COMP6599 – Algorithm and

Programming
Week 5
Session 6
Pointers and Arrays
 Sub Topics
Pointers and Arrays
• Pointer
• Array
• Pointer Constant & Pointer Variable
• String
• Program Examples
POINTER
 Pointer Definition
• Pointer is a variable that store the address of another variable
• Syntax :
<type> *ptr_name;
• Two operators mostly used in pointer : * (content of) and &
(address of)
• Example:
Initialize an integer pointer into a data variable:
int i, *ptr;
ptr = &i;
To assign a new value to the variable pointed by the pointer:
*ptr = 5; /* means i=5 */
Pointer Concept
 Pointer to Pointer
• Pointer to pointer is a variable that saves another address of a
pointer
• Syntax:
<type> **ptr_ptr ;
• Example:
int i, *ptr, **ptr_ptr;
ptr = &i;
ptr_ptr = &ptr;
To assign new value to i:
*ptr = 5; // means i=5 ;
**ptr_ptr = 9; // means i=9; or *ptr=9;
Pointer to Pointer Concept
ARRAY
 Array Definition
• Data saved in a certain structure to be accessed as a
group or individually. Some variables saved using the
same name distinguish by their index.

• Array characteristics:
– Homogenous
All elements have similar data type
– Random Access
Each element can be reached individually, does not have to be
sequential
 Array Definition
• Syntax:
type array_value [value_dim];
• Example :
int A[10];

• The definition consists of 4 components:

– Type specified
– Identifier (name of the array)
– Operator index ([ ])
– Dimensional value inside operator [ ]
 Array Definition
• An illustration of array 1Dimensional
• Elements of an array indexed starting from 0

A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7] A[8] A[9]
 Array Initialization
• Array can be initialized explicitly without dimensional value
declaration
– Example:
int B[ ]={1, 2, -4, 8};
Array B has 4 elements

– Example:
int B[8]={1, 2, -4, 8};
 Array Initialization
• Example: int B[4] = { 1, 2, -4, 8, 9 }; //error
error in result; smaller dimensional value

• Example array initialization after definition:

int A[5];
(for i=0; i<5;i++) A[i]=0;

Error, why ?
int B[5];
B[5]={0,0,0,0,0};
 Accessing Arrays
• Two analogous ways of accessing an element i=3;
*(A+3) or A[3]

• A is equivalent with &A[0] or a constant pointer to the first

element of particular array

• To show A[3] on the monitor screen:

printf(“%d”,A[3]) or
printf(“%d\n”,*(A+3));
 Accessing Arrays
• Accessing array using a pointer
int arr[10];
int *ptr_arr;
ptr_arr = arr; //or ptr_arr = &arr[0];

• To access certain element can be done using:

ptr_arr[i];
arr[i];
*(ptr_arr + i);
*(arr + i);
ptr_arr = ptr_arr + i; *ptr_arr;
 Assigning Values in Array

• Assigning value to an element

• Example : A[6] = 15; A[3] = 27;

27 15

A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7] A[8] A[9]

• Statement A[2] = A[3] - A[6], resulting:

12 27 15

A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7] A[8] A[9]
 One Dimensional Array

• C compiler does not limit number of dimensional which

can be created. Our PC memory does.
• Example Array 1D:
#include<stdio.h>

int SIZE = 5;

void main() {
int i, j;
int n[SIZE] = {15, 9, 1, 7, 5};
for( i=0 ; i<= SIZE ; i++) {
printf("%5d ", n[i]);
for ( j=1; j<=n[i] ; j++) printf("%c","*");
printf("\n");
}
}
 Two Dimensional Array

• Syntax 2D Array:
type name_array[row][col];
• Example:
int a[3][4];
Column 0 Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Row 0 a[ 0 ][ 0 ] a[ 0 ][ 1 ] a[ 0 ][ 2 ] a[ 0 ][ 3 ]
Row 1 a[ 1 ][ 0 ] a[ 1 ][ 1 ] a[ 1 ][ 2 ] a[ 1 ][ 3 ]
Row 2
a[ 2 ][ 0 ] a[ 2 ][ 1 ] a[ 2 ][ 2 ] a[ 2 ][ 3 ]

Column subscript
Array name
Row subscript
 Two Dimensional Array
• Initialization:
using rmo (row major order)
• Example:
• int b[2][2] = {1, 2, 3, 4 }; 1 2
• int b[2][2] = { { 1, 2 }, { 3, 4 } }; 3 4

1 0
• int b[2][2] = { { 1 }, { 3, 4 } };
3 4

• int x[3][4] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12};

• int x[3][4] = { {1, 2, 3, 4},
{5, 6, 7, 8},
{9, 10, 11, 12}
};
 Two Dimensional Array

• Example Array 2D:

