C/C++ Basics

Strings in C and C++

C stores text in char arrays that end with a hidden '\0' character, while C++ wraps text in std::string, which manages memory for you.

What is Strings in C and C++?

C stores text in char arrays that end with a hidden '\0' character, while C++ wraps text in std::string, which manages memory for you.

Compare C character arrays with C++ std::string: length, joining, comparing and searching.

Important points

  • Compile with warnings enabled and fix every warning.
  • Know the lifetime and type of every value.
  • Validate input and keep array bounds explicit.

C and C++ code examples

C
Run code →
main.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>

int main(void) {
    /* A C string is a char array that ends with '\0'. */
    char name[32] = "Ada";
    printf("%s has %zu letters\n", name, strlen(name));

    /* strcat appends; the array must have room for the result. */
    strcat(name, " Lovelace");
    printf("%s\n", name);

    /* strcmp returns 0 when two strings are equal. */
    printf("equal: %d\n", strcmp("cat", "cat") == 0);

    /* Walk the characters until the terminating '\0'. */
    char upper[32];
    size_t i = 0;
    for (; name[i] != '\0'; i++) {
        upper[i] = (char)toupper((unsigned char)name[i]);
    }
    upper[i] = '\0';
    printf("%s\n", upper);

    /* strstr finds a substring and returns a pointer to it, or NULL. */
    printf("contains \"love\": %s\n", strstr("lovelace", "love") ? "yes" : "no");
    return 0;
}
Expected output
Ada has 3 letters
Ada Lovelace
equal: 1
ADA LOVELACE
contains "love": yes
C++
Run code →
main.cpp
#include <algorithm>
#include <cctype>
#include <iostream>
#include <string>

int main() {
    // std::string manages its own memory and grows as needed.
    std::string name = "Ada";
    std::cout << name << " has " << name.size() << " letters\n";

    name += " Lovelace";
    std::cout << name << '\n';

    // == compares the contents of two strings.
    std::cout << "equal: " << (std::string("cat") == "cat") << '\n';

    std::string upper = name;
    std::transform(upper.begin(), upper.end(), upper.begin(),
                   [](unsigned char c) { return static_cast<char>(std::toupper(c)); });
    std::cout << upper << '\n';

    // find returns std::string::npos when the text is missing.
    std::string word = "lovelace";
    std::cout << "contains \"love\": " << (word.find("love") != std::string::npos ? "yes" : "no") << '\n';
    std::cout << "first name: " << name.substr(0, 3) << '\n';
}
Expected output
Ada has 3 letters
Ada Lovelace
equal: 1
ADA LOVELACE
contains "love": yes
first name: Ada

C and C++ comparison

In C, strlen, strcat, strcmp and strstr work on raw arrays, and you must make sure the array is large enough. std::string offers size(), +=, ==, find() and substr() and grows automatically, which avoids buffer overflows.

C

C exposes small procedural APIs and makes representation details explicit.

C++

C++ retains the low-level model while adding safer library types and abstractions.

Practice exercises

Run both versions, then modify them to observe the different language guarantees.

  • Add invalid and boundary-value inputs.
  • Compile with -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic.
  • Move reusable declarations into a header and implementation file.

Practice with a challenge

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