21CSS101J Programming and Problem Solving (PPS)

UNIT 3
String Basics - String Declaration and Initialization

String Basics:
1. An array of characters is commonly called as strings.
2. They are used by programmers to manipulate texts or sentences.
3. In real time, we use a lot of applications which processes words and sentences to find
pattern in user data, replace it , delete it , modify it etc.
4. They are widely used in spell checkers, spam filters, intrusion detection system, search
engines, plagiarism detection, bioinformatics, digital forensics and information retrieval
systems etc.
String Declaration:

A C String is a simple array with char as a data type. ‘C’ language does not directly support
string as a data type. Hence, to display a String in C, you need to make use of a character array.

The general syntax for declaring a variable as a String in C is as follows,

char string_variable_name [array_size];

The classic Declaration of strings can be done as follow:

char string_name[string_length] = "string";

The size of an array must be defined while declaring a C String variable because it is used to
calculate how many characters are going to be stored inside the string variable in C. Some valid
examples of string declaration are as follows,

char first_name[15]; //declaration of a string variable

char last_name[15];
The above example represents string variables with an array size of 15. This means that the given
C string array is capable of holding 15 characters at most. The indexing of array begins from 0
hence it will store characters from a 0-14 position. The C compiler automatically adds a NULL
character ‘\0’ to the character array created.

String Initialization:
Following example demonstrates the initialization of Strings in C,
char first_name[15] = "ANTHONY";
char first_name[15] = {'A','N','T','H','O','N','Y','\0'}; // NULL character '\0' is required at end in
this declaration
char string1 [6] = "hello";/* string size = 'h'+'e'+'l'+'l'+'o'+"NULL" = 6 */
char string2 [ ] = "world"; /* string size = 'w'+'o'+'r'+'l'+'d'+"NULL" = 6 */
char string3[6] = {'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'} ; /*Declaration as set of characters ,Size 6*/
In string3, the NULL character must be added explicitly, and the characters are enclosed in
single quotation marks.

String Functions: gets(), puts(), getchar(),putchar(), printf()

getchar() & putchar() functions

The getchar and putchar functions are used for taking character input from the user and printing
the character as output.

The getchar() function

● The getchar() function reads a character from the terminal and returns it as an integer.
● This function reads only a single character at a time.

Here is the syntax for the getchar() function:

int getchar(void);

The putchar() function

● The putchar() function displays the character passed to it on the screen and returns the
same character.
● This function too displays only a single character at a time.

Here is the syntax for the putchar() function:

int putchar(int character);

#include <stdio.h>

void main( )

int c;
 printf("Enter a character");

/*

Take a character as input and

store it in variable c

*/

c = getchar();

/*

display the character stored

in variable c

*/

putchar(c);

Output:

Enter a character: Studytonight

gets() & puts() functions

The gets and puts functions are used for taking string input and giving string output.

The gets() function

The gets() function reads a line of text from stdin(standard input) into the buffer pointed to
by str pointer, until either a terminating newline or EOF (end of file) occurs.

Here is the syntax for the gets() function:

char* gets(char* str);

The puts() function

The puts() function writes the string str with a newline character ('\n') at the end to stdout. On
success, a non-negative value is returned.

Here is the syntax for the gets() function:

int puts(const char* str);

#include <stdio.h>

void main()

/* character array of length 100 */

char str[100];

printf("Enter a string: ");

gets(str);

puts(str);

getch();

return 0;

Output:

Enter a string: Studytonight

Studytonight

Printf()

printf function is used to print output on the screen. This function is a part of the C standard
library “stdio.h” and it can allow formatting the output in numerous ways.

Syntax of printf:

printf(” format String”, Arguments);

Here,
● Format String: It is a string that specifies the output. It may also contain a format specifier
to print the value of any variable such as character and an integer value.
● Arguments: These are the variable names corresponding to the format specifier.

Built-inString Functions: atoi, strlen, strcat, strcmp

strcpy()
This is the string copy function. It copies one string into another string.

