Pointers and Reference Parameters: CSE 251 Dr. Charles B. Owen Programming in C 1

Pointers
and Reference parameters
CSE 251 Dr. Charles B. Owen
1 Programming in C
Today’s Lecture
Address Variable Value

Pointers are variables that
0 4520
0x4520 B 181
store memory addresses
0x4524 pB 0x4520
Memory Address
Before we learn about Address Variable Value

pointers, we must learn 0x4520 B 181
more about addresses 0x4524 pB 0x4520
Pointer Value
2 Programming in C
Computer Memory
Memory is just a long list of
numbers one after the other
My laptop has over 4 Billion of
these numbers
these numbers
Each number is 8 bits (BYTE)
We combine them to make
integers and floating point values
integers and floating point values
3 Programming in C
Computer
Memory
int (21) float (18.2)
4 Programming in C
Memory Addresses
Memory addresses in computers are often 32 bits (or
nowadays, 64‐bits) long, e.g.
01111111111111111111101010001100
Another way to represent an address is to use
hexadecimal:
0x 7ffffa8c
5 Programming in C
0000 = 0 1000 = 8
Hexadecimal (Base‐16)
0001 = 1 1001 = 9
0010 = 2 1010 = 10 = a
I have included this
chart on your
y 0011 = 3 1011 = 11 = b
worksheet so you can 0100 = 4 1100 = 12 = c
refer to it. 0101 = 5 1101 = 13 = d
0110 6
0110 = 6 1110 14
1110 = 14 = e
0111 = 7 1111 = 15 = f
6 Programming in C
Addresses
32‐bit address (Binary):
b dd ( )
0111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1010 1000 1100
7 f f f f a 8 c
32‐bit address (Hex): 0x 7 f f f f a 8 c
Notes:
– In C “0x” indicates a Hexadecimal number
– Convert every four bits to a hex digit
7 Programming in C
Arithmetic (in Hex) 0000 = 0 1000 = 8
0001 = 1
0001 1 1001 = 9
1001 9
Sum: 0x 90 0010 = 2 1010 = 10 = a
+ 0x 04 0011 = 3 1011 = 11 = b
0x 94 0100 = 4 1100 = 12 = c
0101 = 5 1101 = 13 = d
0110 = 6 1110 = 14 = e
0111 = 7 1111 = 15 = f
8 Programming in C
Arithmetic (in Hex) 0000 = 0 1000 = 8
0001 = 1
0001 1 1001 = 9
1001 9
Sum with carry: 0x 8c 0010 = 2 1010 = 10 = a
+ 0x 04 0011 = 3 1011 = 11 = b
0x ?? 0100 = 4 1100 = 12 = c
0101 = 5 1101 = 13 = d
0110 = 6 1110 = 14 = e
0111 = 7 1111 = 15 = f
9 Programming in C
Arithmetic (in Hex)
Sum with carry: 0x 8c
+ 0x 04
0x ??
– What is “c + 4”?
– In decimal it is “12 + 4 = 16”
which is Hex “10” (0 and carry 1)
hi h i H “10” (0 d 1)
10 Programming in C
Arithmetic (in Hex)
1
+ 0x 04
0x ??
– What is “c + 4”?
hi h i H “10” (0 d 1)
11 Programming in C
Arithmetic (in Hex)
1
+ 0x 04
0x 90
– What is “c + 4”?
hi h i H “10” (0 d 1)
12 1 Programming in C
Bytes and Words
byte
word
Remember
8 bits = 1 byte
32 bits = 4 bytes = 1 word.
32‐bit address machines are
addressed by bytes so
consecutive words have
consecutive words have
addresses that differ by four
13 Programming in C
32‐bit Addresses
H
Here are three consecutive 32‐bit addresses (in Hex) of words:
h i 32 bi dd (i H ) f d
0x00712050 dc bb 21 00
0x00712054 01 00 00 00
0x00712058 00 00 00 00
14 Programming in C
Pointers
Pointers are variables that contain addresses
Just like other variables, they must be declared before
being used
being used
Declaration:
int *p; /* instead of int p for integers */
int * means p is a pointer variable that stores the address
* means p is a pointer variable that stores the address
of an integer variable
Pointers and Ref
15 parameters
Programming in C
Pointer Initialization
Declaration:
int a = 2; /* a is an integer */
i t *pA
int * A = &a;
& /* pA
/* A is a pointer containing
i i t t i i
the address of a */
“&” operator means “address of”
Read it as “at”
Read it as “at”
16 Programming in C
int a = 2;
The Address Game int *pA = &a;
a
p
pA
An Intel processor is called a little endian
processor because it stores values with the least
processor because it stores values with the least
significant byte first. You read it in reverse order.
0x00602104 in memory will be: 04 21 60 00
17 Programming in C
“%x” prints the hexadecimal value
Example Program
Operators:
p
& “address of”
int a = 21;
int *pA = &a; * “dereference”
Output
printf("%d\n", a); 21
printf("%x\n", a); 15
printf("% \n" &a);
printf("%x\n", &a); bfee861c
f
printf("%x\n", pA); bfee861c
printf("%d\n", *pA); 21
printf("%x\n", &pA);
p ( p ) bfee8618
18 Programming in C
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a = 15, b = 38;
int *c = &a;
p
printf("%x : %d\n", &a, a);
( \ , , );
printf("%x : %d\n", &b ,b);
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
aa = 49;
= 49;
p
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
( \ , , , );
c = &b;
printf("%x
printf( %x : %d\n
: %d\n", &b ,b);
&b b);
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
}
19 Programming in C
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a = 15, b = 38;
int *c = &a;
p
( \ , , );
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
aa = 49;
= 49;
p
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
( \ , , , );
c = &b;
printf("%x
printf( %x : %d\n
: %d\n", &b ,b);
&b b);
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
}
20 Programming in C
Declares a and b as integers
First Section Declares c as a pointer that contains the
address of a (
of a (“points
points to a
to a”))
Address Memory Name

