Help with understanding References

[Muppet]

I have been buring myself in books lately and am having trouble with the way this author is trying to explain the way References work within a script

For Example:

//build your PC
Computer desktop = new desktop();
desktop.brand = "Dell";
//it belongs to your company also
Computer yourCompaniesDesktop = desktop
//changing one changes the other
yourCompaniesDesktop.brand = "Gateway";
Console.WriteLine("your PC is a " + desktop.brand);

Now as the author says the output of this program would be "Gateway" and not "Dell". But im just not grasping the flow of this program at least in the way he is trying to explain it.

Could someone help to explain References to me?

Thanks in advance.

[dstarz20]

It looks like since you PC is owned by the Company, that is the "Umbrella" your PC falls under. In other words, The Hirearchy is Your company than you so to speak. So, if you change something that is higher Hirearchy, it would affect anything under it or associated under it. Make since?

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

When a variable contains a value type, such as a string ("Blah") or int (42), it contains the actual sequence of bytes that make up that value (0x42 0x6c 0x61 0x68 0x00, and 0x2a 0x00 0x00 0x00 respectively), and copying the variable copies the contents byte-for-byte, creating a fresh copy of the value.

When a variable contains a reference type, it points to a sequence of bytes somewhere in memory. When the variable is copied, only the reference is copied, not the actual sequence of bytes. Both variables therefore contain a reference to the same sequence, and any change done via one variable is reflected in the other.

[Muppet]

Much better understanding now thanks Ignacio.

[Muppet]

**Thinking out loud**

So what it seems like is that members of objects can be shared in thier references as long as the objects are in the same class.

So as long as i change the member "Brand" it will change the reference in both objects not just the member of the one object if they are of the same class.

hope you guys can follow that bable.

Is that right?

[awdball]

Perhaps if you take a peek at this guys site you might be able to follow it through a bit better.

http://www.jaggersoft.com/csharp_course/index.html

I found his diagrams showing the data and pointers as they're implemented between the stack and the heap to greatly clarify things for myself.
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awdball (old school c coder learning and luvin c#)

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

Originally Posted by Muppet

**Thinking out loud**

So what it seems like is that members of objects can be shared in thier references as long as the objects are in the same class.

So as long as i change the member "Brand" it will change the reference in both objects not just the member of the one object if they are of the same class.

hope you guys can follow that bable.

Is that right?

No. There is only one object, with two references to it.