STRINGS

Definition:

 A string is defined as the sequence of characters terminated by the special character ‘\0’ (null
character).
 Strings are always enclosed in double quotes as “string constant”.

Declaring string variables:

In C, a string variable is any valid C variable name and is always declared as an array of
characters.
The general form of declaration of string variables is:

char string_name [size];

 char defines the string as array of characters.

 String-name defines the name of the string variable. It must be a valid ‘C’ identifier.

 size defines the number of characters in the string_name.

Example: char name [30];

char city [15];

Initialization of string variables (or) Initialization of arrays of char type:

The general form of initialization of string variable is:

char string_name [size] = “stringdata”;

Example: char name [30] = “ramu”;

char city [15] = { ‘g’,’u’,’n’,’t’,’u’,’r’,’\0’};
char str1 [ ] = {“jkc”};

name [0] name [1] name [2] name [3] name [4]

r a m u \0

Example:
/*Example program to illustrate the strings initialization*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main()
{
char str1[20]="college";
char str2[20]={"college"};
char str3[20]={'c','o','l','l', 'e', 'g','e'};
1
clrscr();
printf("%s\n",str1);
printf("%s\n",str2);
printf("%s\n",str3);
getch();
}

Output: college
college
college

Q) String Input and Output functions:

1)The scanf() and printf() functions:

scanf ():

The scanf () is an input function which is used to accept a string into a string variable.

Syntax: scanf (“%s”, string variable);

Example: scanf (“%s”, str);

It is used to accept a string into str up to a white space character (Blank Space, New Line character,
Tab space). The null character ‘\0’ will be automatically appended to the string. %s is the format
specifier for strings.

printf ():

The printf () is an output function which is used to display a string.

Syntax: printf (“%s”, string variable);

Example: printf (“%s”, str);

It displays the string contained in str. %s is the format specifier for strings. str is the string variable
the contents of which are to be displayed.

Example:

/*TO illustrate string I/O functions using scanf() and printf()*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main()
{
char str[15]; output:
clrscr(); Enter string into str: jkc
printf("Enter string into str:\n"); str=jkc
scanf("%s",str);
2
printf("str=%s\n",str);
getch();
}

2)The getchar() and putchar() functions:

getchar():

getchar() is an input function which is used to read a character through standard input device,
keyboard.

syntax: ch = getchar()

Where ch is a variable of char type. As a result of this, a character typed at the keyboard is
assigned to the variable ch.

putchar():

putchar() is an output function which is used to display the character.

synatx: putchar(ch);

Where ch represents variable of type char. It display the character stored in ch on the screen.

Example:

/*To illustrate getchar() and putchar() functions*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main()
{
char ch;
clrscr();
printf("Enter any character into ch:\n");
ch=getchar();
printf("The character in ch is:");
putchar(ch);
getch();
}

Output:
Enter any character into ch:
D
The charcater in ch is: D

3)The gets() and puts() Functions:

3
 gets():

gets() is an input function which is used to accept a string up to a newline character into a
string variable. It automatically appends the null character ‘\0’ to the end of the string.

syntax: gets(variablename);

Example: gets(str);

It accepts a string up to a new line character into str. If str is “jkc college”, the entire string gets
accepted.

puts():

puts () is an output function which is used to display a string contained in a string variable. It
also adds the new line character ‘\n’ to the string automatically.

syntax: puts(variableaname);

example: puts(str);

It displays a string contained in a str.

Example:
/*To illustrate gets() and puts() functions*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
void main()
{
char str[30];
clrscr();
printf("Enter any string into str:\n");
gets(str);
printf("The string in str is:\n"); output:
puts(str); Enter any string into str:
getch(); welcome to jkc
} The string in str is:
Welcome to jkc

Q)String handling functions or String manipulations:

4
The string handling functions that are avilable in C language is:

1) strlen()
2) strcpy()
3) strcat()
4) strcmp()
5) strrev()
6) strlwr()
7) strupr()

All these string handling built-in functions are declared in the header file string.h, this file has to be
included in all the programs which use these functions with the help of preprocessor directive
#include.

