What does the asterisk in C do?

What does the * mean in C? I see it used when declaring a char or FILE variable (char = *test) How does that change how a variable behaves?

Answer

This type of * is called "indirection operator", and *test means "get the data from where the pointer test points".

char is reserved for use as a keyword, so char = *test won't compile unless char is defined as a macro.