Question

What is the difference between Type** name, and Type* name[]?

Why would someone use one over the other?

Thanks

Answer 1

Well that depends, is it in a variable declaration or in a function argument? If in a variable declaration:

Type** name = &pointer_to_type;
Type* name[] = { &pointer_to_type, 0, &pointer_to_type };

The first one is a pointer to pointer to type, while the second one is an array of pointers to type of length 3.

If in a function argument, they are the same thing. Arrays decay to pointers, and both Type** name and Type* name[] are exactly the same as function arguments. However, the second form makes it clear that name is an array of pointers of unknown length, while the first one does not. I would use Type** to specify a single element and Type*[] to specify an array.