funcptr

A funcptr, short for function pointer, is a variable that stores the memory address of a function. In programming, function pointers are used to implement callbacks, function tables, and other dynamic behavior. They allow functions to be passed as arguments to other functions, returned from functions, and stored in data structures.

Function pointers are particularly useful in languages like C and C++, where they provide a way to create flexible and modular code. For example, in C, a function pointer can be declared using the following syntax:

int (*funcptr)(int, int);

This declares a function pointer named funcptr that points to a function taking two integers as arguments and returning an integer.

To assign a function to a function pointer, the function's name (without parentheses) is used. For example:

int add(int a, int b) {

return a + b;

}

funcptr = add;

Once assigned, the function pointer can be used to call the function it points to:

int result = funcptr(3, 4); // result is 7

Function pointers can also be used to create arrays of functions, function tables, or to implement polymorphism in C. However, they are not as commonly used in higher-level languages like Python or Java, which have more built-in support for functional programming features.