1) strlen():

This function is used to counts the number of characters excluding the null character ‘\0’
in the string.

Synatx: strlen(variablename);

Example: strlen(str);

Argument str represents a string. It can be a string constant or a string variable. The function
returns an inetger value, which is the length of the string.

Example:
/* Write a program to find the length of the string*/
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main()
{
int count;
char str[30];
clrscr();
printf("enter string into str:\n");
gets(str);
printf("The string in str is:");
puts(str);
count=strlen(str);
printf("\nThe total no of characters in str is:%d",count);
getch();
}

Output:
enter string into str:
welcome to jkc college
The string in str is:welcome to jkc college
The total no of characters in str is:21

5
 2) strcpy():

This function is used to copy the content of one string into another string.

Synatx: strcpy(variablename1,variablename2);

Example: strcpy(str1,str2);

Here the string contained in str2 is copied to str1.

Example:

/* Write a program to copy one string to another string*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main()
{
char str1[30],str2[30];
clrscr();
printf("enter string into str1:\n");
gets(str1);
printf("The string in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
strcpy(str2,str1);
printf("\nAfter copying string contained in str2 is:");
puts(str2);
getch();
}
Output:
enter string into str1:
jkc college
The string in str1 is:jkc college
After copying string contained in str2 is:jkc college

3) strcat():

This function is used to concatenates one string to the end of another string.

Synatx: strcat(variablename1,variablename2);

Example: strcat(str1,str2);

Here the string contained in str2 concatenates to the end of the string contained in str1.

Example:

/* Write a program to concatenate two strings*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
6
void main()
{
char str1[30],str2[30];
clrscr();
printf("enter string into str1:\n");
gets(str1);
printf("enter string into str2:\n");
gets(str2);
printf("The string in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
printf("The string in str2 is:");
puts(str2);
strcat(str1,str2);
printf("\nAfter concatenate str1 and str2 string contained in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
getch();
}
Output:
enter string into str1:
jkc
enter string into str2:
college
The string in str1 is:jkc
The string in str2 is:college
After concatenate str1 and str2 string contained in str1 is:jkc college

4) strcmp():

This function is used to compare two strings.

Synatx: strcmp(variablename1,variablename2);

Example: strcmp(str1,str2);

Here the string contained in str1 is compared with the string in str2.

if str1=str2 then it returns 0

if str1>str2 then it returns positive
if str1<str2 then it returns negative

Example:

/* Write a program to compare two strings*/

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main()
{
int i;
char str1[30],str2[30];
7
clrscr();
printf("enter string into str1:\n");
gets(str1);
printf("enter string into str2:\n");
gets(str2);
printf("The string in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
printf("The string in str2 is:");
puts(str2);
i=strcmp(str1,str2);
printf("\ndifferene between str1 and str2 is:%d",i);
getch();
}
Output:
enter string into str1:
bsc
enter string into str2:
bca
The string in str1 is:bsc
The string in str2 is:bca
difference between str1 and str2 is:16

5) strrev():

This function is used to reverse the string.

Synatx: strrev(variablename1);

Example: strrev(str1);

Here the string contained in str1 is reversed.

Example:
/* Write a program to reverse the string*/
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main()
{
char str1[30];
clrscr();
printf("enter string into str1:\n");
gets(str1);
printf("The string in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
strrev(str1);
printf("\nRevresed string in str1 is:");
puts(str1);
getch();
}
Output:
8
enter string into str1:
bca
The string in str1 is:bca
Reversed string in str1 is:acb

6)strlwr():
The STRLWR() Function used to converts given string to lowercase.

Syntax:
strlwr(str1)

#include<string.h>
int main()
{
char str[100];
printf("Please, Enter the String = ");
gets(str);
printf(" \n The Lower case String is = %s",strlwr(str));
return 0;
}

7.strupr()
The STRUPR() Function used to converts given string to uppercase.

Syntax:
strupr(str1)

#include<string.h>

int main()
{

char str[100];

printf("Please, Enter the String = ");

gets(str);

printf(" \n The Upper case String is = %s",strupr(str));

return 0;