<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <title>Dereferencing</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" type="text/css"> <meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.1"> <link rel="home" href="index.html" title="Programming with gtkmm"> <link rel="up" href="chapter-refptr.html" title="Appendix A. The RefPtr smartpointer"> <link rel="prev" href="chapter-refptr.html" title="Appendix A. The RefPtr smartpointer"> <link rel="next" href="sec-refptr-casting.html" title="Casting"> </head> <body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"> <div class="navheader"> <table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"> <tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Dereferencing</th></tr> <tr> <td width="20%" align="left"> <a accesskey="p" href="chapter-refptr.html"><img src="icons/prev.png" alt="Prev"></a> </td> <th width="60%" align="center">Appendix A. The RefPtr smartpointer</th> <td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="sec-refptr-casting.html"><img src="icons/next.png" alt="Next"></a> </td> </tr> </table> <hr> </div> <div class="sect1" title="Dereferencing"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"> <a name="sec-refptr-dereferencing"></a>Dereferencing</h2></div></div></div> <p>You can dereference a smartpointer with the -> operator, to call the methods of the underlying instance, just like a normal pointer. </p> <p> </p> <pre class="programlisting"> Glib::RefPtr<Gdk::Bitmap> refBitmap = Gdk::Bitmap::create(window, data, width, height); int depth = refBitmap->get_depth(); </pre> <p> </p> <p>But unlike most smartpointers, you can't use the * operator to access the underlying instance. </p> <p> </p> <pre class="programlisting"> Glib::RefPtr<Gdk::Bitmap> refBitmap = Gdk::Bitmap::create(window, data, width, height); Gdk::Bitmap* underlying = *refBitmap; //Syntax error - will not compile. </pre> <p> </p> </div> <div class="navfooter"> <hr> <table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"> <tr> <td width="40%" align="left"> <a accesskey="p" href="chapter-refptr.html"><img src="icons/prev.png" alt="Prev"></a> </td> <td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="chapter-refptr.html"><img src="icons/up.png" alt="Up"></a></td> <td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="sec-refptr-casting.html"><img src="icons/next.png" alt="Next"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Appendix A. The RefPtr smartpointer </td> <td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html"><img src="icons/home.png" alt="Home"></a></td> <td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Casting</td> </tr> </table> </div> </body> </html>