A

Lecture on
String
in C
Prepared by:
AJAY KUMAR
Assistant Professor
Department of CSE
DIT University, Dehradun

Strings
a group of integers is an integer array
a group of characters is a character array , also
called strings.
Character arrays (or Strings) is used to
manipulate text such as words and sentences.
string constant is a one-dimensional array of
characters
E.g char mytext=a;
single char
char mystring[100]=DIT University
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string

String definition
A string in C is defined as a sequence of characters
terminated by a special character \0.
The special character \0 is called NULL character.
NULL character is to indicate the end of string.

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String representation
char mystring=firstTime;
char myarr[ ] = welcome;
char myarr[ ]= { w , e , l , c , o , m , e , \0 };
0th

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Indexing position
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6th

7th

\0

Tells the end of string

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String initialization
char str1[5]={ i , n , d , i , \0}; size five
char str2[5]= {indi}; size five
srting str2 will append \0 automatically at the end of the string.

char s1[ ] = { bharat};

size of s1 is seven. 6 from bharat + 1 from NULL char (\0) = 7

char s2[ ] = { p , a , k , \0, };

size of s2 is four. 3 from PAK + 1 from NUL char (\0) = 4

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String first program

void main( )
{
Char name[ ] = kalia" ;
printf ( "%s", name ) ;
getch();
}

void main( )
{
char name[25] ;
printf ( Enter your name: " ) ;
scanf ( "%s", name ) ;

printf ( "hello %s!", name ) ;

getch();
Format specification %s for string }
No &name in scanf();
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Output:
Enter your name: Aatma
Hello Aatma!

String: First program

void main( )
{
char name[ ] = pacman" ;
int i = 0 ;
while ( i <= 7 )
{
printf ( "%c", name[i] ) ;
i++ ;
}
getch();
}
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void main( )
{
char name[ ] = pacman" ;
int i = 0 ;
while ( name[i] != `\0' )
{
printf ( "%c", name[i] ) ;
i++ ;
}
getch();
}

String i/o: gets() and puts()

gets():
Purpose of gets() is to accept a string upto a new line
character into a string variable.
It automatically appends the NULL character \0 at the end of
the string.

e.g. char str[40];

gets(str);
puts():
To display a string contained in a string variable. It also adds
the new-line character \n to the string automatically.
e.g. puts(str);
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String i/o: gets() and puts() example

void main( )
{
char name[25] ;
printf ( "enter your full name:\n " ) ;
scanf (%s, name ) ;
printf(\n\n %s, name);
getch();
}
Output:
Enter your full name:
Manmohan singh
Manmohan

Truncated singh

void main( )
{
char name[25] ;
printf ( "enter your full name: " ) ;
gets ( name ) ;
puts ( "hello!" ) ;
puts ( name ) ;
getch();
}
Output:
Enter your full name:
soniya gandhi
Hello!
9
Soniya gandhi

Strings i/o: getchar() and putchar()

getchar():
getchar() is used to read a character through standard
input, keyboard.
e.g. char c;
c= getchar();
putchar():
putchar() is a counterpart of getchar() and used to
display a character on standard output, screen.
e.g. putchar(c);
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String i/o: getchar() and putchar() example

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main() {
char c, text[100];
int i=0;
puts("\n enter a line of text:");
c=getchar();
while(c!='\n') {
text[i]=c;
c=getchar();
i++;
}
Output:
Enter a line of text:
I am hindustani
Entered line of text is:
I am hindustani

/* line of text is now available in text

after appending NULL character*/

text[i]='\0';
/* displaying the line of text using
putchar() */
puts("\n entered line of text is ");
for(i=0; text[i]!='\0';i++)
putchar(text[i]);
getch();
}
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Program to find the occurrence of a

character in a string
#include<stdio.h>
/* finding the occurance of char */
#include<conio.h>
count=0;
int main()
for(i=0;str[i]!='\0';i++)
{
if(str[i]==ch)
char str[20],ch;
count++;
int i,count;
printf("\n enter a character:\n"); printf("\n occurance of %c in
scanf ("%c", &ch);
string = %d times",ch,count);
fflush(stdin);
getch();
printf("\n enter a long string\n"); return 0;
gets(str);
}
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String Manipulations
Commonly used operations over strings:
Finding the length of string
Copy one string to another string
Concatenation of two strings
Comparing two strings
Reverse of a string
Searching substring in a string
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Length of string: strlen()

Strlen() is a system defined function used to find the
length of string excluding NULL character \0.
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main() {
int i,length;
char str[20];
puts("enter a string\n");
gets(str);
/* using strlen() */
length=strlen(str);
printf("\n length of string=%d",length);
getch();
return 1;
}

Output:
Enter a string: Taj Mahal
Length of string= 9

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String length without using strlen()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main() {
int i,length;
char str[20];
puts("enter a string\n");
gets(str);

Output:
enter a string:
wah taj!

without using strlen()

string length= 8

/* without using strlen() */

length=0;
for(i=0;str[i]!='\0';i++)
length++;
printf(\n without using strlen()\n);
printf("\n\n string length =%d",length);
getch();
return 1;
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}
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Copy one string to another string: strcpy()

strcpy() copies the contents of one string into another.
Similar to assignment operator (=)
#include<stdio.h>
#include<string.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main( ) {
char source[ ] = "sayonara" ;
char target[20] , str1[20];
strcpy ( target, source ) ;
printf ( "\nsource string = %s", source ) ;
printf ( "\ntarget string = %s", target ) ;
strcpy(str1, japan);
printf(\n string copied in str1=%s,str1);
getch();
}

