Dot, Arrow, or Double Colon in C : When to Use Each Member Access Operator?

Access Member Functions and Variables in C : When to Use a Dot, Arrow, or Double Colon

C provides three distinct operators to access class members: dot (.), arrow (->), and double colon (::). Each has a specific purpose, helping to determine aspects of the class and the member being accessed.

Double Colon (::)

If a::b is encountered, it indicates that b is a member of the class a. This syntax is used to access static members, such as class functions or variables, or to refer to a namespace.

Dot (.)

When a.b is used, b signifies a member of the object a. This syntax implies that a is an instance of a class, and b is a member variable or function of that instance.

Arrow (->)

The arrow operator a->b is a pointer dereference shorthand for (a).b*. However, -> can also be overloaded. If a is a pointer to an object, b represents a member of the pointed-to object. In cases where a belongs to a class that overloads operator->(), the corresponding operator function is called.

Additional Notes:

• Class types include class, struct, and union.
• References are aliases to objects, so the arrow operator may also be used.
• Dot and arrow operators can access static class members from objects, despite not being direct object members.

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