The meaning of "*this" in C++

Question

vecteur& vecteur::operator+=(const vecteur& autre)
{
    x += autre.x;
    y += autre.y;
    z += autre.z;
    return *this;
}

What does *this mean in that case?

Is there any possibility to call it differently, like simply return vecteur?

`vecteur` is a type, so cannot be returned. (Image if you had 2 `vecteur ` variables; which would such a statement return?) — Scott Hunter, Apr 29 '21 at 22:03
[Handy documentation on `this`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/this) because it turns out `this` has subtlety and a few quirks around the edges. — user4581301, Apr 29 '21 at 22:15

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 29 '21 at 22:05

2

this is a pointer to the object that the method is being called on. *this is that pointer being dereferenced (i.e. accessing the actual object itself).

edited Apr 29 '21 at 22:05

Remy Lebeau

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answered Apr 29 '21 at 22:03

Nasrat Takoor

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The meaning of "*this" in C++

1 Answers1