int a = 15, b = 38;
a = 15 b = 38;
int *c = &a; 0xeffffa94 15 a
0 ffff 90
0xeffffa90 38 b
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c); 0xeffffa94
0xeffffa8c c
21 Programming in C
address of a (
of a (“points
points to a
to a”))
Address Memory Name

int a = 15, b = 38;
a = 15 b = 38;
int *c = &a; 0xeffffa94 15 a
0 ffff 90
0xeffffa90 38 b
0xeffffa8c c
Output:
effffa94 15
effffa90 38
effffa8c effffa94 15
22 Programming in C
address of a (
of a (“points
points to a
to a”))
int a = 15, b = 38;
a = 15 b = 38; Note the difference between
Note the difference between
int *c = &a; *C in variable declaration
printf("%x : %d\n", &a, a); and *C in printf
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
Output:
effffa94 15
effffa90 38
23 Programming in C
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a = 15, b = 38;
int *c = &a;
p
( \ , , );
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
aa = 49;
= 49;
p
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
( \ , , , );
c = &b;
printf("%x
printf( %x : %d\n
: %d\n", &b ,b);
&b b);
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
}
24 Programming in C
Second Section
Address Memoryy Name
a = 49;
0xeffffa94 15 49 A
38 B
0xeffffa8c 0xeffffa94 C
25 Programming in C
Second Example
a = 49;
0xeffffa94 15 49 A
38 B
Output:
effffa94 49
effffa90 38
26 Programming in C
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a = 15, b = 38;
int *c = &a;
p
( \ , , );
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
aa = 49;
= 49;
p
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
( \ , , , );
c = &b;
printf("%x
printf( %x : %d\n
: %d\n", &b ,b);
&b b);
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
}
27 Programming in C
Third Section Address Memory Name
c = &b; /* c now points to b */ 0xeffffa94 49 A
printf("%x : %d\n", &b ,b); 0xeffffa90 38 B
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
i f("% % %d\ " & * )
28 Programming in C
Third Section Address Memory Name
c = &b; /* c now points to b */ 0xeffffa94 49 A
printf("%x : %d\n", &b ,b); 0xeffffa90 38 B
printf("%x : %x : %d\n", &c, c, *c);
i f("% % %d\ " & * )
Output:
O t t
effffa94 49
effffa90 38
Reference parameters
A valuable use for pointers:
Passing addresses to a function
30 Programming in C
Argument & Returned Value
Consider a function call y=f(x).
– The value x is passed to the function f
– A value is returned and assigned to y.
– By passedd we mean that the value of argument x is
h h l f
copied to the parameter in the function. Some
calculation is performed and the result is returned and
p
assigned to y.
31 Programming in C
Example
int x, y;
x = 5; Address Memory Name
y = Square(x);
y = Square(x);
0xeffffa94 … x
int Square(int t)
0xeffffa98 … y
{
{
return t*t …
}
…
32 Programming in C
Example
int x, y;
y = Square(x);
y = Square(x);
0xeffffa94 5 x
int Square(int t)
0xeffffa98 … y
{
{
return t*t …
}
…
33 Programming in C
The call Square(x) :
Example creates a variable t
copies the value of x to t
the value of x to t
int x, y;
