Understanding and Using C Pointers

Core techniques for memory management

Richard Reese (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

226 Seiten

2013
O'Reilly Media, Inc, USA (Verlag)
978-1-4493-4418-4 (ISBN)

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Improve your programming through a solid understanding of C pointers and memory management. With this practical book, you’ll learn how pointers provide the mechanism to dynamically manipulate memory, enhance support for data structures, and enable access to hardware. Author Richard Reese shows you how to use pointers with arrays, strings, structures, and functions, using memory models throughout the book.

Difficult to master, pointers provide C with much flexibility and power—yet few resources are dedicated to this data type. This comprehensive book has the information you need, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced C or C++ programmer or developer.

Get an introduction to pointers, including the declaration of different pointer types
Learn about dynamic memory allocation, de-allocation, and alternative memory management techniques
Use techniques for passing or returning data to and from functions
Understand the fundamental aspects of arrays as they relate to pointers
Explore the basics of strings and how pointers are used to support them
Examine why pointers can be the source of security problems, such as buffer overflow
Learn several pointer techniques, such as the use of opaque pointers, bounded pointers and, the restrict keyword

Richard Reese has worked in the industry and academics for the past 29 years. For 10 years he provided software development support at Lockheed and at one point developed a C based network application. He was a contract instructor providing software training to industry for 5 years. Richard is currently an Associate Professor at Tarleton State University in Stephenville Texas.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Pointers and Memory
Pointer Size and Types
Pointer Operators
Common Uses of Pointers
Summary
Chapter 2 Dynamic Memory Management in C
Dynamic Memory Allocation
Dynamic Memory Allocation Functions
Deallocating Memory Using the free Function
Dangling Pointers
Dynamic Memory Allocation Technologies
Summary
Chapter 3 Pointers and Functions
Program Stack and Heap
Passing and Returning by Pointer
Function Pointers
Summary
Chapter 4 Pointers and Arrays
Quick Review of Arrays
Pointer Notation and Arrays
Using malloc to Create a One-Dimensional Array
Using the realloc Function to Resize an Array
Passing a One-Dimensional Array
Using a One-Dimensional Array of Pointers
Pointers and Multidimensional Arrays
Passing a Multidimensional Array
Dynamically Allocating a Two-Dimensional Array
Jagged Arrays and Pointers
Summary
Chapter 5 Pointers and Strings
String Fundamentals
Standard String Operations
Passing Strings
Returning Strings
Function Pointers and Strings
Summary
Chapter 6 Pointers and Structures
Introduction
Structure Deallocation Issues
Avoiding malloc/free Overhead
Using Pointers to Support Data Structures
Chapter 7 Security Issues and the Improper Use of Pointers
Pointer Declaration and Initialization
Pointer Usage Issues
Memory Deallocation Issues
Using Static Analysis Tools
Summary
Chapter 8 Odds and Ends
Casting Pointers
Aliasing, Strict Aliasing, and the restrict Keyword
Threads and Pointers
Object-Oriented Techniques
Summary
Colophon

Erscheint lt. Verlag	11.6.2013
Zusatzinfo	Illustrations
Verlagsort	Sebastopol
Sprache	englisch
Maße	178 x 233 mm
Gewicht	367 g
Einbandart	kartoniert
Themenwelt	Informatik ► Programmiersprachen / -werkzeuge ► C / C++
ISBN-10	1-4493-4418-6 / 1449344186
ISBN-13	978-1-4493-4418-4 / 9781449344184
Zustand	Neuware