Understanding the Role of ** Pointers in C Programming

A comprehensive guide on what `**` means in C, including its common use cases and applications in programming. --- This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66086189/ asked by the user 'DaWise_Weirdo' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/15150825/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66086248/ provided by the user 'doron' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/232918/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: What is ** in C? Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l... The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license. If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. --- Understanding the Role of ** Pointers in C Programming In the world of C programming, pointers are an essential concept that many developers use to manage memory efficiently and pass data around their programs. However, when you encounter double pointers—denoted as **—things can get a bit confusing. In this post, we will unravel what ** means and how it is commonly used in C. What is ** in C? The ** in C represents a pointer to a pointer. Let's break this down further. Pointers in C To understand **, we should first recall what a pointer is. A pointer is a variable that stores the address of another variable. For example: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] In the above code, ptr is a pointer that stores the address of the integer variable num. Understanding Double Pointers A double pointer, or char **argv as you might see in function definitions, is basically a pointer that holds the address of another pointer. This is particularly useful in certain scenarios. Here's a common usage scenario: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] In this example: argc is an integer representing the number of command-line arguments. argv is a double pointer, which points to an array of character pointers. This means that each element of argv can point to a string that represents a command-line argument. Why Use Double Pointers? Double pointers are commonly used in the following situations: Array of Arrays: They can be used to handle multi-dimensional data structures. Think of arrays of strings, where each string is an array of characters. Function Arguments: When you pass a pointer to a pointer in a function, you can modify the original pointer. This is often used in dynamic memory allocation or to return multiple values from a function. Example of Using Double Pointers Here's an example to illustrate double pointers with dynamic memory allocation: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] Conclusion Understanding the concept of ** pointers is crucial for effective programming in C. They provide a flexible way to manage arrays of data and facilitate complex data structures. Whether you are dealing with command-line arguments or building intricate data models, mastering double pointers can greatly improve your coding efficiency. Remember, in C programming, pointers are powerful tools. With **, you have the ability to manipulate multiple layers of data, making your programs dynamic and robust. By grasping these fundamental concepts, you will become better equipped to handle the intricacies of C programming.