number2); printf(%g %g %g \n, number1, number2, avg); ...
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Pointers as Arguments
double weird_avg(double *x, double *y) { *x = *x + *y; return *x / 2; }

Side Effect

int main() { double number1 = 10.5, number2 = 7.5, avg;

avg = weird_avg(&number1, &number2); printf(%g %g %g \n, number1, number2, avg); ...

Whats the output of this program?

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Now we know why

int main() { double number1 = 10.5, number2 = 7.5, avg; printf(Enter the two numbers: \n);

scanf(%lf %lf, &number1, &number2);

...

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Pointers as Return Values

int *max(int *a, int *b) { if (*a > *b) { return a; } else { return b; } } int *p, i, j; p = max(&i, &j); printf(%d\n, *p);
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]koob sgniK eht morf nekat elpmaxe[

Returning Pointers
int *max(int *a, int *b) { int k; Whats wrong with if (*a > *b) this program? k = *a; else Never return a k = *b; pointer to a local return &k; variable! } int *p, i, j; p = max(&i, &j);

printf(%d\n, *p);
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