In C programming, strings are sequences of characters stored as arrays. Understanding string basics is crucial for effective text manipulation and data handling.
C strings are essentially arrays of characters terminated by a null character ('\0'). Here's how to declare and initialize strings:
char greeting[] = "Hello, World!";
char name[20] = "John Doe";
The null terminator is automatically added by the compiler when using string literals.
Reading and writing strings in C involves specific functions:
scanf()
for input (be cautious with buffer overflows)printf()
for outputgets()
and puts()
for line-based I/O (deprecated due to security issues)C provides various functions for string manipulation, found in the <string.h>
header:
#include <string.h>
char str1[20] = "Hello";
char str2[20] = "World";
strcat(str1, str2); // Concatenates str2 to str1
int len = strlen(str1); // Gets the length of str1
strcmp(str1, str2); // Compares str1 and str2
strncpy()
instead of strcpy()
for safer copyingTo deepen your understanding of C strings, explore these related topics:
Mastering C string basics is essential for effective text processing and data manipulation in C programming. Practice regularly to become proficient in working with strings.