Can References in C Have Their Own Addresses?

Can you Retrieve the Address of a Reference?

In C , references are often used to create aliases for other variables. This makes it convenient to access and modify data indirectly. However, unlike pointers, references do not have their own addresses.

Understanding the Reference-Referent Relationship

A reference is deeply connected to the variable it references, and the two essentially become indistinguishable. This means that the address of a reference is the same as the address of the variable it points to. This is in contrast to pointers, which have their own unique address and store the address of the referenced variable.

Addressing the Distinction

The reason for this distinction is that references and pointers serve different purposes. References provide a more direct and intuitive way to interact with a variable, while pointers offer more flexibility and control over memory management. As a result, references do not require the same level of addressability as pointers.

Key Distinctions from Pointers

As highlighted in the C FAQ:

• References cannot be reassigned to another object once bound.
• References do not have their own identity.
• Taking the address of a reference returns the address of the referenced variable.

Therefore, it is crucial to remember that references are intimately linked to their referents and do not possess distinct addresses like pointers.

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