Mastering C Pointers. Tools for Programming Power, Volume 1

If you don't fully understand C pointers and how they are used, you're not getting the most out of C programming. This book features complete coverage on using and controlling C language pointers to make C applications more powerful and expressive. This new edition is completely updated and revised to reflect the changes that have been brought about with the full adoption of ANSI C. All discussions and program examples have been updated, and reading materials necessary for any modern ANSI C programmer have also been added. Includes one 3 1/2" disk containing all of the working programs and modules found in the book. System 286 or higher IBM PC or compatible. Mastering C Pointers: Tools for Programming Power focuses on the pointer operations of the C programming language, explaining exactly what pointers are and how to master them through easy-to-understand phrasing and by presenting many simple program examples. The functions of pointers with respect to memory access and memory allocation are also discussed. Comprised of 10 chapters, this book begins with the author's personal reflection on his first encounters with the C programming language and its pointers. The next two chapters presents steps to learning pointers, with emphasis on the essential processes that occur (invisibly and internally) when declaring standard numeric variables in C language and how to deal with C language character arrays and C strings. The reader is then introduced to string pointers and declared pointers of numeric types; the use of C language pointers and the memory allocation functions; and C language functions. The book also explores some of the other'entities'that pointers are used to access, including structures and unions, before concluding with an examination of the source code format of C language. This monograph is intended for both beginning and experienced C language programmers. Content: Front Matter, Page iii Copyright, Page iv Dedication, Page v Preface, Pages ix-xi Chapter 1 - C Language and Pointers—A Personal Background, Pages 1-7 Chapter 2 - A First Step to Learning Pointers, Pages 9-18 Chapter 3 - A Second Step to Learning Pointers, Pages 19-34 Chapter 4 - Declared Pointers and Their Operations, Pages 35-49 Chapter 5 - String Pointers, Pages 51-75 Chapter 6 - Pointers and Memory Access, Pages 77-98 Chapter 7 - Pointers and Memory Allocation Functions, Pages 99-121 Chapter 8 - Pointers and Functions, Pages 123-151 Chapter 9 - Pointers to Other Objects, Pages 153-165 Chapter 10 - Source Code Format, Pages 167-180 Index, Pages 181-182