CS101x S430B Introduction To Pointers Part 2 IIT Bombay

IIT Bombay
Computer Programming
Dr. Deepak B Phatak
Dr. Supratik Chakraborty
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
IIT Bombay
Session: Introduction to Pointers Part 2
Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay
Quick Recap of Relevant Topics

IIT Bombay
Basic programming constructs

Pointer data type in C++
Address of operator in C++
Caveats when using address of operator
Overview of This Lecture

IIT Bombay
Dereferencing a memory address

Finding content at a given memory address
Contents of operator in C++
Memory and Addresses

IIT Bombay
Address (in hexadecimal)

Memory is a sequence of
400
10011101
401
physical storage locations
10111111
402
10010001
Each location stores 1 byte (8
403
10110111
bits): Content/value of location
404
10010001
405
10000111
Each physical memory location
406
11110001
identified by a unique address
407
10000000
Index in sequence of memory
408
11111111
locations
00000000
409
11110000
40a
Memory For Executing A Program (Process)
STACK SEGMENT
DATA
SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
Operating system allocates a

part of main memory for use
by a process
Divided into:
Code segment: Stores
executable instructions in
program
Data segment: For
dynamically allocated data
(later lecture)
Stack segment: Call stack
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
Accessing Content At Given Address

Memory Address
int main()
{
int a;
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a -
STACK SEGMENT
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
0x02abc
// Rest of code
}
DATA SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
0x0040d
0x0040d
// Rest of code
}
STACK SEGMENT
0x02abc
0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
{
int a;
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a -
MEMORY
IIT Bombay

Memory Address
int main()
{
Can we access value of a knowing value of ptrA ?
int a;
STACK SEGMENT
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x02abc
0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a 0x00402
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
// Rest of code
}
DATA SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
0x0040d

IIT Bombay
C++ provides a content of operator: unary *

If ptrA is a program variable of type int *,
* ptrA gives the integer stored at address given by
ptrA
STACK SEGMENT
0x02abc
0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
{
int a;
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a cout << *ptrA; 0x0040d
// Rest of code
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
10
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
Find content/value at address given by
{
value of ptrA
int a;
STACK SEGMENT
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x02abc
0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a 0x00402
cout << *ptrA; 0x0040d
DATA SEGMENT
// Rest of code
CODE SEGMENT
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
11
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
{ Find content/value at address 0x00402
int a;
STACK SEGMENT
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x02abc
0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a 0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
// Rest of code
CODE SEGMENT
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
12
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
{ How many bytes to read starting from
address 0x00402?
int a;
STACK SEGMENT
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x02abc
0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a 0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
// Rest of code
CODE SEGMENT
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
13
MAIN
Address
int Since
main()ptrA isMemory
a pointer
to int , its value is
address of an integer (4 bytes),
{
intso
a; read 4 bytes starting from 0x00402
STACK SEGMENT
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x02abc
0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a 0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
// Rest of code
CODE SEGMENT
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
14
STACK SEGMENT
0x02abc
0x00402
DATA SEGMENT
CODE SEGMENT
MAIN
Memory Address
int main()
Read 0x02abc and print it
{
int a;
int * ptrA;
0x00402 0x00405
a = 0x02abc;
ptrA = &a;
0x0040a cout << *ptrA; 0x0040d
// Rest of code
}
MEMORY
IIT Bombay
15

IIT Bombay
C++ provides a content of operator: unary *

*ptrA gives the content at address given by ptrA
Unary operator: Takes a single argument
* ptrA is a C++ expression
Worry about operator precedence, associativity???
Simplify life: use parentheses
Dereferencing an address: Accessing content at that address
Can have spaces after & and *: use carefully
Which is more understandable? &a or & a, *ptrA or * ptrA
16
Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
{ char c;
0x00302
char * ptrC;
0x00402 char ** ptrPtrC;
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a cin >> c;
0x0040d
cout << *(*ptrPtrC);
return 0;
}
STACK SEGMENT
17

