#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int i=9,k=8;
int &q=i;
q=k;
cout<<i<<"\n"<<q<<"\n";
return 0;
}
Output:
8
8
But in my book it is given "q=k changes only the value of i and not q. This is because q being a reference gets de-referenced automatically as(*q). Hence the value at the address stored in q is replaced by value of i" But as you can see value of q also gets changed. Isn't it wrong???
q, as a reference, does not change. In other words, it refers to i, always, forever and ever (until it goes out of scope). You cannot make q refer to a different object. That is what is meant by "it's value [sic?] never changes." The "value" of q is i's address. When you assign to q there, you're really assigning to i.
What you printed out there was the value of i, and then the value of the object that q refers to (which is i).
As q is reference to i, that means it is just an alias to i (other name to i).
So whatever value i will have same q will have!
When you initialize a variable like:
int &q = i;
every time you change i you change q and viceversa.
The reference of q have the same value of i, so them point to the same memory location.
