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C++ Fundamentals for Professionals

References

Explore how references serve as aliases for variables in C++, enabling efficient data manipulation without copying. Understand their constant nature, contrast with pointers, and how passing by reference enhances performance in functions.

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A reference is an alias for an existing variable. It can be created using the & operator.

Once created, the reference can be used instead of the actual variable. Altering the value of the reference is equivalent to altering the referenced variable.

C++
#include <iostream>
int main() {
  int i = 20;
  int& iRef = i;
  std::cout << "i: " << i << std::endl;
  std::cout << "iRef: " << iRef << std::endl;
  
  std::cout << std::endl;
  iRef = 30; // Altering the reference
  std::cout << "i: " << i << std::endl;
  std::cout << "iRef: " << iRef << std::endl;
}

References vs. pointers

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