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From: horstman@sjsumcs.sjsu.edu (Cay Horstmann)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Modifying References
Message-ID: <1989Nov30.053552.6149@sjsumcs.sjsu.edu>
Date: 30 Nov 89 05:35:52 GMT
References: <4280@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM> <936@acf5.NYU.EDU>
Reply-To: horstman@sjsumcs.SJSU.EDU (Cay Horstmann)
Distribution: na
Organization: San Jose State University
Lines: 17

I always thought there was a perfectly simple reason why one can't modify
a reference. How would you do it?

	int& r = a;   // i.e. really r is a pointer, initialized with &a
	int n = r;    // i.e. really n = *r
	r = 5;        // i.e. really *r =5 

Every time you write r, it really means *r. Therefore, there is NO WAY
to change the reference.

Well, I suppose it would be logical to allow

	&r = b; // now r a reference to b?

but it would be quite unintuitive.

Cay