In C programming language, a function pointer is a variable that holds the address of a function. It allows us to pass functions as arguments to other functions, store functions in arrays or structures, and call functions indirectly.
Declaring Function Pointer in C:
To declare a function pointer, you need to specify the return type and the parameter types of the function that the pointer will point to. Here’s an example:
int (*p)(int, int);
This declares a function pointer p that points to a function that takes two int arguments and returns an int.
To assign a function to a pointer, you simply use the name of the function:
int sum(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
p = sum;
Now p points to the sum function.
To call the function using the pointer, you use the * operator:
int result = (*p)(3, 4);
This will call the function that p points to with arguments 3 and 4, and store the result in the result variable.
Alternatively, you can use the function pointer as if it were a regular function:
int result = p(3, 4);
This does the same thing as the previous example, but it’s a bit more concise.
Function pointers are a powerful feature of C that allows you to write more flexible and reusable code.
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