y = Square(x);
y = Square(x);
0xeffffa94 5 x
int Square(int t)
0xeffffa98 … y
{
return t*t …
}
…
0xeffffc8c 5 t
34 Programming in C
The call Square(x) :
Example creates a variable t
copies
p the value of x to t
int x, y; calculates t * t
x = 5; returns t
y = Square(x);
y = Square(x);
0xeffffa94 5 x
int Square(int t)
0xeffffa98 … y
{
return t*t …
}
…
0xeffffc8c 5 t
0xeffffc90 25 temp
35 Programming in C
y=f(x)
Only one valued returned
What if we want to return more than one value?
– Solution is to use pointers to variables in the calling
function
36 Programming in C
How to do this in C
The approach is to pass the address (using the &
operator) of the value to be modified.
We call such a parameter a reference parameter.
Use the * operator to change the reference parameter
value
37 Programming in C
Function Reference Params
Name Address Value
int val = 10;
val 0xeffffa90 10
MyFun(&val);
printf(“%d”,val);
void MyFun(int *param)
{
*param = 27;
}
38 Programming in C
Name Address Value
int val = 10;
val 0xeffffa90 10
MyFun(&val);
Name Address Value

{
param 0xefffea88 0xefffa90
*param = 27;
}
39 Programming in C
Name Address Value
int val = 10;
val 0xeffffa90 27
MyFun(&val);
Name Address Value

{
param 0xefffea88 0xefffa90
*param = 27;
}
40 Programming in C
Name Address Value
int val = 10;
val 0xeffffa90 27
MyFun(&val);
Prints: 27 void MyFun(int *param)

The memory used by {
the function is *param = 27;
destroyed when it }
returns.
returns
41 Programming in C
What will this do different?
Name Address Value
int val = 10;
val 0xeffffa90 10
MyFun2(val);
void MyFun2(int param)
{
param = 27;
}
42 Programming in C
Cards program
/* C t d d d it */
/* Create a random card and suit */
/* This will compute a random number from 0 to 3 */
This program repeats code. We don’t
suit1 = rand() % 4;
like to do that. But, we could not put
the card draw into a function because
h dd i
/* This will compute a random number from 1 to 13 */ f i b
card1 = rand() % 13 + 1; a function can only return one value,
or so we thought!
do
{
suit2 = rand() % 4;
card2 = rand() % 13 + 1;
card2 = rand() % 13 + 1;
} while(card1 == card2 && suit1 == suit2);
43 Programming in C
Solution, pass by reference using pointers
DrawCard(&card1, &suit1);
do
{
DrawCard(&card2, &suit2);
} while(card1 == card2 && suit1 == suit2);
void DrawCard(int *card, int *suit)

Don’t forget: {
/* This will compute a
*suit ← to set the value
suit ← to set the value random number from 0 to 3 */
random number from 0 to 3 /
&card1 ← to get the address *suit = rand() % 4;
/* This will compute a random
Pass with & number from 1 to 13 */
number from 1 to 13 /
Set with * *card = rand() % 13 + 1;
}

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Pointers

Address Variable Value

Before we learn about Address Variable Value

int (21) float (18.2)

Address Memory Name

Address Memory Name

Name Address Value

Name Address Value

Prints: 27 void MyFun(int *param)

void DrawCard(int card, int suit)

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