Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!decwrl!uunet!cdss!culliton
From: culliton@cdss.UUCP (Tom Culliton x2278)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Why use reference type over pointer type?
Summary: Getting the syntax of overloaded operators right...
Message-ID: <7@cdss.UUCP>
Date: 3 Aug 90 15:15:05 GMT
References: <1676@dinl.mmc.UUCP> <1806@cs.rit.edu>
Organization: ARINC Research Corp., Annapolis, MD, SRG Group
Lines: 20

In article <1806@cs.rit.edu>, jeh@cs.rit.edu (Jim Heliotis) writes:
> From article <1676@dinl.mmc.UUCP>, by noren@dinl.uucp (Charles Noren):
> > Its obvious, I'm new to C++.
> > What does does a reference type give me over a pointer type
> > that I've come to love and know well in C?  ......
> 
> I, as a professor, have been asked this so many times that I would love
> to hear people's opinions on this.

The clearest value that I've found is getting the syntax/semantics of
overloaded operators (and some other member functions) right while
maintaining the efficiency of pointers.  There are some other cases in
the development of classes where using a reference "just makes it feel
right", Of course I can't clearly state exactly when this is. ;-)

                                                      Tom
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*  uunet!culliton@cdss - Tom Culliton at Arinc Research Corp. Annapolis MD  * 
*       "I haven't lost my mind -- it's backed up on tape somewhere."       *
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