In the context of Computer Science, a “pointer” is a way to store the “memory address” at which real information is stored. Among other uses, programmers employ it when the memory resources are not all allocated when the executable is loaded.
In many programming languages, pointers sort of inherit the data type of the data they point to. In that case, they’re “strongly typed”, which enhances the ability of compiler and linker to ensure valid usages of the data.
In the SE context, I use pointers exactly that way when incorporating by reference. In effect, I construe the list of documents as if it were an “address space” within which each set of document changes1 is a “sub-space” and, within each change, a sub-space of sections exists. My specific intent is that such incorporation should generally be restricted to the type of information identified in the specific incorporating provision2.
Footnotes