Syntax:

strcpy(string1, string2);
The two parameters to the function, string1 and string2, are strings. The function will copy the
string string1 into the string 1.

strcat()
This is the string concatenate function. It concatenates strings.

Syntax:

strcat(string1, string2);
The two parameters to the function, string1 and string2 are the strings to be concatenated. The
above function will concatenate the string string2 to the end of the string string1.

strlen()
This is the string length function. It returns the length of the string passed to it as the argument.

Syntax:

strnlen(string1)
The parameter string1 is the name of the string whose length is to be determined. The above
function will return the length of the string string1.

strcmp()
This is the string compare function. It is used for string comparison.

Syntax:

strcmp(string1, string2);
The above function will return 0 if strings string1 and string2 are similar, less than 0 if
string1<string2 and greater than 0 if string1>string2.

Example:
The following example demonstrates how to use the above string functions:

#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>
using namespace std;
int main() {

char name1[10] = "Guru99";

char name2[10] = "John";
char name3[10];

int len;
strcpy(name3, name1);
cout << "strcpy( name3, name1) : " << name3 << endl;

strcat(name1, name2);
cout << "strcat( name1, name2): " << name1 << endl;

len = strlen(name1);
cout << "strlen(name1) : " << len << endl;
return 0;
}
Output:

Atoi():

The C library function int atoi(const char *str) converts the string argument str to an integer
(type int).
Declaration
Following is the declaration for atoi() function.
int atoi(const char *str)
Parameters
● str
Return Value
This function returns the converted integral number as an int value. If no valid conversion could
be performed, it returns zero.
Example
The following example shows the usage of atoi() function.
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

int main () {
int val;
char str[20];

strcpy(str, "98993489");
val = atoi(str);
printf("String value = %s, Int value = %d\n", str, val);

strcpy(str, "tutorialspoint.com");
val = atoi(str);
printf("String value = %s, Int value = %d\n", str, val);

return(0);
}
Output:
String value = 98993489, Int value = 98993489
String value = tutorialspoint.com, Int value = 0

strrev()
Program to demonstrate the use of strrev() function in C.

#include<stdio.h>

#include<string.h>

int main()

char name[20]=”Rahul”;

strrev(name);

printf("name=%s",name);
 return(0);

Output

name=luhaR

strrev() function is used to reverse the characters stored in a string value.

strcpy()
strcpy() is one of the most popular String functions in c language . This function is used store a
value in a string variable
Syntax :

strcpy(Str2,Str1);

Str2 is the string variable to store the value.

Str1 is the string value to be stored in string variable Str2.

We can’t use assignment operator = to assign a value to string variable. So we need to use

strcpy() function to do that.

char name[20];

strcpy(name,”Amit”);

Program to demonstrate the use of strcpy() function in C.

#include<stdio.h>

#include<string.h>

int main()

{
char name[20];

strcpy(name,”Rahul”);

printf("name=%s",name);

return(0);

Output

name=Rahul

strstr() String Function:

the strstr() string function is used to find the first occurrence of a substring in another string. This
function returns a pointer to the element in string where substring begins. It returns NULL if no
occurrence found. The general syntax of strstr() string function is as follows:

Var= strstr(string, substring); Where

String: it represents a string.

Substring: it represents a substring.

Var: it represents pointer of char type where result is to be stored.4

For example, string “PROGRAMMING” is shown below with supposed memory addresses for
each character.

The function strstr(“PROGRAMMIGN”, “GRAM”) will return pointer to “G”(i.e. memory

address 103) because substring “GRAM” begins at this location.

Programming example: write a program that explains the concept of strstr string function:
 1

4 #include <iostream>

5 #include <string.h>

6 #include <stdio.h>

7 using namespace std;

8 int main()

9 {

1 char st1[] = "programmingdigest";

0 char *pstr;
1 pstr = strstr(st1, "ing");
1
cout<<pstr<<endl;
1
2 cout<<pstr-st1<<endl;

1 }
3

1
4

1
5

Output:

Largest

strtok() String Function:

the strtok() string function is used to split a string into tokens. It means that this function divides
the string into smaller string based on the given character. A sequence of calls to this function
split the string into tokens, which are sequences of contiguous characters separated by any of the
characters that are part of delimiters. The general syntax of this function is as follows;

strtok(string, delimiter); where

string: it represents the string to be broken into tokens.

