Re:Python, as Reviewed by a C++ Programmer
by markbnj on Sunday April 23, 2017 @01:44PM
(#14179272)
I haven't done java in a long time so I won't try to debate the specific language level semantics with you (the same is true of pascal though it has been even longer), however assuming that your examples run and behave as you describe then what is going on in the java example is that 'Dog d' is passed as a reference to a reference, and then the value pointed to by the argument, i.e. the address of "toby," is replaced with the address of "lassie."
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You got it backwards. The Java snippet will print "Lassie". In Java, object names are references to objects, and passing them to functions copies the references, so of course modifying the formal parameter (d from replaceDogWithToby()) doesn't modify the actual parameter (d from main()).