Pointer
A pointer is a computer programming language element used to store the address or location of an object that lies in memory. The pointer references the location of the data and enables the programmer to easily access data at any given location. In general, a pointer is the name given to a memory address in a computer.
In the computer programming context, a pointer is generally used to refer and direct the program to a particular value in memory. Pointers are also used to reference functions and data structures. For example, a linked list is typically composed of several data structures, and a pointer can be used to reference the different data structures. A pointer is also used to pass information from one program to another.
Pointers can be found in many different programming languages, including Assembly Language, C, C++, Java, Python, and JavaScript. While pointers are fundamentals to low-level programming languages, they may be used in higher-level programming languages to manipulate dynamic data structures.
Pointers are also used to return the address of a variable that is referred to within a function, by passing a pointer as an argument to the function. It must be explicitly declared in the function’s argument list, and often dereferenced as an intermediate step.
In general, a pointer points to a certain point in memory. Typically, when a data type is declared, a pointer is created automatically. Pointers are usually written in a specific way, and can have different meanings depending on its syntax. For example, a pointer can be written as an asterisk (*) before the variable’s name, like in the statement int *p. This pointer is pointed to the integer value pointed to by p.
Pointers provide a powerful element for programming and effective data management. In addition, they allow the programmer to quickly access and manipulate various data types stored in the memory.
