C++ why double pointer for out/return function parameter?

Question

I\'m relatively new to C++ and working on a fairly large C++ project at work. I notice handfuls of functions that take double pointers as parameters for objects that the fun

Answer 1

Using a single pointer just wouldn't work. Consider:

int someFunc(MyClass* retObj) {
    retObj = new MyClass();
    return 0;
}

MyClass* ptr = null;
someFunc(ptr);
// ptr is still null and we've got a memory leak

There are ways to make this work other than using a pointer to pointer, relative merits of which could be debated.