Noob question about & and const

[Geranimo]

Hi, could someone be kind enough to explain me this piece of code?

  const int*const Method3(const int*const&)const;

[Richard 4234]

const means the variable will never change.
int aka signed int is an integer, 4 bytes, the limits are –2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.

[Richard 4234]

* is a pointer, a pointer points to another variable's address.

[Richard 4234]

Method3 is the name of the variable.

[Geranimo]

i don't think it's a varible, more like method declaration

[Richard 4234]

Good point.

[giblit]

In this case the return type is a constant pointer to a constant integer and the parameter is a reference to a constant pointer to a constant integer. The const after the function means it is a member function(method) of a class and it promises not to modify any of the member variables.

By the way @Bob

Bob The Zealot wrote:

int aka signed int is an integer, 4 bytes, the limits are –2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.

This is not always the case it is dependent on the compiler. http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/variables/

Oh and something I forgot to mention earlier is that the keyword const binds to the left unless it is the first keyword then it binds to the right. so const int is the same as int const

[Lowest0ne]

The word const refers to the identifier to its left, the exception to the rule is that the first identifier's const can be on the left:

const int;         // constant int
int const;         // constant int
const int *;       // pointer to constant int
int const *;       // pointer to constant int
const int * const; // constant pointer to constant int
int const * const; // constant pointer to constant int
int * const;       // constant pointer to non-constant int 

[Geranimo]

Thanks it helps alot, I get it now!

[Richard 4234]

Your welcome Geranimo, thanks to LowestOne and giblit.