Output:
source string= sayonara
target string= Sayanora
String copied in str1=japan

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Without using strcpy()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main() {
int i;
char source[20];
char target[20];
puts("enter a string: ");
gets(source);
for(i=0;source[i]!='\0';i++)
target[i]=source[i];
target[i]='\0';
puts("copied string is " );
puts( target);
getch();
return 1;
}

Output:
Enter a string:
Dehradun
Copied string is
Dehradun

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Concatenation of 2 strings: strcat()

The process of appending one string to the
end of another string is called concatenation.
e.g str1[ ]=Sita
str2[ ]=Ram
Concatenated string str1 & str2 becomes
SitaRam
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strcat() example
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main( )
{
char source[ ] = At" ;
char target[30] = Bhar" ;
strcat ( target, source ) ;
printf ( "\nsource string = %s", source ) ;
printf ( "\ntarget string = %s", target ) ;
getch();
}
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output...

source string = At
target string = BharAt

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Without strcat():String concatenation

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main( )
{
int i,j=0;
char source[ ] = CADD" ;
char target[30] = Centre" ;
i=0;
while (source[i]!='\0')
i++;
while(target[j]!='\0')
{
source[i]=target[j];
j++;
i++;
}

source[i]='\0';
printf ( "\nconcatenated string\n" ) ;
puts(source);
getch();
return 1;
}

Output:

Concatenated string
CADDCentre

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Comparing 2 string: strcmp()

Checks whether two strings are same or different
Compare character by character until there is a
mismatch

Similar to relational operator (==)

Used to search a string in a list of strings
Returns a integral value(ASCII) on comparing strings
When str1 > str2 alphabetically, returns +ve value
When str1<str2 alphabetically, return ve value

When str1 = str2 alphabetically, returns 0 (zero) value

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strcmp() example
void main( )
{
char string1[ ] = "jerry" ;
char string2[ ] = "ferry" ;
int i, j, k ;
i = strcmp ( string1, "jerry" ) ;
j = strcmp ( string1, string2 ) ;
k = strcmp ( string1, "jerry boy" ) ;
printf ( "\n%d %d %d", i, j, k ) ;
getch();
}

Output:
0 4 -32

jerry
: Ascii of \0= 0
jerry boy: Ascii of blank space = 32
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Reverse of string: strrev()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main()
{
int i;
char str[20];
puts("enter a string: ");
gets(str);
puts("reverse string is " );
puts( strrev(str));
getch();
return 1;
}

Output: 1 Output: 2
Enter a string;
REVINU

Enter a string;
ALFLA

Reverse string is
UNIVER

Reverse string is
ALFLA

Output: 3
Enter a string;

Reverse string is

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2D array of string
Q. WACP to accept alphabetical

name and print them without sorting.

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main() {
char name[5][20];
int i;
puts("enter 5 name");
for(i=0;i<5;i++)
scanf("%s",name[i]);
/* printing the name */
puts("list of names is");
for(i=0;i<5;i++)
puts(name[i]);

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getch();
return 0;
}

Output
Annu
Munnu
Chunnu
Tunnu
Sanu
List of name is
Annu
Munnu
Chunnu
Tunnu
Sanu

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Search a name in a list of names

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main()
{
char name[5][20], sname[20];
int i,flag=0;
puts("enter 5 name");
for(i=0;i<5;i++)
scanf("%s",name[i]);

Buffer
clearance

fflush(stdin);
puts("enter a name to be searched");
gets(sname);

/* searching a name in a list of names */

for(i=0;i<5;i++) {
if(strcmp(name[i],sname)==0)
{
flag=1;
break;
}
}
if(flag)
printf("name found");
else
puts("not found..try again");
getch();
return 0;
}

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Sort names alphabetically

printf("\n\n------name in ascending order--------");
#include<stdio.h>
for(i=0;i<5;i++)
#include<conio.h>
printf("\n %s ",name[i]);
#include<string.h>
getch();
int main() {
return 0;
char name[5][20], tname[20];
}
int i,j;
puts("enter 5 name");
for(i=0;i<5;i++)
scanf("%s",name[i]);
/* sorting names */
Enter 5 name
for(i=0;i<4;i++)
---name in sorted order ----Annu
for (j=i+1;j<5;j++)
Annu
Munnu
Chunnu
if(strcmp(name[i],name[j])> 0)
Chunnu
Munnu
{
sanu
Ranu
strcpy(tname,name[i]);
Ranu
Sanu
strcpy(name[i],name[j]);
strcpy(name[j],tname);
}
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Output:

Assignment (Exercise on String)

1. WAP to check whether a string is palindrome or not.
2. WAP to convert all lowercase characters in a given string
into their UPPERCASE character.
3. WAP to convert string into numerical value using atoi()
function Such as 124 will become 124.
4. WAP to count the number of occcurance of a charcter in
a string
5. Illustrate the following function:
a. strcmp() b. strcmpi() c. stricmp()
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