C++ Pointers to Pointers in Java

Question

I am a Java noob. I have been able to grasp the concept of converting C/C++ pointers into Java references and this has gone fairly smoothly.

I hit a piece of code t

Answer 1

A typical trick one could use to model pointers to pointers in Java is using arrays: a reference to the array itself serves as the "pointer", while the array element serves as the item pointed to. You can nest these as much as you'd like, but the code does not look nearly as nice as it does in C/C++.

Rather than porting C/C++ idioms into Java, you should build a mutable class that lets you change the item inside it. This class would serve as a "pointer" to give you the functionality that you are looking for, and it would also add readability to your Java code. Generics greatly simplify your task, requiring only one implementation that you could reuse.