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Thread: Reference to an existing reference

  1. #1
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    Post Reference to an existing reference

    In C/C++ I can easily address a pointer, as opposed to the memory/object it points to, by implying its address with the & operator. For example, I can store a pointer to an existing pointer as per follows:

    int integer1, integer2;
    int *pointer = &integer1;
    int **pointerToPointer = &pointer;
    *pointerToPointer = &integer2;

    Upon executing the above snippet, the value of "pointer" is directly modified by dereferencing the “pointerToPointer” address and ends up referencing integer2 as opposed to integer1.
    As the pointer-to-pointer or reference-to-reference semantic is extremely useful when dealing with all kinds of pointer-centric data structures, I was wondering whether or not Java has an analogous mechanism.

    I know I can change the value of a Java reference by explicitly assigning it an object address (e.g. reference = new object...), but is there any way I can store the address of the reference variable itself (not the address of the object it points to) for later use?

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    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Reference to an existing reference

    is there any way I can store the address of the reference variable itself
    No
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

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    Default Re: Reference to an existing reference

    Quote Originally Posted by Norm View Post
    No
    Cheers, just as I thought.

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