📍📚Intermediate

Sort an Array Using Pointers

Pointer-based sorting

Sorting using pointers demonstrates how to manipulate array elements using pointer arithmetic and dereferencing instead of array subscripts.

C Program to Sort Array Using Pointers

sort_using_pointers.c

1#include <stdio.h>
2
3void bubbleSortPointers(int *arr, int n) {
4    for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
5        for (int j = 0; j < n - i - 1; j++) {
6            // Compare using pointers
7            if (*(arr + j) > *(arr + j + 1)) {
8                // Swap using pointers
9                int temp = *(arr + j);
10                *(arr + j) = *(arr + j + 1);
11                *(arr + j + 1) = temp;
12            }
13        }
14    }
15}
16
17int main() {
18    int arr[] = {64, 34, 25, 12, 22, 11, 90};
19    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
20    
21    printf("Original array: ");
22    for (int *p = arr; p < arr + n; p++) {
23        printf("%d ", *p);
24    }
25    
26    bubbleSortPointers(arr, n);
27    
28    printf("\nSorted array:   ");
29    for (int *p = arr; p < arr + n; p++) {
30        printf("%d ", *p);
31    }
32    printf("\n");
33    
34    return 0;
35}