What are the differences between a pointer variable and a reference variable

What distinguishes a reference variable from a pointer variable?

Jul 11, 2022 in C++ by Nicholas
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What are the differences between struct and class in C++?

I now want to understand the distinctions ...READ MORE

Aug 17, 2022 in C++ by Nicholas
• 7,760 points • 519 views

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What is the difference between a concrete class and an abstract class?

I'm learning C++, but I'm having trouble ...READ MORE

Jul 26, 2022 in C++ by Nicholas
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why are copy constructors needed and what are the cases where they are very helpful?

A copy constructor is a member function ...READ MORE

answered May 31, 2022 in C++ by Damon
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What is the difference between std::__gcd and std::gcd?

I done some research about this. The ...READ MORE

answered Jun 10, 2022 in C++ by Damon
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C++ code file extension? What is the difference between .cc and .cpp [closed]

GNU GCC recognizes all of the following ...READ MORE

answered Jun 21, 2022 in C++ by Damon
• 4,960 points • 1,533 views

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What is the difference between public, private, and protected inheritance in C++?

To begin answering that question, let me characterise member accessors in my own terms. If you already know this, proceed to the section "next:". I'm aware of three types of accessors: public, protected, and private. Let: class Base { public: ...READ MORE

answered Jul 11, 2022 in C++ by Damon
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What is a smart pointer and when should I use one?

A smart pointer is similar to a ...READ MORE

answered Jun 2, 2022 in C++ by Damon
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Why should I use reference variables at all?

References themselves are unrelated to the issue. The issue is because C++ manages object lifetimes differently from run-time systems that employ garbage collectors, such as Java. There is no standard built-in garbage collector in C++. Both automatic (within local or global scope) and manual (explicitly allocated/deallocated in heap) object lifetimes are possible in C++. A C++ reference is nothing more than an object's alias. It has no knowledge of object lifespan (for the sake of efficiency). The coder must give it some thought. A reference bound to a temporary object is an exception; in this situation, the temporary object's lifespan is prolonged to include the lifetime of the bound reference. References play a crucial role in the fundamental ideas of C++, and they are required for 90% of jobs. Otherwise, pointers must be used, which is typically far worse. You can use references, for instance, when you need to give an object as a function parameter by reference rather than by value: void f(A copyOfObj); ...READ MORE

answered Aug 5, 2022 in C++ by Damon
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What is the point of function pointers?

The purpose of function pointers is difficult ...READ MORE

Aug 17, 2022 in C++ by Nicholas
• 7,760 points • 398 views

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What is this weird colon-member (" : ") syntax in the constructor?

Foo(int num): bar(num) In C++, this is known as a Member Initializer List. Simply put, it sets the value of your member bar to num. There is a significant difference between initializing a member with the Member initializer list and assigning a value to it within the function Object() { [native code] } body. When you use the Member initializer list to initialise fields, the constructors are only called once, and the object is constructed and initialised in a single operation. If you use assignment, the fields will be initialised with default constructors and then reassigned with actual values (via the assignment operator). As you can see, there is an extra overhead of creation and assignment in the latter, which may be significant for user defined classes. Cost of Member Initialization =Object ...READ MORE