Ansi C:Is an array's name Stored as a pointer variable?

Question

Say, I define an array:

int a[5];

And

a = &a[0];

is an address to the beginning of the array.

My question is, does a get stored someplace in memory like a pointer variable? If so, when I try to print the address of a (&a), why do I get the same value as a?

Look here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7707190/address-of-array-difference-between-having-an-ampersand-and-no-ampersand — cadaniluk, Aug 28 '15 at 18:08
No, `a` is an array and not a pointer. Please read a C book. Such is definitively treated in the opening chapters about arrays. — too honest for this site, Aug 28 '15 at 18:08
Why do you not just try the assignment? What does your compiler say? Which output do you get from your program? And which type do you get for `int * p = a;` and `&a`? — too honest for this site, Aug 28 '15 at 18:15

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 28 '15 at 19:02

When you declare an array, the only storage that gets set aside is for the array elements themselves; no storage is set aside for a pointer to the first element.

When the compiler sees an array expression that isn't the operand of the sizeof or & operators, or isn't a string literal being used to initialize another array in a declaration, it will convert that array expression to a pointer expression, and the value of the pointer expression will be the address of the first element in the array.

Ansi C:Is an array's name Stored as a pointer variable?

1 Answers1