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Q&A

Welcome to Software Development on Codidact!

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Q&A Why use an asterisk after a type?

Here I used asterisk after Node. Actually, why asterisk used for? What if I don't put any asterisk after Node (Both Node are structure). It's a pointer. A pointer, like its name implies, poin...

posted 3y ago by Moshi‭

Answer
#1: Initial revision by user avatar Moshi‭ · 2021-07-01T03:55:11Z (almost 3 years ago)
> Here I used asterisk after Node. Actually, why asterisk used for? What if I don't put any asterisk after Node (Both Node are structure).

It's a pointer.

A pointer, like its name implies, points to an actual object in memory. (More technically, it holds an address to the memory location).

In your Node example, it is necessary because using a plain object is impossible.

Think of a struct like a box. The box has compartments, which hold the items in it. By necessity, the compartment must be smaller than the box itself.

Now, imagine trying to stuff a Node into another Node. This is like trying to stuff a box into a compartment of a box of the same size -- it just doesn't fit.

However, if we use a *pointer*, we get around that problem. We slip in a piece of paper into the box that says "the next box is over there", so we don't try to stuff boxes in boxes.

> Is `*ptr` and `ptr*` same?

It's not.

The basic syntax to declare a pointer is `type * var_name`. The most likely confusion you have is which one is the type, and which one is the variable name.

In `struct Node * next`, `struct Node` is the type, and `next` is the variable name.

In `int *ptr;`, `int` is the type, and `ptr` is the variable name.

Note that spaces are completely irrelevant. `int* ptr` is the same as `int *ptr` is the same as `int * ptr`.