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4.2.8 Higher-order Functions

Higher-order functions receive or return (references to) functions. Function references are sometimes here identified as function pointers. They are not pointers in the C sense of memory addresses, but do much behave like C function pointers. Their semantics are similar, even the declarations are C styled.

A function pointer is declared as:

type(*name)’ ‘(list of arguments)

same as in C. One such function pointer may refer a function declared as:

type name(list of arguments)

Like in C, one function returning a function pointer matching the type of the previous declared function pointer is declared as:

type(*function name(function list of arguments)’ ‘)’ ‘(list of arguments)