Learning

Objectives: Array Basics

Create and initialize an array

Access and modify array elements

Iterate through arrays using both a regular for loop and

an enhanced for loop

Determine array output

Creating an Array

What Is an Array?
Before we discuss vectors, we will first learn about arrays, a simpler form
of a vector. An array is a data structure that stores a collection of data such
as ints, doubles, strings, etc. This data is often referred to as the array’s
elements. Being able to store elements into an array helps reduce the
amount of time needed to declare and initialize variables. For example, if
you wanted to store the ages of all family members in your household, you
would typically have to declare and initialize integer variables and values
for each family member. Copy the code below into the text editor on the
left and then click the TRY IT button to see the output. You can also click on
the ++Code Visualizer++ link underneath to see how the program runs
behind the scenes.

int Allan = 71;

int Bob = 42;
int Carol = 37;
int David = 5;
int Ellen = 18;

cout << Allan << endl;

Code Visualizer

challenge

What happens if you:

Change Allan in cout << Allan << endl to Bob, Carol, David, or
Ellen?

Code Visualizer

Array Creation
To avoid the repetitive task of declaring and initializing multiple variables,
you can declare an array and directly assign values or elements into that
array like below.

int ages[] = {71, 42, 37, 5, 18};

Code Visualizer

Method Syntax with Elements:

Specify the data type that the array will store (i.e. int).
Declare the variable name for the array (i.e. ages) followed by empty
brackets [] followed by the assignment symbol =.
Elements assigned to the array are separated by commas , and enclosed
within curly braces {}.

Additional information
If you used the Code Visualizer, you’ll notice that the array variable ages
refers to all of the elements as a collection. An array is considered to be a
collection that bundles all of the data that it holds.

Note that the first

array slot, or index, is always 0 so 71 is located at index 0 instead of 1.

Alternatively, you can create an array without any elements in which you
will need to declare and specify the array variable name and size before
you can assign elements to the array.

int ages[5];

Method Syntax without Elements

Specify the data type that the array will store (i.e. int).
Declare the variable name for the array (i.e. ages) followed by the
number of elements you want the array to hold within brackets (i.e.
[5]).
 Additional information
Note that when you declare an array without initializing any elements, the
system will still reserve enough memory for the array to hold the specified
number of elements. This means that you can initialize elements within the
array later on.

Array Details
If an element within an array has not been initialized yet, printing it will
cause the system to output random memory data. Random memory data
is often generated when array elements are not initialized.

int ages[5];
cout << ages[0] << endl;

Note that ages[0] in the example above refers the element at index 0, also
known as the first position within the array. Currently, the element at the
first position is not initialized so printing the first element will only output
random memory data. In fact, the same will happen if you try to print any
other elements within the array. Additionally, all elements within the array
must be of the same type. If you try to store a string within an integer array,
or a double within a boolean array, you will get an error message.

int ages[] = {71, 42, 37, 5, "eighteen"};

cout << ages[4] << endl;

challenge

What happens if you:

Change "eighteen" in the code above to the integer 18?
Replace all your code with just int ages[];
 important

IMPORTANT
When you create an array in C++, you must specify the number of
elements that you expect the array to hold. Otherwise, you will get an
error.

P.O. Boxes at the postal office are symbolically similar to arrays. Each row
of P.O. Boxes is like an array, except each box can only store one item
(element) and each item within that row must be of the same type
(i.e. integers).

.guides/img/ArrayElementsIndices
Accessing an Array

Array Access
To access and print array elements, you need to know their position. The
position at which an element is stored is called its index. For example,
names[0] refers to the first element in the array called names. Array indices
always start at 0 and increment by 1 with each element that comes next.
Due to this, numbers[4] refers to the fifth element in the array, not the
fourth.

string names[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen"};

cout << names[0] << endl;

challenge

What happens if you:

Change names[0] in the code above to names[2]?
Change names[0] in the code above to names[3]?
Change names[0] in the code above to names?

important

IMPORTANT
You may have noticed that printing the names array without specifying
an index resulted in an output that included a mixture of numbers and
letters. This occurs because printing an array actually prints its
memory location, not its elements. You’ll learn how to print all
elements in an array without having to specify all of their indices on a
later page.

