what does ^ mean in bool GetDeviceInformation(String ^ port, LibCECConfiguration ^configuration, uint32_t timeoutMs)

Question

I came across this function with arguments like this. I am wondering what does the ^ mean in here.

bool GetDeviceInformation(String ^ port, LibCECConfiguration ^configuration, uint32_t timeoutMs){}

Cheers, Lan

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 09 '13 at 12:36

3

That a C++/CLI "reference". In particular, this is not C++ but a Microsoft extension to it. In C++, the caret is always the XOR operator.

answered Jul 09 '13 at 12:36

doomster

171
2

Hats are also used for reference-counted pointers in C++/CX. – Cory Nelson Jul 09 '13 at 13:33

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 09 '13 at 12:38

It's a CLI (common language interface) reference; used in Microsoft's managed C++ environment. They have similarities to pointers. (You need to program in C++ CLI if, for example, you're building an interop layer between C++ and C#).

It is not standard: in standard C++, ^ is the eXclusive-OR operator.

what does ^ mean in bool GetDeviceInformation(String ^ port, LibCECConfiguration ^configuration, uint32_t timeoutMs)

2 Answers2