Add items to linked list: I'm lost in parameter passing

[anarelle]

I used to do this years ago in good ol' Pascal but now I can't seem to be able to reproduce the same algorithm in C++. Actually, my function does what I want but it resets everything after it returns.
Basically, what I'm trying to do here is:
-Start with a null list;
-Read a number;
-Call function where a new node is created to store the number, and next pointer points to null;
-If the list is empty, then this new node is the beginning of the list (and only element)
-If there are more elements, then this new node points to the head of the list and becomes the new head.

My function does what I want (at least I can see that in the debugger) but after it returns my list is empty and the head is null again.

I intendedly avoided using OOP, templates, typedef, etc. as much as possible to get a "cleaner" code so I can understand how everything works.

  struct node{
    int data;
    node *next;
};

void insert_front(node *list, int num){
    node * newnode = new (node);
    newnode->data = num;
    newnode->next = nullptr;

    if (list == nullptr)
        list = newnode;
    else{
        newnode->next = list;
        list = newnode;
    }
}

int main()
{
    int n;
    node *head = nullptr;

    cout << "Input numbers to store (0 finishes input): ";
    cin >> n;
    while (n != 0){
        insert_front(head, n);
        cin >> n;
    }
    return 0;
}

Also tried this but it doesn't even compile:

void insert_front(node &lst, int num){
    node *newnode = new node();
    newnode->data=num;
    newnode->next=lst;
    lst=newnode;
}

Thanks.

[anarelle]

I just realized all I was missing was a pointer parameter by reference:

void insert_front(node &lst, int num){
    node *newnode = new node();
    newnode->data=num;
    newnode->next=lst;
    lst=newnode;
}