Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!ulysses!andante!alice!ark
From: ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Reference to Pointer
Message-ID: <9473@alice.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 89 19:04:59 GMT
References: <NEATH.89Jun12170832@solar-1.stars.flab.Fujitsu.JUNET>
Distribution: comp.lang.c++
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Liberty Corner NJ
Lines: 32

In article <NEATH.89Jun12170832@solar-1.stars.flab.Fujitsu.JUNET>, neath@solar-1.stars.flab.Fujitsu.JUNET writes:

>         #include <stream.h>
>         typedef char* charP;

>         void bar (const charP& c) {
>           cout << form ("%s\n", c);
>         }

>         void foo (void) {
>           bar ("HELLO WORLD");
>         }

> Now, what does it really mean to have  a  reference to a pointer
> to a thing in memory?

It means the same kind of thing it means to have a reference to
any other type.  In this case, when bar is called, c is bound
to (a memory cell that contains) a pointer and can be used just
as if it were a pointer.

Incidentally, the equivalent form

	void bar (const char*& c) {
		cout << form ("%s\n", c);
	}

is also legal.  C++ 1.2 doesn't accept it because of a bug.
C++ 2.0 does accept both forms.
-- 
				--Andrew Koenig
				  ark@europa.att.com