Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Proper Pointer Usage

Description

This lecture covers the proper usage of pointers in C++, emphasizing the importance of initializing pointers with valid addresses, using nullptr when unsure, and always checking for nullptr before dereferencing. Examples and quizzes are provided.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Theoretical computer science

Programming language theory: High-level programming languages

Related concepts (14)

Null pointer

In computing, a null pointer or null reference is a value saved for indicating that the pointer or reference does not refer to a valid object. Programs routinely use null pointers to represent conditions such as the end of a list of unknown length or the failure to perform some action; this use of null pointers can be compared to nullable types and to the Nothing value in an option type. A null pointer should not be confused with an uninitialized pointer: a null pointer is guaranteed to compare unequal to any pointer that points to a valid object.

Pointer (computer programming)

In computer science, a pointer is an object in many programming languages that stores a memory address. This can be that of another value located in computer memory, or in some cases, that of memory-mapped computer hardware. A pointer references a location in memory, and obtaining the value stored at that location is known as dereferencing the pointer. As an analogy, a page number in a book's index could be considered a pointer to the corresponding page; dereferencing such a pointer would be done by flipping to the page with the given page number and reading the text found on that page.

Function pointer

A function pointer, also called a subroutine pointer or procedure pointer, is a pointer referencing executable code, rather than data. Dereferencing the function pointer yields the referenced function, which can be invoked and passed arguments just as in a normal function call. Such an invocation is also known as an "indirect" call, because the function is being invoked indirectly through a variable instead of directly through a fixed identifier or address. Function pointers allow different code to be executed at runtime.

Tagged pointer

In computer science, a tagged pointer is a pointer (concretely a memory address) with additional data associated with it, such as an indirection bit or reference count. This additional data is often "folded" into the pointer, meaning stored inline in the data representing the address, taking advantage of certain properties of memory addressing. The name comes from "tagged architecture" systems, which reserved bits at the hardware level to indicate the significance of each word; the additional data is called a "tag" or "tags", though strictly speaking "tag" refers to data specifying a type, not other data; however, the usage "tagged pointer" is ubiquitous.

C++11

C++11 is a version of the ISO/IEC 14882 standard for the C++ programming language. C++11 replaced the prior version of the C++ standard, called C++03, and was later replaced by C++14. The name follows the tradition of naming language versions by the publication year of the specification, though it was formerly named C++0x because it was expected to be published before 2010. Although one of the design goals was to prefer changes to the libraries over changes to the core language, C++11 does make several additions to the core language.

Related lectures (29)

C++ Pointers and Structures

Covers practical C++ programming aspects, focusing on pointers, structures, memory management, and variable declarations.

Dynamic Memory Allocation in C++

Covers the concept of pointers in C++, dynamic memory allocation, and best practices.

C Programming Concepts: Debugging and Memory Management

Covers essential C programming concepts, including memory management, debugging techniques, and practical applications in programming projects.

Polymorphism in Object-Oriented Programming: Inclusion Mechanism

Covers polymorphism in object-oriented programming, focusing on inclusion polymorphism and its implementation through class hierarchies and virtual methods.

Pointers and References in C++