assignment operator with pointers c++

The assignment operator in C++ is used to assign the value of one object to another object. When working with pointers in C++, the assignment operator behaves differently compared to other types.

When assigning a pointer to another pointer using the assignment operator, the value of the right-hand side pointer is copied to the left-hand side pointer. However, only the address of the memory location is copied, not the actual data itself.

Here is an example:

int main() {
   int* ptr1;
   int* ptr2;
   int value = 5;

   ptr1 = &value; // Assign the address of value to ptr1
   ptr2 = ptr1;  // Copy the address from ptr1 to ptr2

   cout << "Value at ptr1: " << *ptr1 << endl; // Output: 5
   cout << "Value at ptr2: " << *ptr2 << endl; // Output: 5

   *ptr2 = 10; // Modify the value at the memory location pointed by ptr2

   cout << "Value at ptr1: " << *ptr1 << endl; // Output: 10
   cout << "Value at ptr2: " << *ptr2 << endl; // Output: 10

   return 0;
}

In this example, we have two pointers ptr1 and ptr2, both pointing to the same memory location of value. When ptr2 is assigned the value of ptr1, the address of value is copied to ptr2. Therefore, both ptr1 and ptr2 now point to the same memory location.

When we modify the value at the memory location using either ptr1 or ptr2, the change is reflected in both pointers because they are pointing to the same memory location.

This is the basic behavior of the assignment operator with pointers in C++. It is important to understand this behavior to avoid unexpected results when working with pointers in your C++ programs.