Converting an array of struct pointers to a generic int pointer and recovering original structs from it. May or may not have been used to settle an argument or two ;)

struct-pointer-array.cpp

// Coliru - http://coliru.stacked-crooked.com/a/655f184e31f1e779

#include <iostream>

using std::size_t;
using std::string;
using std::ostream;
using std::cout;
using std::endl;
using std::boolalpha;
using std::hex;
using std::dec;

struct object {
    string name;
    size_t age;
    bool pass;
    
    object() = default;
    
    object(const string& name, const size_t age, const bool pass) : name(name), age(age), pass(pass) {};
    
    object(const object&) = default;
    
    object(object&&) = default;
    
    object& operator=(const object &other)
    {
        object(other).swap(*this);
        return *this;
    }
    
    object& operator=(object&& other)
    {
        object(std::move(other)).swap(*this);
        return *this;
    }
    
    bool operator==(const object& other)
    {
        return name == other.name
            && age == other.age
            && pass == other.pass;
    }
    
protected:
    void swap(object& other)
    {
        std::swap(name, other.name);
        std::swap(age, other.age);
        std::swap(pass, other.pass);
    }
    
    friend ostream& operator<<(ostream& os, const object& obj)
    {
        return os << boolalpha << "obj{ name: " << obj.name << ", age: " << obj.age << ", pass: " << obj.pass << " }";
    }
};

static constexpr auto SIZE = 5;

// void takes_struct_object_array(const object (&array)[SIZE]);
void takes_struct_object_array(const object array[]);

void takes_struct_pointer_array(const object* array[]);

void takes_integer_pointer(const size_t* array);

int main()
{
//    const string x("hello world\n");
//    cout << x << endl;

    // 1.
    object o11("o11", 11u, false),
        o22("o22", 22u, true),
        o33("o33", 33u, true),
        o44("o44", 44u, false),
        o55("o55", 55u, true);
    cout << "individual objects:\n\t" << o11 << "\n\t" << o22 << "\n\t" << o33 << "\n\t" << o44 << "\n\t" << o55 << "\n" << endl;

    // 2.
    const object array[] = { o11, o22, o33, o44, o55 };
    takes_struct_object_array(array);

    // 3.
    object *po11 = &o11, *po22 = &o22, *po33 = &o33, *po44 = &o44, *po55 = &o55;
    const object* parray[] = { po11, po22, po33, po44, po55 };
    takes_struct_pointer_array(parray);

    // 4.
    takes_integer_pointer((size_t*) parray);
}

// 2.
//void takes_struct_object_array(const object (&array)[SIZE])
void takes_struct_object_array(const object array[])
{
    cout << "takes_struct_object_array(object array[])\n";
    cout << "array of objects (structs):\n";
//    for(auto obj : array) cout << obj << "\n";
    for (size_t i = 0; i < SIZE; ++i) cout << "\t" << array[i] << "\n";
    cout << endl;
}

// 3.
void takes_struct_pointer_array(const object* array[])
{
    cout << "takes_struct_pointer_array(object* array[])\n";
    cout << "array of pointers to objects:\n";
    for (size_t i = 0; i < SIZE; ++i) cout << "\t" << *array[i] << "\n";
    cout << endl;
}

// 4.
void takes_integer_pointer(const size_t* array)
{
    cout << "takes_integer_pointer(size_t* array)\n";
    cout << "pointer to integers:\nthe integers are really addresses of pointers to objects (need to dereference twice)\n";
    for (size_t i = 0; i < SIZE; ++i)
    {
        cout << hex << "\t" << &array[i] << " => " << (object *)array[i] << " => " << *(object *)array[i] << ";\n";
    }
    cout << endl;
}

Coliru — http://coliru.stacked-crooked.com/a/655f184e31f1e779