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
{ char c;
0x00302
char * ptrC;
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
}
STACK SEGMENT
0x00302
18

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
{ char c;
0x00302
char * ptrC;
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
}
STACK SEGMENT
0x00302
0x00402
19

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
{ char c;
0x00302
char * ptrC;
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
}
STACK SEGMENT
0x00030
0x00302
0x00402
20

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
{ char c;
0x00302
char * ptrC;
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
}
STACK SEGMENT
0x00030
0x00302
0x00402
21

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
What is the value of *ptrPtrC ?
}
22

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
ptrPtrC has value 0x00402
}
23

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
*ptrPtrC has value
return 0;
content of memory at address 0x00402
}
24

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
Content at address 0x00402:
return 0;
How many bytes to read?
}
25

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
ptrPtrC is pointer to what data type?
}
pointer (4 bytes)
26

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
To get *ptrPtrC, read 4 bytes
return 0;
starting from address 0x00402
}
27

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
*ptrPtrC has value 0x00302
return 0;
}
28

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
What is * (*ptrPtrC) ?
return 0;
content of memory at address 0x00302
}
29

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
Content at address 0x00302:
return 0;
}
30

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
return 0;
*ptrPtrC is pointer to what data type?
}
char (1 byte)
31

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
To get *(*ptrPtrC), read 1 byte
return 0;
starting from address 0x00302
}
32

IIT Bombay
int main()
Memory Address
STACK SEGMENT
{ char c;
0x00302
0x00030
char * ptrC;
0x00302
0x00405
ptrC = &c;
ptrPtrC = &ptrC;
0x0040a 0x00402
cin >> c;
0x0040d
*(*ptrPtrC) has value 0x00030
return 0;
}
33
How Far Can We Nest Dereferences?

IIT Bombay
No pre-specified limit
If x is a variable of type int ****, we can use upto four
levels of dereferencing of x
Declaration: int **** x;

*x: expression of type int *** [Think int *** *x;]
*(*x): expression of type int ** [Think int ** **x;]
*(*(*x)): expression of type int * [Think int * ***x;]
*(*(*(*x))): expression of type int [Think int ****x;]
*(*(*(*(*x)))): Compilation error, since *(*(*(*x))) is not of
pointer type, and cannot be dereferences
34
Caveats When Dereferencing

IIT Bombay
Certain memory addresses outside the part of memory

allocated to process by operating system
Dereferencing such an address leads to runtime error
Segmentation violation
Program aborts/crashes
Memory location with address 0x0 is never within any user

process memory space
Dereferencing 0x0 will certainly cause program to crash
Need to be careful that we are dereferencing addresses of

memory locations allocated to process
35
Summary
IIT Bombay
Dereferencing a memory address

Finding content at given address
Content of operator in C++

Caveats when using content of operator
Deferencing bad addresses
We can now access memory locations through their addresses
36

CS101x S430B Introduction To Pointers Part 2 IIT Bombay

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CS101x S430B Introduction To Pointers Part 2 IIT Bombay

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

IIT Bombay

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Quick Recap of Relevant Topics

Basic programming constructs

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Overview of This Lecture

Dereferencing a memory address

Contents of operator in C++

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Memory and Addresses

Address (in hexadecimal)

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Memory For Executing A Program (Process)

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Operating system allocates a

Accessing Content At Given Address

Accessing Content At Given Address

Accessing Content At Given Address

Accessing Content At Given Address

C++ provides a content of operator: unary *

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Accessing Content At Given Address

C++ provides a content of operator: unary *

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

Can We Have Dereferences of Dereferences?

How Far Can We Nest Dereferences?

Declaration: int **** x;

Dr. Deepak B. Phatak & Dr. Supratik Chakraborty, IIT Bombay

Caveats When Dereferencing

Certain memory addresses outside the part of memory

Memory location with address 0x0 is never within any user

Need to be careful that we are dereferencing addresses of

Dereferencing a memory address

Content of operator in C++

We can now access memory locations through their addresses