cpp / beginner
Snippet
References: Aliases for Variables
A reference is an alias that refers to the same variable. When you pass a variable to a function with a reference parameter (&), changes inside the function affect the original variable. This is different from pass-by-value where a copy is made. References are safer than pointers but serve a similar purpose.
snippet.cpp
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#include <iostream>void doubleValue(int& num) {num = num * 2;}int main() {int value = 5;doubleValue(value);std::cout << "Value is now: " << value << std::endl;return 0;}
Breakdown
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void doubleValue(int& num)
Function with reference parameter - changes affect the original variable
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num = num * 2
Modifies the original variable directly through the reference
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int& num
The ampersand (&) in the parameter type makes it a reference