What are some examples of dangling pointers in C?

What are some examples of dangling pointers in C?

A dangling pointer in C is a pointer that does not point to a valid object. For example, if you delete an object and still have a pointer referencing it, that's a dangling pointer.

Can you give me a specific code example?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

int* ptr = (int*)malloc(sizeof(int));
*ptr = 10;
free(ptr);
// ptr is now a dangling pointer

What problems can dangling pointers cause?

Dangling pointers can lead to undefined behavior, crashes, or data corruption if you try to access the memory they point to after it has been freed.

How can I avoid creating dangling pointers?

To avoid dangling pointers, always set pointers to NULL after freeing them, and be cautious with memory management.