   Pointers (quick) question...
  Consider this:void function1(){   int variable = 5;   function2(&variable);}void function2 (int *var){   *(var) = 10;    //Function1.variable now is 5return;}My question is: Instead of using "&variable" and "*var" as parameters, couldnt we just use "variable" and "var"?What is the point of using pointers in a function?   
  If you rewrote the code tovoid function1(){int variable = 5;function2(variable);}void function2 (int var){var = 10;return;}It would not work , function2 gets passed a copy of the variable which it can alter. It will not alter "variable".If you are using C++ and not C you can use refernces which would make the code look like void function2 (int & var){var = 10;return;}This code would change "variable" just like the pointer version.;Quote:Original post by Greek89Instead of using "&variable" and "*var" as parameters, couldnt we just use "variable" and "var"?If you did that, then the information "5" would be passed. function2 would have no idea where that 5 came from. There would be no connection to variable. Changes wouldn't be reflected to the caller.If instead you pass &variable, you pass the information where the variable is stored. Basically, you pass "the variable itself", if you will, thus function2 is able modify it.   