It's insignificant whitespace being ignored.
These all have the same meaning:
Code:NSString* foo; // post-star space NSString *foo; // pre-star space NSString*foo; // spaceless NSString * foo; // newlined NSString /* commented */ * // newlined foo /* and accepted */ ; // this too
The only time whitespace is significant is when it separates tokens that would otherwise be parsed as a single token. Since punctuation other than '_' is invalid in a C name, operators serve as delimiters between tokens. This can lead to some odd expressions:
can be parsed as either of these:Code:foo = bar---quux;
The correct one is the former.Code:foo = bar-- - quux; foo = bar - --quux;
There is ample reason for the Obfuscated C Contest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Obfuscated_C_Code_Contest
Wow, extremely eye-opening and instructive. Thanks!