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5.2.2 Pointers and Handles

When it improves clarity, variables that are pointers to a single object should be named with the _p suffix. Similarly, a pointer to a pointer to an object (also called a "handle") should be named with the _pp suffix when it improves clarity.

type_t    *name_p, **name_pp;

This convention might be used, for example, to distinguish a one dimensional array of pointers (void **name_p or void *name_p[]) from a two dimensional array of objects (void **name or void name[][]), or when an object is passed directly (ie., by value) and indirectly (ie., by reference) in the same piece of code. When an object is always passed by reference, adding the _p suffix does not improve clarity. Note that arrays are NOT conceptually considered pointers, and therefore they should not be named according to the _p or _pp suffix convention (unless the arrays are arrays of pointers or arrays of pointers to pointers, respectively).


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