Delimiter: it represents the delimiter to be used for scanning.

Programming example: write a program that splits the given strings using strtok string
function:
1 #include <iostream>

2 #include <string.h>

3 #include <stdio.h>

4 using namespace std;

5 int main()

6 {

7 char *str1 = "china, India, USA, Uk";

8 char *str2 = "Pakistan#Japan#Sweden#Turkey";

9 char * pch;

1 cout<<"splitting string1"<<endl;
0
pch=strtok(str1,",");
1
1 while(pch !=NULL)

1 {
2 cout<<pch<<endl;
1 pch = strtok(NULL, ",");
3
}
1
4 cout<<"\nSplitting string2"<<endl;

1 pch=strtok(str2,"#");
5
 1
6

1
7

1
8 while(pch !=NULL)
1 { cout<<pch<<endl;
9
pch=strtok(NULL,"#");
2
0 }

2 }
1

2
2

2
3

sprintf()
sprintf stands for "string print". In C programming language, it is a file handling function that is
used to send formatted output to the string. Instead of printing on console, sprintf() function
stores the output on char buffer that is specified in sprintf.
Syntax
int sprintf(char *str, const char *format, ...)
Parameter values
The sprintf() function accepts some parameter values that are defined as follows -
str: It is the pointer to an array of char elements where the resulting string is stored. It is the
buffer to put the data in.
format: It is C string that is used to describe the output along with placeholders for the integer
arguments to be inserted in the formatted string. It is said to the string that contains the text to be
written to buffer. It consists of characters along with the optional format specifiers starting with
%.
 Example1

This is a simple example to demonstrate the use of sprintf() function in C. Here, we are using
multiple arguments with the sprintf() function.
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. char buffer[50];
5. int a = 15, b = 25, res;
6. res = a + b;
7. sprintf(buffer, "The Sum of %d and %d is %d", a, b, res);
8. printf("%s", buffer);
9. return 0;
10. }
Output:
The Sum of 15 and 25 is 40

sscanf():
sscanf() is used to read formatted input from the string.

Syntax:
int sscanf ( const char * s, const char * format, ...);

Return type: Integer

Parameters:
s: string used to retrieve data
format: string that contains the type specifier(s) arguments contains pointers to allocate
storage with appropriate type.There should be at least as many of these arguments as the
number of values stored by the format specifiers.
On success, the function returns the number of variables filled. In the case of an input failure,
before any data could be successfully read, EOF is returned.

// C program to illustrate sscanf statement

#include <stdio.h>

int main ()
 {

// declaring array s

char s [] = "3 red balls 2 blue balls";

char str [10],str2 [10];

int i;

// %*s is used to skip a word

sscanf (s,"%d %*s %*s %*s %s %s", &i, str, str2);

printf ("%d %s %s \n", i, str, str2); return 0;

Output:
3 blue balls

Function:
A function in C is a set of statements that when called perform some specific task. It is the basic
building block of a C program that provides modularity and code reusability. The programming
statements of a function are enclosed within { } braces, having certain meanings and performing
certain operations. They are also called subroutines or procedures in other languages.

Syntax of Functions in C
The syntax of function can be divided into 3 aspects:
1. Function Declaration
2. Function Definition
3. Function Calls

Function Declarations
In a function declaration, we must provide the function name, its return type, and the number and
type of its parameters. A function declaration tells the compiler that there is a function with the
given name defined somewhere else in the program.
Syntax
return_type name_of_the_function (parameter_1, parameter_2);
The parameter name is not mandatory while declaring functions. We can also declare the
function without using the name of the data variables.