Array Key Points

bool bools[] = {true, false, true};
double decimals[] = {2.3, 4};
int integers[1];

cout << bools[0] << endl;

challenge

What happens if you:

Change bools[0] in the original code to bools[1]?
Hint
The system will print 0 because bools[1] refers to the second
element in the bools array. Remember that 0 is the integer
equivalent to false and 1 is the integer equivalent to true. To print
their respective boolean equivalent, use cout << boolalpha <<
bools[1] << endl; instead.
Change bools[0] in the original code to decimals[1]?
Hint
The system will print 4 because decimals[1] refers to the second
element in the decimals array.
Change bools[0] in the original code to integers[1]?
Hint
The system will print random memory data because integers[1] is
not valid within the integers array. Currently there is only one
element at the first index which has not been formally initialized
yet.
Change int integers[1]; in the original code to int integers[1] =
{1.2}; and cout << bools[0] << endl; to cout << integers[0] <<
endl;?
Hint
The system will return an error message. Though you have tried to
initialize the first element within the integers array to 1.2, the
system will not allow you to put a double element into an integer
array. However, it is possible to put an integer element into a
double array because integers can be expressed as doubles but not
vice versa.
important

IMPORTANT
Here are some key points to keep in mind when working with arrays:

When you declare an array, you must specify the number of

elements you wish the array to hold before you can initialize any
elements. One exception is if you declare and initialize the array
and elements at the same time. Doing so means you do not need to
specify the number of elements in brackets [] since the system will
determine that based on the number of elements you have
initialized.

If you do not initialize any elements, printing the elements will only
result in random memory data.

If you try to access an element position that is not valid (i.e. the
second element in the integers array), the system will also output
random memory data.

Elements must be of the same type as the array. The only exception
is that integers can be expressed as doubles and can therefore be
put into a double array.

.guides/img/ArrayExceptions
Modifying an Array

Array Modification
To modify an element within an array, simply find the index at which that
element is stored and assign a new value to it.

int grades[] = {85, 95, 48, 100, 92};

cout << grades[2] << endl;

grades[2] = 88; //88 will replace 48 at index 2

cout << grades[2] << endl;

Code Visualizer

challenge

What happens if you:

Change int grades[] = {85, 95, 48, 100, 92}; in the code above
to int grades[5];?
Copy the original code but change all cout << grades[2] << endl;
to cout << grades[3] << endl;?
Change grades[2] = 88; in your current code to grades[3] = 100;?

Code Visualizer

Modifying Multiple Arrays

You can create and modify as many arrays as you’d like. For example, you
can create an array to store your family members and another array to
store their age.
 string family[] = {"Dad", "Mom", "Brother", "Sister"};
int age[4];

cout << family[0] << " " << age[0] << endl;
cout << family[1] << " " << age[1] << endl;
cout << family[2] << " " << age[2] << endl;
cout << family[3] << " " << age[3] << endl;

Code Visualizer

challenge

What happens if you:

Add age[0] = 50; directly below the line int age[4];?
Add age[1] = 45; below the line int age[4]; but before the cout
statements?
Add age[2] = 25; below the line int age[4]; but before the cout
statements?
Add age[3] = 20; below the line int age[4]; but before the cout
statements?
Change "Sister" within the string array to "Brother2"?

Code Visualizer

important

IMPORTANT
Since the integer array above was created without any initialization,
random memory data were populated as elements within the array at
first. Then by setting the array indices to specific values, you were able
to modify the array to include the appropriate age for each family
member.
Iterating an Array

Array Iteration
Though we can add many elements to our array, printing each of them can
get quite tedious. For example, if we have 10 names of friends in our array,
we would need to specify each of their array index to print them.

string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",

"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

cout << friends[0] << endl;

cout << friends[1] << endl;
cout << friends[2] << endl;
cout << friends[3] << endl;
cout << friends[4] << endl;
cout << friends[5] << endl;
cout << friends[6] << endl;
cout << friends[7] << endl;
cout << friends[8] << endl;
cout << friends[9] << endl;

Luckily, we can use loops which we had learned previously to help us with
this process. To print out all of our friends’ names without repeating the
print statement ten times, we can use a for loop to iterate 10 times.

string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",

"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {

cout << friends[i] << endl;
}
 challenge

What happens if you:

Change cout << friends[i] << endl; in the code above to cout <<
friends[0] << endl;?
Change the cout statement to cout << friends[10] << endl;?

important

IMPORTANT
Did you notice that the print statement above includes i as the index
for friends? We do this because i will take on the values specified by
the for loop. The loop starts at 0 and increments by 1 until it reaches 9
(not including 10). Thus, friends[0] will print, then friends[1], so on
and so forth until friends[9] is printed. Then the loop ends.

Array Size
To make the iteration process easier, we can use the sizeof() operator to
determine how many elements are in our array. To use sizeof(), just call it
by using the keyword sizeof followed by the array name within
parentheses ().

string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",

"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

cout << sizeof(friends) << endl;

Why Does sizeof(friends) output 320?

Unfortunately, the sizeof() operator does not determine the number of the
elements within an array. Instead, sizeof() calculates the size of the array
in bytes. In C++, a string takes up 32 bytes and since there are 10 string
elements in the array, the size of the array in bytes is 320.

