Pointers and Arrays

[oldoc63]

• Pointers share several characteristics with arrays:
  • Pointers encode object location.
  • Arrays encode the location and length of contiguous objects.
• At the slightest provocation, an array will decay into a pointer.

int key_to_the_universe[]{ 3, 6, 9 };
int* key_ptr = key_to_the_universe; // Points to 3

[oldoc63]

• The mechanism that enables this pattern is square brackets ([]), which work with pointers just as with arrays.