Chapter 9:
Pointers
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Dynamic array of characters
• C-String is an array of characters
• We used to define it like this:
char str[20];
• This is static memory allocation.
• We can allocate memory dynamically for a
C-String like this:
char * str;
str = new char[20];
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Dynamic array of characters
• You can deal with C-String later as you
normally do.
• To read C-String:
cin>>str;
or cin.getline(str,20);
• To print C-String:
cout<<str;
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Passing an array as a pointer to
functions
• We learned that arrays are automatically
passed by reference to functions which
makes any changes to array in the
function reflect on the actual array
parameter.
void add1ToArray(int grades[],int size)
{
for(int i=0;i<size;i++)
grades[i]++;
}
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Passing an array as a pointer to
functions
• We can also pass arrays to functions as
pointers and still any changes to array in
the function reflect on the actual array
parameter.
void add1ToArray(int * grades,int size)
{
for(int i=0;i<size;i++)
grades[i]++;
}
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Passing an array as a pointer to
functions
• Whether you pass arrays by reference or
as a pointer this doesn’t affect any code in
the function or the function call.
• The function call for both of the functions
add1ToArray will be:
int main()
{
int g[]={5,7,9,11,13};
add1ToArray(g, 5);
return 0;
}
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9.9
Returning Pointers from Functions
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Returning Pointers from
Functions
• Pointer can be the return type of a function:
int* newNum();
• The function must not return a pointer to a local
variable in the function.
• A function should only return a pointer:
– to data that was passed to the function as a
pointer/reference argument, or
– to dynamically allocated memory
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Returning Pointers from
Functions
• Don’t do that!!
int* f()
{
int num=23;
int* p = # //points to local variable
return p;
}
• This causes no problems
int* f()
{
int* p = new int;//dynamically allocated memory
*p = 23;
return p;
}
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Returning Pointers from
Functions
• This causes no problems
int* f(int * param)
{
int* p = param;//copy pointer parameter
*p = 23;
return p;
}
• This causes no problems
int* f(int & param)
{
int* p = ¶m;//copy address of reference
//parameter
*p = 23;
return p;
} Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Returning array as pointer
From Program 9-15
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Allocating 2D Arrays
Dynamically
• A 2D array can be normally defined as follows:
int matrix[3][4]; //static memory
//allocation
• To dynamically allocate a 2D array, you need to
define a double pointer:
int** matrix;
• Next you need to allocate the first dimension
which is the number of rows:
matrix = new int*[3];
This allocated 3 pointers to integers.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
Allocating 2D Arrays
Dynamically
• Then finally using each of the pointers, you
should allocate memory with the size of the
columns.
for(int i=0;i<3;i++)
matrix[i] = new int[4]
0 1 2 3
matrix[0] 0
matrix[1] 1
matrix[2] 2
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Allocating 2D Arrays
Dynamically
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Passing 2D Arrays to functions
using pointers
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Freeing memory for dynamically
allocated 2D arrays
• For each row you need to delete that row’s
elements using its pointer.
for(int i=0;i<rows;i++)
delete[] matrix[i];
0 1 2 3
• But you also matrix[0] 0
need to reset matrix[1] 1
each pointer to 0. matrix[2] 2
for(int i=0;i<rows;i++)
{
delete[] matrix[i];
matrix[i] = 0;
}
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