cpp / beginner
Snippet
References: Aliases for Variables
References are aliases that refer to the same memory location as another variable. Unlike pointers, references must be initialized and cannot be reassigned. They provide a clean syntax for passing variables to functions by reference.
snippet.cpp
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#include <iostream>void doubleValue(int& ref) {ref = ref * 2;}int main() {int original = 10;int& alias = original;alias = 25;std::cout << "Original: " << original << std::endl;doubleValue(original);std::cout << "After doubling: " << original << std::endl;return 0;}
Breakdown
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int& alias = original;
Creates a reference alias pointing to original variable
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alias = 25;
Modifying alias also changes original (both point to same memory)
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void doubleValue(int& ref)
Function parameter is a reference, modifies original directly
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ref = ref * 2;
Modifies the original variable through the reference