Why is ' this ' a pointer and not a reference?
In C++, is used as a pointer rather than a reference, primarily due to several design considerations:Historical Reasons: In early versions of C++, references had not been introduced. as a pointer already existed, and when reference types were added to the C++ language in later versions, to maintain backward compatibility, the use of as a pointer was retained.Flexibility: Pointers can be assigned , whereas references must remain associated with an initialized object once initialized. This characteristic makes pointers more flexible in expressing the existence or non-existence of an object. Although in well-designed code, the pointer should not be , in certain complex object lifecycle management scenarios, this flexibility may be necessary.Functionality: Pointers can perform arithmetic operations, such as increment or decrement, which is particularly useful when handling arrays or similar data structures. Although such operations are typically not performed on the pointer, this demonstrates that pointers offer greater low-level control compared to references.Tradition and Consistency: Pointers have been widely used in C++ for various purposes (e.g., dynamic memory management, array handling), and users have a deep understanding of pointers. Designing as a pointer helps maintain language consistency and reduces the learning curve.For example, within a member function, you might need to pass the address of the current object to another function. Using the pointer directly achieves this:In this example, is used as a pointer to the current object, which can be directly passed to . If were a reference, passing it to a function expecting a pointer parameter would require taking the address, adding extra steps.Although designing as a pointer rather than a reference may cause inconvenience in some cases, considering historical reasons, flexibility, functionality, and tradition and consistency, this design choice is reasonable.In C++, is designed as a pointer for several reasons:Clarity: In C++, the concept of pointers is distinct and commonly used. Using pointers clearly indicates that refers to the address of the current object. This representation intuitively reflects its nature of pointing to an object, allowing developers to clearly understand its meaning. If were a reference, the semantics might be less intuitive, as references are typically used for aliases, whereas pointers explicitly represent memory addresses.Compatibility: C++ was designed with compatibility with C language in mind. In C, pointers are widely used for memory and object manipulation. Thus, using pointers for makes it easier for developers migrating from C to C++ to understand and adapt.Flexibility: Pointers can be modified and reassigned, whereas references cannot be changed once initialized. Although in most cases we should not change the pointer's target, in certain special design patterns or low-level operations, the ability to modify pointers may provide additional flexibility.Operator Overloading: Using pointers for allows pointer-related operations within member functions, such as . This representation aligns with common pointer operations in C++, helping to unify language features and making code more understandable.Historical Reasons: C++ was initially designed as an extension of C, where pointers were already widely used. References were introduced later in C++ as a safer alternative. However, as a pointer to the object itself is conceptually closer to traditional pointer usage, so designers chose to keep as a pointer rather than a reference.In summary, is a pointer rather than a reference primarily to maintain compatibility with C language, leverage the flexibility of pointers, and preserve language consistency and intuitiveness.