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cpointersvariablesnaming-conventions

Why is the asterisk before the variable name, rather than after the type?

Why do most C programmers name variables like this:

int *myVariable;

rather than like this:

int* myVariable;

Both are valid. It seems to me that the asterisk is a part of the type, not a part of the variable name. Can anyone explain this logic?

Solution

  • They are EXACTLY equivalent. However, in

    int *myVariable, myVariable2;

    It seems obvious that myVariable has type int*, while myVariable2 has type int. In

    int* myVariable, myVariable2;

    it may seem obvious that both are of type int*, but that is not correct as myVariable2 has type int.

    Therefore, the first programming style is more intuitive.