To calculate the number of elements within an array, we will need to use

sizeof() twice.
 string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",
"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

cout << sizeof(friends) / sizeof(friends[0]) << endl;

sizeof(friends) calculates the array’s size in bytes and sizeof(friends[0])

calculates the first element’s size in bytes. By dividing the array size by the
element’s size, we were able to determine the number of elements that
exist within the array. Note that it doesn’t matter whether we calculate the
first element’s size or the second’s since all of the elements are of the same
size (32 bytes each).

Looping Through the Elements

Now that you can determine number of elements within an array, you can
loop through the array to output each element individually.

string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",

"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

for (int i = 0; i < sizeof(friends) / sizeof(friends[0]); i++) {

cout << friends[i] << endl;
}

challenge

What happens if you:

add "Kate" as an element to the array right after "Jen"?
remove "Alan" and "Bob" from the array?

Notice how sizeof(friends) / sizeof(friends[0]) continues to keep track

of how many elements are in our array even though we’ve made several
changes.
Enhanced For Loop

Using an Enhanced For-Loop

There is a special type of for loop that can be used with arrays called an
enhanced for loop. An enhanced for loop, also known as a range-based
for loop, can be used to iterate through array elements without having to
refer to any array indices. To use an enhanced for loop, you need the
following:
* The keyword for followed by parentheses ().
* A typed iterating variable followed by colon : followed by the array
name.
* Note that the iterating variable must be of the same type as the array.
* Any commands that repeat within curly braces {}.
* Note that when using an enhanced for loop, you can print the iterating
variable itself without using brackets [].

string friends[] = {"Alan", "Bob", "Carol", "David", "Ellen",

"Fred", "Grace", "Henry", "Ian", "Jen"};

for (string i : friends) {

cout << i << endl;
}

challenge

What happens if you:

change cout << i << endl; in the code above to cout <<
friends[i] << endl;?
copy the original code but change string i to int i?
important

IMPORTANT
One of the main differences between a regular for loop and an
enhanced for loop is that an enhanced for loop does not refer to any
index or position of the elements in the array. Thus, if you need to
access or modify array elements, you cannot use an enhanced for
loop. In addition, you cannot use an enhanced for loop to iterate
through a part of the array. Think of an enhanced for loop as an all-or-
nothing loop that just prints all of the array elements or nothing at all.
Also note that the iterating variable type must match the array type.
For example, you cannot use for (int i : friends) since friends is a
string array and i is an integer variable. Use for (string i : friends)
instead.
Helpful Array Algorithms

Array Algorithms
In addition to being used with loops, arrays can also be used with
conditionals to help with tasks such as searching for a particular element,
finding a minimum or maximum element, or printing elements in reverse
order.

Searching for a Particular Element

string cars[] = {"Corolla", "Camry", "Prius", "RAV4",

"Highlander"};
string Camry = "A Camry is not available."; //default string
value

for (string s : cars) { //enhanced for loop

if (s == "Camry") { //if "Camry" is in array
Camry = "A Camry is available."; //variable changes if
"Camry" exists
}
}

cout << Camry << endl; //print whether Camry exists or not

challenge

What happens if you:

delete "Camry" from the cars array?
try to modify the code above so that the algorithm will look for
Prius in the array and will print A Prius is available. if Prius is
an element and A Prius is not available. if it is not an element.

Sample Solution
 string cars[] = {"Corolla", "Camry", "Prius", "RAV4",
"Highlander"};
string Prius = "A Prius is not available.";

for (string s : cars) {

if (s == "Prius") {
Prius = "A Prius is available.";
}
}

cout << Prius << endl;

Finding a Minimum or Maximum Value

int grades[] = {72, 84, 63, 55, 98};

int min = grades[0]; //set min to the first element in the array

for (int i : grades) { //enhanced for loop

if (i < min) { //if element is less than min
min = i; //set min to element that is less
}
}
//elements are not modified so enhanced for loop can be used

cout << "The lowest grade is " << min << endl; //print lowest
element

challenge

What happens if you:

replace 72 in the int array with 42?
try to modify the code so that the algorithm will look for the
maximum element instead?

Sample Solution
 int grades[] = {72, 84, 63, 55, 98};
int max = grades[0];

for (int i : grades) {

if (i > max) {
max = i;
}
}

cout << "The highest grade is " << max << endl;

Printing Elements in Reverse Order

string letters[] = {"A", "B", "C", "D", "E"};

int elements = sizeof(letters) / sizeof(letters[0]); //number of
elements

//start at index 4, then decrement by 1 until i < 0, then stop

for (int i = elements - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
cout << letters[i] << endl;
}

//regular for loop needed to access each element index