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pointer Last modified: Wednesday, March 05, 2003

(1) In graphical user interfaces, a pointer is a small arrow or other symbol on the display screen that moves as you move the mouse. You can select commands and options by positioning the tip of the arrow over the desired choice and clicking a mouse button. Many text processing programs use an I-beam pointer. Pointers are often referred to as mouse pointers. (2) A variable that contains the address of a location in memory. The location is the starting point of an allocated object, such as an object or value type, or the element of an array.