Difference between const. pointer and reference?

by

There are 3 types of const pointers:

//Data that p points to cannot be changed from p
const char* p = szBuffer;

//p cannot point to something different.  
char* const p = szBuffer;

//Both of the above restrictions apply on p
const char* const p = szBuffer;

Method #2 above is most similar to a reference.

There are key differences between references and all of the 3 types of const pointers above:

More Related Contents:

  1. What are the differences between a pointer variable and a reference variable in C++?
  2. When to use references vs. pointers
  3. When should I use the new keyword in C++?
  4. Pointer vs. Reference
  5. Reason to Pass a Pointer by Reference in C++?
  6. C++ pass an array by reference
  7. Why are references not reseatable in C++
  8. C++ standard: dereferencing NULL pointer to get a reference? [duplicate]
  9. Why is ‘this’ a pointer and not a reference?
  10. how does the ampersand(&) sign work in c++? [duplicate]
  11. What are the differences between a pointer variable and a reference variable?
  12. Passing references to pointers in C++
  13. Difference between pointer to a reference and reference to a pointer
  14. What’s the meaning of * and & when applied to variable names?
  15. error: invalid initialization of non-const reference of type ‘int&’ from an rvalue of type ‘int’
  16. What is the difference between std::reference_wrapper and a simple pointer?
  17. Why can’t I do polymorphism with normal variables?
  18. Why doesn’t reference-to-member exist in C++?
  19. Confusion about pointers and references in C++
  20. Returning non-const reference from a const member function
  21. C++: difference between ampersand “&” and asterisk “*” in function/method declaration?
  22. Why do some people prefer “T const&” over “const T&”?
  23. dereferencing a pointer when passing by reference
  24. Use const wherever possible in C++?
  25. Where ampersand “&” can be put when passing argument by reference?
  26. Why isn’t operator overloading for pointers allowed to work?
  27. C++ strings: [] vs. *
  28. Why is a c++ reference considered safer than a pointer?
  29. Meaning of *& and **& in C++
  30. Pass by pointer & Pass by reference [duplicate]

Leave a Comment