Question

In the following code, both amp_swap() and star_swap() seems to be doing the same thing. So why will someone prefer to use one over the other? Which one is the preferred notation and why? Or is it just a matter of taste?

#include <iostream>  using namespace std;  void amp_swap(int &x, int &y) {     int temp = x;     x = y;     y = temp; }  void star_swap(int *x, int *y) {     int temp = *x;     *x = *y;     *y = temp; }  int main() {     int a = 10, b = 20;     cout << 'Using amp_swap(): ' << endl;     amp_swap(a, b);     cout << 'a = ' << a << ', b = ' << b << endl;     cout << 'Using star_swap(): ' << endl;     star_swap(&a, &b);     cout << 'a = ' << a << ', b = ' << b << endl;     return 0; } 

Thanks for your time!

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See Also

Difference between pointer variable and reference variable in C++

Answer 1

One is using a reference, one is using a pointer.

I would use the one with references, because you can’t pass a NULL reference (whereas you can pass a NULL pointer).

So if you do:

star_swap(NULL, NULL); 

Your application will crash. Whereas if you try:

amp_swap(NULL, NULL); // This won't compile 

Always go with references unless you’ve got a good reason to use a pointer.

See this link: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=references+vs+pointers