What is different between variable and variable in c?

Question

I have a question I would appreciate it if you could clarify it. I am new to c and I encountered a part of the code in c which is as follows

#include <List.h>
LIST<P1*> p1

where the p1 is

class P1
  {
     public:

P1(int i, VECTOR xi);

Could you please tell me what p1* means in LIST<P1*>?

Is that a pointer?

And `P1*` in this context means "pointer to a P1 object". So `LIST` is a list (I assume) of pointers to `P1` objects. — Some programmer dude, Jan 31 '19 at 13:41
@babaksinichi, this piece by itself probably doesn't mean anything — ForceBru, Jan 31 '19 at 15:49
@ForceBru I meant something like this " & p2 ", could you please tell me what it means? — babak sinichi, Jan 31 '19 at 15:52
@babaksinichi, this doesn't mean anything. `LIST& p2` would mean that the symbol `p2` is a reference to data of type `LIST`. — ForceBru, Jan 31 '19 at 15:53
@ ForceBru thanks, do you know the reference that explains these things? — babak sinichi, Jan 31 '19 at 15:55
@babaksinichi any [decent C++ book](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/) would cover this. — Remy Lebeau, Jan 31 '19 at 17:29

soca · Answer 1 · 2019-01-31T14:39:34.563

0

like comments said, "P1*" is a pointer to an object of type "P1".

On the other hand " * p1" is an indirection (telling the compiler that it is an adress) on the content of the pointer p1;

P1* pp1;
P1 p1;

returning *pp1 is like returning p1;

returning pp1 return the adress of the pointed object.

edited Jan 31 '19 at 14:39

answered Jan 31 '19 at 14:32

soca

to try and clarify P1* pp1 contains an adress, *pp1 return the object at the adress in pp1, pp1 return the adress; thats the difference. – soca Jan 31 '19 at 14:34
could you please tell me what & means too? thanks – babak sinichi Jan 31 '19 at 15:17

What is different between *variable and variable* in c?