其实归根结底,问题在于我们自己制造了一些名词,本意是为方便,结果却带来更大的麻烦。我查了一下《C++ Primer》第三版中文版,常量指针出现过四次左右,而指针常量没有出现过,这也就是说,指针常量根本就不应该是一个学术术语,而是我们杜撰的。从英文的翻译来看,事实也是如此。关于指针和常量,有两种说法,const pointer和pointer to const,亦即常量指针和指向常量的指针,根本就没有pointer const这样的说法,也就是指针常量的说法出现,而且pointer const在英语中也绝不可能出现。中文中出现指针常量的原因,估计一是因为常量指针(const pointer)的存在,一是因为方便,而前者的影响应该是最主要的。本意是为了让他们相似,便于比较,没想到却搬起石头砸了自己的脚,得不偿失。
关于常量指针和指向常量的指针,我想应该是很好区别的。常量指针,关键词在指针,常量为修饰语,那么这个词的意思自然是这是一个指针,而且这个指针(所指对象的地址)是一个常量,是不能修改的。而指向常量的指针,文如其义,自然就是指针说指的对象是一个常量,该对象的值不能修改。知道了他们的意思以后,遇到声明时,我们就可以按照http://www.cnblogs.com/jonnyyu/archive/2005/06/19/89766.html上面说的方法来判断何为常量指针,何为指向常量的指针了。为方便,我将该文的观点引述如下:
Bjarne在他的The C++ Programming Language里面给出过一个助记的方法:把一个声明从右向左读(这可能和我们平常习惯有所不同,需要特别注意)。
char * const cp; ( * 读成 pointer to )
cp is a const pointer to char ,亦即指针常量,cp值不可改变,但*cp,也就是cp所指对象能够改变。
const char * p;
p is a pointer to const char,亦即指向常量的指针,所以p所指的对象不可改变。
两者的区别还是容易理解的,倒是他们的用法有些让人费解的地方。我们看看如下的程序:
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int
main()
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{
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int i=5;
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int j=10;
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int k=100;
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const int *p=&i;
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p=&j;
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*p=20
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j=20
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int * const q=&i;
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*q=15;
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q=&j
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int *a=p;
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const int *b=p;
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int &c=*p;
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const int &d=*p;
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int *e=q;
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const int *f=q;
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e=&k;
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int &g=*q;
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const int &h=*q;
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cout<<&i<<"\t"<<&j<<endl;
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cout<<p<<"\t"<<q<<endl;
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cout<<i<<"\t"<<j<<endl;
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cout<<*p<<"\t"<<*q<<endl;
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cin>>i;
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return 0;
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}
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上面的代码中,你能找出多少错误?如果将这些出错的语句都注释掉,所得到的输出结果又是什么呢?通过程序的输出结果,我们可以看到指向常量的指针所指向的对象值仍然有可能会改变,而通常想改变常量指针的值是很难做到的。
上面的程序经过修改后的输出结果如下:
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