 Three Dimensional Array
• Syntax 3D Array :
type name_array[row][col][depth];

• Example:
int x[3][2][4] = {{{1,2,3,4}, {5,6,7,8}},
{{11,12,13,14}, {15,16,17,18}},
{{21,22,23,24}, {25,26,27,28}}
};
void main() {
int x[4][3][5] = {{{1, 2, 3}, {0, 4, 3, 4}, {1, 2}},
{{9, 7, 5}, {5, 7, 2}, {9}},
{{3, 3, 5}, {2, 8, 9, 9}, {1, 2, 1}},
{{0}, {1}, {0, 1, 9}}
};
printf(“%5d”, x[2][1][3]);
}
 Array of Pointer
• An array filled with pointer/s
• Syntax :
type *array_name [value_dim];
• Example:
int i;
int *ptr[4];
int x=1, y=2, z=3, w=5;
ptr[0]=&x, ptr[1]=&y; ptr[2]=&z; ptr[3]=&w;
for(i=0;i<4;i++) printf("%d ",*ptr[i]);

Output : 1 2 3 5
 Array of Character
• Array filled with character/s

• Syntax:
char array_name[value_dim];

• Example:
char name[40];
char ss[20]={‘B’,’I’,’N’,’U’,’S’}; //20 elements
char ss[ ]= {‘B’,’I’,’N’,’U’,’S’}; // 5 elements
POINTER CONSTANT & POINTER
VARIABLE
 Pointer Constant & Pointer
Variable
• Pointer variable is a pointer that can be assigned with new
value at run-time.
• Pointer constant is a pointer that can not be assigned with new
value at run-time
• Array is Pointer Constant to its first element of the array. Array
can be filled with pointer variable.

• Example:
– int x=10, y=20;
– int *ptr; //ptr is pointer variable
– ptr = &x;
– ptr = &y;
 Pointer Constant & Pointer
Variable Example 1
• Example:
– int x=10, y=20;
– int B[4]; // B is an Array  pointer constant
– int *ptr; // ptr is a pointer variable
– ptr = &x; // ok
– ptr = B; // ok
– ptr++; // ok
– B = ptr; // error
– B++; // error
– B = &y; // error

• ptr = B; analogous with ptr = &B[0]; B is a pointer constant

pointing to the first element of an array.
 Pointer Constant & Pointer
Variable Example 2
• Pointer constant can only be initialized at definition time

• Example:
int Arr1[10];
Arr1[10] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; // error
Arr1 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; // error
Arr1[10] = 12; // error max 9
Arr1[0] = 23; // ok

int Arr2[10] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; //ok

STRING
 String
• String is an array of character that ended with null character
( ‘\0’ or in ASCII = 0)

• String constant or string literal is some characters written

between double quote
– Example: ”Welcome to Binus”

• String constant type is pointer constant, thus can be assigned to

an array of character :
– Example :
char name[40] = ”Amir”; //ok
name = ”Amir”; // error name is a constant pointer
Name[40]= “Amir”; //error
 String
• A Constant String can be linked at compile-time:
”Hello,” ” world”
Similar to:
”Hello, world”

• Example string initialization:

char s[ ] = ”BiNus”;
Similar to :
char s[ ] = {’B’,’i’,’N’,’u’,’s’,’\0’};

• String as a data type does not known in C

 Char vs String

• Character in c written between single quote. Each uses one

byte of computer memory
• Example:
char ch=’A’;
char ch=65; //Ascii Similar
char ch=0x41; //Ascii

• String written in between double quote.

 String Manipulation
• In Standard Library Function (header file string.h) provides functions
to manipulate string:
– strlen()
Return a value of string length; excluded null char
– strcpy(s1,s2)
Copy s2 to s1
– strncpy(s1,s2,n)
Copy first n characters of s2 to s1
– strcat(s1,s2)
Adding string s2 to the end of string s1
– strncat(s1,s2,n)
Adding n characters of string s2 to the end of string s1
– strcmp(s1,s2)
Comparing the value of string s1 and s2, if similar returning 0
– etc.
 Program Example :
String Manipulation 1
• Example: (String Manipulation)
 Program Example :
String Manipulation 2
• Example: (Copy String)
SUMMARY
 Summary
• Pointer is a variable that store the address of another variable
• Pointer to pointer is a variable that saves another address of a
pointer
• Data saved in a certain structure to be accessed as a group or
individually. Some variables saved using the same name
distinguish by their index which called as an array
• String is an array of character that ended with null character
 References
• Paul J. Dietel,Harvey M. Deitel,. 2010. C : how to program.
PEAPH. New Jersey. ISBN:978-0-13-705966-9 Chapter 6 & 7
• C Programming – Pointers: http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/c-
language/c-pointers.html
• Storing Similar Data Items: http://aelinik.free.fr/c/ch12.htm
Thank You