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C++ References

A reference variable is an alias for an existing variable that allows either name to refer to the same memory location. References must be initialized when created to an existing variable, while pointers can be initialized later. Once initialized, a reference always refers to the same variable and cannot be changed to refer to a different one like a pointer can. References are commonly used for function parameters and return values in C++.

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41 views

C++ References

A reference variable is an alias for an existing variable that allows either name to refer to the same memory location. References must be initialized when created to an existing variable, while pointers can be initialized later. Once initialized, a reference always refers to the same variable and cannot be changed to refer to a different one like a pointer can. References are commonly used for function parameters and return values in C++.

Uploaded by

Abirami
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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10/13/21, 10:53 AM C++ References

C++ References

A reference variable is an alias, that is, another name for an already existing variable. Once a
reference is initialized with a variable, either the variable name or the reference name may be
used to refer to the variable.

References vs Pointers
References are often confused with pointers but three major differences between references
and pointers are −

You cannot have NULL references. You must always be able to assume that a
reference is connected to a legitimate piece of storage.
Once a reference is initialized to an object, it cannot be changed to refer to another
object. Pointers can be pointed to another object at any time.

A reference must be initialized when it is created. Pointers can be initialized at any time.

Creating References in C++


Think of a variable name as a label attached to the variable's location in memory. You can then
think of a reference as a second label attached to that memory location. Therefore, you can
access the contents of the variable through either the original variable name or the reference.
For example, suppose we have the following example −

int i = 17;

We can declare reference variables for i as follows.

int& r = i;

Read the & in these declarations as reference. Thus, read the first declaration as "r is an
integer reference initialized to i" and read the second declaration as "s is a double reference
initialized to d.". Following example makes use of references on int and double −

Live Demo
#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main () {

// declare simple variables

int i;

double d;

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10/13/21, 10:53 AM C++ References

// declare reference variables

int& r = i;
double& s = d;

i = 5;

cout << "Value of i : " << i << endl;

cout << "Value of i reference : " << r << endl;

d = 11.7;

cout << "Value of d : " << d << endl;

cout << "Value of d reference : " << s << endl;

return 0;

When the above code is compiled together and executed, it produces the following result −

Value of i : 5

Value of i reference : 5

Value of d : 11.7

Value of d reference : 11.7

References are usually used for function argument lists and function return values. So following
are two important subjects related to C++ references which should be clear to a C++
programmer −

Sr.No Concept & Description

1 References as Parameters
C++ supports passing references as function parameter more safely than
parameters.

2 Reference as Return Value


You can return reference from a C++ function like any other data type.

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