% $Id$ % $Date$ %\ccUserChapter{Handles} \label{I1_ChapterPointer} \section{Handles} %\section{Definition} Most data structures in \cgal\ use the concept of \ccc{Handle} in their user interface to refer to the elements they store. This concept describes what is sometimes called a trivial iterator. A \ccc{Handle} is akeen to a pointer to an object providing the dereference operator \ccc{operator*()} and member access \ccc{operator->()} but no increment or decrement operators like iterators. A \ccc{Handle} is intended to be used whenever the referenced object is not part of a logical sequence. \paragraph{Model for a handle} A simple pointer \ccc{T*}, an iterator or a circulator with value type \ccc{T}, are also handles.