Chapter 9

Strings
Learning Objectives
 An Array Type for Strings
 C-Strings

 Character Manipulation Tools

 Character I/O
 get, put member functions
 putback, peek, ignore

 Standard Class string

 String processing

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Introduction
 Two string types:

 C-strings
 Array with base type char
 End of string marked with null, "\0"
 "Older" method inherited from C

 String class
 Uses templates

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C-Strings
 Array with base type char
 One character per indexed variable
 One extra character: "\0"
 Called "null character"
 End marker

 We’ve used c-strings

 Literal "Hello" stored as c-string

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C-String Variable
 Array of characters:
char s[10];
 Declares a c-string variable to hold up to
9 characters
 + one null character

 Typically "partially-filled" array

 Declare large enough to hold max-size string
 Indicate end with null

 Only difference from standard array:

 Must contain null character

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C-String Storage
 A standard array:
char s[10];
 If s contains string "Hi Mom", stored as:

 Display, page 370

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C-String Initialization
 Can initialize c-string:
char myMessage[20] = "Hi there.";
 Needn’t fill entire array
 Initialization places "\0" at end

 Can omit array-size:

char shortString[] = "abc";
 Automatically makes size one more than
length of quoted string
 NOT same as:
char shortString[] = {"a", "b", "c"};

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C-String Indexes
 A c-string IS an array
 Can access indexed variables of:
char ourString[5] = "Hi";
 ourString[0] is "H"
 ourString[1] is "i"
 ourString[2] is "\0"
 ourString[3] is unknown
 ourString[4] is unknown

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C-String Index Manipulation
 Can manipulate indexed variables
char happyString[7] = "DoBeDo";
happyString[6] = "Z";
 Be careful!
 Here, "\0" (null) was overwritten by a "Z"!

 If null overwritten, c-string no longer

"acts" like c-string!
 Unpredictable results!

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Library
 Declaring c-strings
 Requires no C++ library
 Built into standard C++

 Manipulations
 Require library <cstring>
 Typically included when using c-strings
 Normally want to do "fun" things with them

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= and == with C-strings
 C-strings not like other variables
 Cannot assign or compare:
char aString[10];
aString = "Hello"; // ILLEGAL!
 Can ONLY use "=" at declaration of c-string!

 Must use library function for assignment:

strcpy(aString, "Hello");
 Built-in function (in <cstring>)
 Sets value of aString equal to "Hello"
 NO checks for size!
 Up to programmer, just like other arrays!

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Comparing C-strings
 Also cannot use operator ==
char aString[10] = "Hello";
char anotherString[10] = "Goodbye";
 aString == anotherString; // NOT allowed!

 Must use library function again:

if (strcmp(aString, anotherString))
cout << "Strings NOT same.";
else
cout << "Strings are same.";

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The <cstring> Library:
Display 9.1 Some Predefined C-String
Functions in <cstring> (1 of 2)
 Full of string manipulation functions

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The <cstring> Library:
Display 9.1 Some Predefined C-String
Functions in <cstring> (2 of 2)

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C-string Functions: strlen()
 "String length"
 Often useful to know string length:
char myString[10] = "dobedo";
cout << strlen(myString);
 Returns number of characters
 Not including null
 Result here:
6

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C-string Functions: strcat()
 strcat()
 "String concatenate":
char stringVar[20] = "The rain";
strcat(stringVar, "in Spain");
 Note result:
stringVar now contains "The rainin Spain"
 Be careful!
 Incorporate spaces as needed!

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C-string Arguments and Parameters

 Recall: c-string is array

 So c-string parameter is array parameter

 C-strings passed to functions can be changed
by receiving function!
 Like all arrays, typical to send size as well
 Function "could" also use "\0" to find end
 So size not necessary if function won’t change
c-string parameter
 Use "const" modifier to protect c-string arguments

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C-String Output
 Can output with insertion operator, <<

 As we’ve been doing already:

cout << news << " Wow.\n";
 Where news is a c-string variable

 Possible because << operator is

overloaded for c-strings!

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C-String Input
 Can input with extraction operator, >>
 Issues exist, however

 Whitespace is "delimiter"
 Tab, space, line breaks are "skipped"
 Input reading "stops" at delimiter

 Watch size of c-string

 Must be large enough to hold entered string!
 C++ gives no warnings of such issues!

