OMG...i understand pointers!

    
//Quick tour of pointers because I have nothing better to do


//For example purposes I'll use the data type int, 

//but you could use any in theory


int variable;

//To Create a pointer

int *pointer;
//To assign a pointer

pointer = &variable

//To access the variable through the pointer

//   *pointer

//these are the same thing, really, 

//*pointer has the value stored by the memory at the address of

//variable. Therefore *pointer==variable.


//Pointers really become useful in functions.

//supposing I have the following function 

//int Add(int x, int y)

//{

//   return (x+y);

//}

//When the function is called, the variables submitted as x and 

//y have to be copied to x and y so that they can be local

// variables in that function.  The result also has to be copied

// to the invocation of the function when it returns.  There may 

// well be even more to it which I've forgotten, but the point 

//is that an awful lot of memory that doesn't need to be used up 

//is ruthlessly trampled on.  How can we write some clean code 

//to get round this problem then?  We use pointers.


//this version eliminates the need to copy things as it is using 

//the variables that already exist, all you are passing to this 

//function are the memory addresses, very useful as memory 

//addresses are short, but any size of data type or class or 

//structure, or array can be denoted by one pointer.

int Add(int* x, int *y)
{
return(*x + *y);
}


int main()
{
int a, b;
a = 3;
b = 4;

printf("a and b add together to give, %d\n", Add(&a, &b));
return 0;
}
    

  
char string[] = "Whazzzup";
char* ptr = NULL;

void main()
{
 for(;;)
 {
  IterateString(&ptr);
  if(ptr)
   cout << *ptr;
  else
   break;
 }
}

void IterateString(char** ptr)
{
 if(*ptr == NULL)
  *ptr = string;
 else
  *ptr = *ptr + 1;
}