Pointer and Arrays

In C, arrays and pointers are closely related. An array name decays into a pointer to its first element. For example: 

int arr[5] = {1,2,3,4,5};
int *ptr = arr; // ptr points to arr[0]
Pointer Array
For more on basic pointer concepts, visit our [C Pointer Basics Tutorial](/en/learn/tutorial/c_pointer_basic).

Pointer Arithmetic

Pointer arithmetic allows operations like addition/subtraction with pointers:

  • ptr++ moves to the next element
  • ptr-- moves to the previous element
  • *ptr + 1 increments the value at the address
  • ptr + 2 moves two elements forward
Pointer Arithmetic
Explore memory management techniques in our [C Memory Management Guide](/en/learn/tutorials/c_memory_management).

Function Pointers

Function pointers store addresses of functions. Example: 

void (*funcPtr)(int) = &myFunction;
funcPtr(10); // Calls myFunction with argument 10

Use them for callbacks or dynamic function invocation.

Pointer to Pointer

A pointer that points to another pointer: 

int x = 42;
int *ptr = &x;
int **pptr = &ptr;
printf("%d", **pptr); // Outputs 42
Pointer Pointer
For advanced topics like pointers with structs, check our [C Structures Tutorial](/en/learn/tutorials/c_structures).

Best Practices 🛡️

  • Always initialize pointers before use
  • Use const for pointer-to-constant data
  • Avoid dangling pointers by managing memory carefully
  • Prefer nullptr over NULL in modern C++

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