Passing Pointers to Functions
Normally in C, function parameters are passed by value. This means that if you pass a variable as a parameter to a function, the function makes a copy of that value to operate on and it leaves the original variable alone. As we can see in this example, we pass the variable x to the function square. x is initialized to 2, and is still 2 after the function call. The value of x is copied into n and it is n that is squared and returned from the function to the variable y.
Example
Passing Parameters By Reference
In many situations, it is desirable to let a function modify the actual variable passed to it. In order to do this, we use a pointer in the function parameter (pass by reference). In order to use a function like this, you need to pass an address or a pointer to the function when it is called. Basically, you are telling the function the address of the variable that you want it to modify.
Example
A function with a pointer parameter, for example int foo(int *q) must be called in one of two ways:
(assume: int x, *p = &x;)
| foo(&x) | Pass an address to the function so the address may be assigned to the pointer parameter: q = &x |
| foo(p) | Pass a pointer to the function so the address may be assigned to the pointer parameter: q = p |
Example-Part 1
Example-Part 2
