What does const do in this case - const int *ptr;

Question

I tested it here and can't tell that it does anything ... I can change both the address it points to and the value at at that address.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  // p_int is a pointer to an int, and that int is constant
  const int *p_int;
  int x = 5;
  int y = 6;
  p_int = &x;
  p_int = &y;
  y = 3;
  return 0;
}

I'm not sure how to test further.

It's the pointed-to `int` that's constant, not the pointer. Compare with `int const *p_int` and `const int const *p_int` — Alexander, Mar 20 '23 at 19:21
@Alexander I think you mean `int* const`/`const int* const`. `int const*` and `const int*` are the same type. — Brian61354270, Mar 20 '23 at 19:34
Does this answer your question? [What is the difference between const int\*, const int \* const, and int const \*?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1143262/what-is-the-difference-between-const-int-const-int-const-and-int-const) — Harith, Mar 20 '23 at 19:37
‘Why does const do in this case’ is not a question that makes any sense. — user3840170, Mar 20 '23 at 19:39
@bobby wang It does nothing because the pointer is not used.:) — Vlad from Moscow, Mar 20 '23 at 20:07

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 20 '23 at 19:19

variable p_int is a pointer to a Constant Integer.

You cannot change the value of the integer using that pointer.

So a statement like *p_int = 3; will fail.

When I try, I get:

error: assignment of read-only location ‘*p_int’

You are free to change variable y, because it was NOT declared const.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  // p_int is a pointer to an int, and that int is constant
  const int *p_int;  // Pointer-to-Constant Integer: 
                     // NOTE: the pointer can be re-assigned.
                     // But the value referenced by the pointer cannot be assigned.
  int x = 5;         
  int y = 6;
  p_int = &x;
  p_int = &y;
  y = 3;
  *p_int = 3;        // error: assignment of read-only location ‘*p_int’
  return 0;
}

Eric Postpischil · Answer 2 · 2023-03-20T19:54:36.513

[What] does const do in this case - const int *ptr;

Primarily what const in that declaration does is require the compiler to warn you about certain misuses of the pointer. It does that by triggering these constraints in C 2018 6.5.16 1 and 6.5.16.1 1:

[6.5.16 1] An assignment operator shall have a modifiable lvalue as its left operand.

[6.5.16.1 1] … both operands are pointers to qualified or unqualified versions of compatible types, and the type pointed to by the left has all the qualifiers of the type pointed to by the right;…

and then the consequence of violating a constraint is that the compiler must produce a diagnostic message, per C 2018 5.1.1.3 1:

A conforming implementation shall produce at least one diagnostic message … if … a translation unit contains a violation of any syntax rule or constraint…

That is the primary effect: The compiler must help the programmer avoid mistakes by diagnosing these misuses of things qualified with const.

I'm not sure how to test further.

You can test this by inserting either of these lines and attempting to compile:

*p_int = 0; // Will warn of a violation of the first constraint, attempting to assign to a non-modifiable lvalue.

int *q = p_int; // Will warn of a violation of the second constraint, discarding qualifiers in an assignment or initialization.

(The constraints apply directly to assignments, but other parts of the C standard, such as the rules for initialization, some conversions, and compound assignments, refer to the rules for assignments or simple assignments.)

When you define an object with const (not just const on a pointer to an object, but const on the original definition of an object), then the compiler is allowed to put the object in memory protected from inadvertent modification and to make optimizations based on the assertion that the object will not be modified by the program. However, your declaration does not show such a use of const.

What does const do in this case - const int *ptr;

2 Answers2