Pointers

Pointer are a fundamental part of C. If you cannot use pointers properly then you have basically lost all the power and flexibility that C allows. The secret to C is in its use of pointers.

C uses pointers a lot. Why?:

• It is the only way to express some computations.
• It produces compact and efficient code.
• It provides a very powerful tool.

C uses pointers explicitly with:

• Arrays,
• Structures,
• Functions.

NOTE: Pointers are perhaps the most difficult part of C to understand. C's implementation is slightly different DIFFERENT from other languages.

• What is a Pointer?
• Pointer and Functions
• Pointers and Arrays
• Arrays of Pointers
• Multidimensional arrays and pointers
• Static Initialisation of Pointer Arrays
• Pointers and Structures
• Common Pointer Pitfalls
  • Not assigning a pointer to memory address before using it
  • Illegal indirection
• Exercises