Pointer vs Reference Swap

Question

Problem: Pointer vs Reference Swap. Solve this hands-on electronics task on EWskills.

Accepted Answer

#include 

void swapPtr(int* a, int* b) {
    int temp = *a;
    *a = *b;
    *b = temp;
}

void swapRef(int& a, int& b) {
    int temp = a;
    a = b;
    b = temp;
}

int main() {
    int x, y;
    std::cin >> x >> y;

    int a = x, b = y;
    swapPtr(&a, &b);
    std::cout << "After swapPtr: a=" << a << " b=" << b << "
";

    int c = x, d = y;
    swapRef(c, d);
    std::cout << "After swapRef: a=" << c << " b=" << d;

    return 0;
}

Solution Details

swapPtr uses explicit memory access via pointers
swapRef uses reference binding with no dereferencing
Both perform in-place swaps with O(1) time and memory

Embedded Relevance

Demonstrates:
- Pass-by-address (C-style APIs)
- Pass-by-reference (C++ firmware abstractions)
Foundational for:
- Register access
- Peripheral drivers
- HAL / BSP API design

2. Pointer vs Reference Swap