what do * here define for?

Question

#define xyz

static xyz  myObject *__my_getitem (myObject* a, myObject *b) {
     myObject *r;
     .........
     ........
     return r;
 }

What is static?
What is xyz doing with static
Why is there a * in front of __my_getitem
What is the difference betweern myObject* a and myObject *a (position of *)

Please http://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/the-definitive-c-book-guide-and-list — fasked, Sep 05 '12 at 10:29
I suggest you pick up a beginners book on C++ (or C), as this is very basic stuff. — Some programmer dude, Sep 05 '12 at 10:30
I hope you'll find the answers before the end of your exam ;) — m4573r, Sep 05 '12 at 10:31
yes I am new to the C n C++. But want to learn it quickly as I have deadline for the submission :( — Sumeet Shrestha, Sep 05 '12 at 10:34
@SumeetShrestha: Good luck with that. I'm still learning after 15 years. — Mike Seymour, Sep 05 '12 at 10:35
As much as this question is dying for a good burn ill be the bigger man and just add a link to a nice c tutorial in my opinion : http://www.physics.drexel.edu/courses/Comp_Phys/General/C_basics/ — oopsi, Sep 05 '12 at 10:37
@Sumeet, [this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e7LB8W_AJh4/S-QBt7K6t8I/AAAAAAAAAFo/F4mXh75R_b4/s1600/Teach-yourself-C++-in-21-days.PNG) is the best way to learn it quickly, as everyone knows. — SingerOfTheFall, Sep 05 '12 at 10:37
Hi, please help me to get rid of the ban from asking the question. I am not able to post any question now as my reputation is very bad. — Sumeet Shrestha, Oct 01 '12 at 03:07
your questions suck, they aren't very good, thats why you are banned, try answering a few questions and getting your reputation good again, that way you will get the hang of asking better questions — Keith Nicholas, Oct 01 '12 at 03:53

Scooter · Answer 1 · 2012-09-05T10:43:55.827

What is static?

Function definitions that are prefaced by "static" have their scope limited. They can only be seen and used by functions in the same source file. You would do that when you have a function that has no value outside of the processing taking place in the current file, or you want to limit usage so that it can be modified in the future with less ramifications due to its limited scope.

What is xyz doing with static

In this specific case, xyz gets replaced with nothing, so it does nothing. In the general case, it would likely be modifying how the compiler generates this function, changing the "calling convention". That is, xyz would have some meaning to the compiler and is not part of the C language.

Why is there an asterisk in front of __my_getitem

It shows that the __my_getitem function returns a pointer to a myObject.

What is the difference between myObject* a and myObject *a (position of *)

Nothing, as the syntax is flexible.

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 05 '12 at 10:40

What is static?

It means different things in different contexts; you'll need to read your book to understand all of its meanings. In this case, it means that the function is only available inside this source file, and not in any that are compiled separately and then linked to it.

What is xyz doing with static?

Causing confusion. It's an empty macro (defined in the first line) so, before compiling the program, the preprocessor will replace it with nothing.

Why is there a * in front of __my_getitem

* after a type changes the type to a pointer; so this means that the function returns a pointer to a myObject. (By the way, you should never declare a name with two consecutive _ characters; names like that are reserved.)

What is the difference betweern myObject* a and myObject *a (position of *)

Nothing at all; whitespace never changes the meaning of the program, except where it is needed to separate tokens. Some people fight holy wars over the semantic implications of those two styles, but the language doesn't care.

what do * here define for?

2 Answers2