In C++, a **pointer** holds the address of an object stored in memory. The pointer then simply “points” to the object. The type of the object must correspond with the type of the pointer. 

    type *name;    // points to a value of the specified type

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`type` refers to the data type of the object our pointer points to, and `name` is just the label of the pointer. The `*` character specifies that this variable is in fact, a pointer. Here is an example:

    int *p;   // integer pointer
    string *q;   // string pointer



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The `&` character specifies that we are storing the address of the variable succeeding it. 

The `*` character lets us access the value.


#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
  int var = 10;
  int *p;
  p = &var; // p points to the address of var 
  cout << "The address stored in p: " << p << endl;
  cout << "The value that points to: " << *p << endl;
  
  *p = 15; // update the value of p
  cout << "The new value of var is: " << var << endl; // var is updated!
  
  var = 20; // the value of var is updated
  cout << "The new value of *p and var: " << *p; // p has been updated as well!
}

### Dynamic Memory

So, why do we need pointers when we already have normal variables? Well, with pointers we have the power of creating new objects in *dynamic memory* rather than static memory. A pointer can create a new object in dynamic memory by using the `new` command.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
  int *p = new int;   // dynamic memory reserved for an integer 
  *p = 10;   // the object is assigned the value of 10
  cout << "The value of the object p points to: " << *p << endl;
  int *q = p;   // both pointers point to the same object
  cout << "The value of the object q points to: " << *q << endl;
}

# Pointer Cheat Sheet

| Syntax | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `int *p` | Declares a pointer `p` |
| `p = new int` | Creates an integer variable in dynamic memory and places its address in p |
| `p = new int[5]` | Creates a dynamic array of size 5 and places the address of its first index in p |
| `p = &var` | Points `p` to the `var` variable |
| `*p` | Accesses the value of the object `p` points to |
| `*p = 8` | Updates the value of the object `p` points to |
| `p` | Accesses the memory address of the object `p` points to |


What are pointers in C++?

In C++, a pointer holds the address of an object stored in memory. The pointer then simply “points” to the object. The type of the object must correspond with the type of the pointer. type *name;    // points to a value of the specified type 

Syntax	Purpose
`int *p`	Declares a pointer `p`
`p = new int`	Creates an integer variable in dynamic memory and places its address in p
`p = new int[5]`	Creates a dynamic array of size 5 and places the address of its first index in p
`p = &var`	Points `p` to the `var` variable
`*p`	Accesses the value of the object `p` points to
`*p = 8`	Updates the value of the object `p` points to
`p`	Accesses the memory address of the object `p` points to