Address-of operator
The address-of operator is a unary operator that produces a pointer to the object or function designated by its operand.
Modern C
The address-of operator is the C unary operator that produces a pointer to its operand's object or function.
- How it is used
- Uses object addresses to let functions inspect or modify caller-owned objects through pointer parameters.
- How deep it goes
- Defines syntax, dereferencing, undefined behavior, and aliasing consequences through worked pointer examples.
- Examples
- Uses double_swap, address-passing calls, pointer dereferences, and a cyclic-shift exercise.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via pointer parameters to modify caller-owned objects, while avoiding null, indeterminate, and invalid aliasing cases.
Modern C, Third Edition
The address-of operator is the C unary operator that obtains a pointer to an object or function designated by its operand.
- How it is used
- Uses object addresses to let functions operate on caller-owned objects through pointer parameters.
- How deep it goes
- Explains unary syntax, pointer results, inverse dereferencing, * notation, and null or invalid-pointer failure.
- Examples
- Uses double_swap calls and pointer-parameter functions, then contrasts aliasing with blub(&c, &c).
- What you can do after
- Apply it to pass object addresses into pointer parameters and enable indirect modification.
Read how Modern C, Third Edition explains address-of operator →
Related concepts
- referenceproduces · A reference is an indirect value or relationship that identifies or provides access to another value, object, resource, or source.
- register keywordcontrasts with · The register keyword is a C storage-class specifier for automatic objects that may request register storage and restricts taking the object's address.
- pointerproduces · A pointer is a value that refers to a memory location or another object, enabling indirect access to it.
- consistency modelused by · A consistency model is a formal specification of how operations on state may be ordered and what values those operations can observe.
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