Pointer to array in c

09 Dec 2022 Balmiki Mandal 0 C Programming

Pointer to array in C

A pointer to an array is a variable that stores the address of the first element of the array. This means that you can use a pointer to access and modify the elements of the array without having to use the array name.

syntax:

 

For example, to declare a pointer to an array of integers, you would use the following declaration:

C Programming
int *array_ptr;

Once you have declared a pointer to an array, you can initialize it by assigning it the address of the array. You can do this using the & operator. For example, the following code initializes the pointer array_ptr to point to the array array:

C Programming
int array[10];
int *array_ptr = &array;
 

Once a pointer to an array has been initialized, you can use it to access and modify the elements of the array. To do this, you simply dereference the pointer using the * operator. For example, the following code prints the value of the first element of the array array to the console:

C Programming
printf("%d", *array_ptr);

You can also use a pointer to an array to iterate over the elements of the array. For example, the following code prints the values of all elements of the array array to the console:

C Programming
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  printf("%d ", *(array_ptr + i));
}

Advantages of using pointers to arrays

There are several advantages to using pointers to arrays:

  • Pointers can be used to access and modify the elements of an array without having to use the array name. This can make your code more concise and readable.
  • Pointers can be used to pass arrays to functions as arguments. This can make your code more modular and reusable.
  • Pointers can be used to implement dynamic arrays. Dynamic arrays are arrays whose size can be changed at runtime.

Disadvantages of using pointers to arrays

There are also a few disadvantages to using pointers to arrays:

  • Pointers can be dangerous if they are not used correctly. For example, if you accidentally dereference a null pointer, your program will crash.
  • Pointers can make your code more difficult to understand. This is because you need to keep track of what each pointer is pointing to.

 

If you are new to pointers, I recommend that you start by learning about the basics of pointers before using pointers to arrays. Once you have a good understanding of pointers, you can start using them to improve your code.

Further Reading:


What is Pointer to an array? Give one example.

Print The array element using Pointer to an array

Implications of Passing an Array and a Pointer to an Array as Function Arguments in C

Write a C program that uses a pointer to an array to find the sum of all elements.

Assingment of pointer to an array in c

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BY: Balmiki Mandal

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