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C-String Input Example
 char a[80], b[80];
cout << "Enter input: ";
cin >> a >> b;
cout << a << b << "END OF OUTPUT\n";
 Dialogue offered:
Enter input: Do be do to you!
DobeEND OF OUTPUT
 Note: Underlined portion typed at keyboard
 C-string a receives: "do"
 C-string b receives: "be"

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C-String Line Input
 Can receive entire line into c-string
 Use getline(), a predefined member function:
char a[80];
cout << "Enter input: ";
cin.getline(a, 80);
cout << a << "END OF OUTPUT\n";
 Dialogue:
Enter input: Do be do to you!
Do be do to you!END OF INPUT

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More getline()
 Can explicitly tell length to receive:
char shortString[5];
cout << "Enter input: ";
cin.getline(shortString, 5);
cout << shortString << "END OF OUTPUT\n";
 Results:
Enter input: dobedowap
dobeEND OF OUTPUT
 Forces FOUR characters only be read
 Recall need for null character!

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Character I/O
 Input and output data
 ALL treated as character data
 e.g., number 10 outputted as "1" and "0"
 Conversion done automatically
 Uses low-level utilities

 Can use same low-level utilities

ourselves as well

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Member Function get()
 Reads one char at a time

 Member function of cin object:

char nextSymbol;
cin.get(nextSymbol);
 Reads next char & puts in variable
nextSymbol
 Argument must be char type
 Not "string"!

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Member Function put()
 Outputs one character at a time
 Member function of cout object:
 Examples:
cout.put("a");
 Outputs letter "a" to screen
char myString[10] = "Hello";
cout.put(myString[1]);
 Outputs letter "e" to screen

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More Member Functions
 putback()
 Once read, might need to "put back"
 cin.putback(lastChar);
 peek()
 Returns next char, but leaves it there
 peekChar = cin.peek();
 ignore()
 Skip input, up to designated character
 cin.ignore(1000, "\n");
 Skips at most 1000 characters until "\n"

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Character-Manipulating Functions:
Display 9.3 Some Functions
in <cctype> (1 of 3)

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Character-Manipulating Functions:
Display 9.3 Some Functions
in <cctype> (2 of 3)

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Character-Manipulating Functions:
Display 9.3 Some Functions
in <cctype> (3 of 3)

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Standard Class string
 Defined in library:
#include <string>
using namespace std;
 String variables and expressions
 Treated much like simple types
 Can assign, compare, add:
string s1, s2, s3;
s3 = s1 + s2; //Concatenation
s3 = "Hello Mom!" //Assignment
 Note c-string "Hello Mom!" automatically
converted to string type!

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Display 9.4
Program Using the Class string

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I/O with Class string
 Just like other types!
 string s1, s2;
cin >> s1;
cin >> s2;
 Results:
User types in:
May the hair on your toes grow long and curly!
 Extraction still ignores whitespace:
s1 receives value "May"
s2 receives value "the"

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getline() with Class string
 For complete lines:
string line;
cout << "Enter a line of input: ";
getline(cin, line);
cout << line << "END OF OUTPUT";
 Dialogue produced:
Enter a line of input: Do be do to you!
Do be do to you!END OF INPUT
 Similar to c-string’s usage of getline()

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Other getline() Versions
 Can specify "delimiter" character:
string line;
cout << "Enter input: ";
getline(cin, line, "?");
 Receives input until "?" encountered

 getline() actually returns reference

 string s1, s2;
getline(cin, s1) >> s2;
 Results in: (cin) >> s2;

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Pitfall: Mixing Input Methods
 Be careful mixing cin >> var and getline
 int n;
string line;
cin >> n;
getline(cin, line);
 If input is: 42
Hello hitchhiker.
 Variable n set to 42
 line set to empty string!

 cin >> n skipped leading whitespace, leaving

"\n" on stream for getline()!

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Class string Processing
 Same operations available as c-strings
 And more!
 Over 100 members of standard string class

 Some member functions:

 .length()
 Returns length of string variable
 .at(i)
 Returns reference to char at position i

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Display 9.7 Member Functions
of the Standard Class string (1 of 2)

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Display 9.7 Member Functions
of the Standard Class string (2 of 2)

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C-string and string
Object Conversions
 Automatic type conversions
 From c-string to string object:
char aCString[] = "My C-string";
string stringVar;
stringVar = aCstring;
 Perfectly legal and appropriate!

 aCString = stringVar;
 ILLEGAL!
 Cannot auto-convert to c-string

 Must use explicit conversion:

strcpy(aCString, stringVar.c_str());

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Summary
 C-string variable is "array of characters"
 With addition of null character, "\0"

 C-strings act like arrays

 Cannot assign, compare like simple variables

 Libraries <cctype> & <string> have useful

manipulating functions
 cin.get() reads next single character

 getline() versions allow full line reading

 Class string objects are better-behaved than c-strings

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