Home/ Questions/Q 3273732
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-17T18:57:47+00:00

Possible Duplicate: What makes more sense – char* string or char *string? Sorry if

  • 0

Possible Duplicate:
What makes more sense – char* string or char *string?

Sorry if this is a silly question, I am new to these things 🙂

I am working on a C++ code base which uses the following reference conventions:

  • const Name &var
  • const Name& var

As far as I’m aware, they mean the same thing.

Which of these is either of these preferred, or mandated?

I don’t like the ambiguity of having to choose one or the other.

The closest I have found to this answer is on http://google-styleguide.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/cppguide.xml#Reference_Arguments , which uses the &var layout.

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    From the language or compiler perspective both are exactly same. For a group project, you have to use a group style. For personal project, you are free to make any choice.

    Though it is hard, but on topics like these, I always try to remember Rule# 0 from C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, Best Practices:

    Don’t sweat the small stuff. (Or: Know what not to standardize.)

    If I have flexibility to choose, then personally, I always having prefer having spaces on either side of ‘*’, ‘&’, ‘=’ etc. and so I write it as

    const Name & var;

    (Also, I never declare two variables in one line.)

    • 0