Example

int sum(int a, int b);

int sum(int , int);

Function Declaration

Function Definition
The function definition consists of actual statements which are executed when the function is
called (i.e. when the program control comes to the function).
A C function is generally defined and declared in a single step because the function definition
always starts with the function declaration so we do not need to declare it explicitly. The below
example serves as both a function definition and a declaration.
return_type function_name (para1_type para1_name, para2_type para2_name)
{
// body of the function
}
Function Definition in C

Function Call
A function call is a statement that instructs the compiler to execute the function. We use the
function name and parameters in the function call.

Working of function in C

Example of C Function

// C program to show function

// call and definition

#include <stdio.h>

// Function that takes two parameters

// a and b as inputs and returns

// their sum

int sum(int a, int b)

{

return a + b;

// Driver code

int main()

// Calling sum function and

// storing its value in add variable

int add = sum(10, 30);

printf("Sum is: %d", add);

return 0;

Output
Sum is: 40
Passing Parameters to Functions (Actual and Formal Parameters)
The data passed when the function is being invoked is known as the Actual parameters. In the
below program, 10 and 30 are known as actual parameters. Formal Parameters are the variable
and the data type as mentioned in the function declaration. In the below program, a and b are
known as formal parameters.
We can pass arguments to the C function in two ways:
1. Pass by Value
2. Pass by Reference
1. Pass by Value
Parameter passing in this method copies values from actual parameters into formal function
parameters. As a result, any changes made inside the functions do not reflect in the caller’s
parameters.
Example:

// C program to show use

// of call by value

#include <stdio.h>

void swap(int var1, int var2)

int temp = var1;

var1 = var2;

var2 = temp;
}

// Driver code

int main()

int var1 = 3, var2 = 2;

printf("Before swap Value of var1 and var2 is: %d, %d\n",

var1, var2);

swap(var1, var2);

printf("After swap Value of var1 and var2 is: %d, %d",

var1, var2);

return 0;

Output
Before swap Value of var1 and var2 is: 3, 2
After swap Value of var1 and var2 is: 3, 2
2. Pass by Reference
The caller’s actual parameters and the function’s actual parameters refer to the same locations, so
any changes made inside the function are reflected in the caller’s actual parameters.
Example:

// C program to show use of

// call by Reference

#include <stdio.h>

void swap(int *var1, int *var2)

int temp = *var1;

*var1 = *var2;

*var2 = temp;

// Driver code

int main()

int var1 = 3, var2 = 2;

printf("Before swap Value of var1 and var2 is: %d, %d\n",

var1, var2);

swap(&var1, &var2);

printf("After swap Value of var1 and var2 is: %d, %d",

var1, var2);
 return 0;

Output
Before swap Value of var1 and var2 is: 3, 2
After swap Value of var1 and var2 is: 2, 3
Advantages of Functions in C
Functions in C is a highly useful feature of C with many advantages as mentioned below:
1. The function can reduce the repetition of the same statements in the program.
2. The function makes code readable by providing modularity to our program.
3. There is no fixed number of calling functions it can be called as many times as you want.
4. The function reduces the size of the program.
5. Once the function is declared you can just use it without thinking about the internal working
of the function.
Disadvantages of Functions in C
The following are the major disadvantages of functions in C:
1. Cannot return multiple values.
2. Memory and time overhead due to stack frame allocation and transfer of program control.

Passing an array to function:

An array is an effective way to group and store similar data together. We are required to pass an
array to function several times, like in merge or quicksort. An array can be passed to functions in
C using pointers by passing reference to the base address of the array,

passing an array to function example

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int minarray(int arr[],int size){
3. int min=arr[0];
4. int i=0;
5. for(i=1;i<size;i++){
6. if(min>arr[i]){
7. min=arr[i];
8. }
9. }//end of for
10. return min;
11. }//end of function
12.
13. int main(){
14. int i=0,min=0;
15. int numbers[]={4,5,7,3,8,9};//declaration of array
16.
17. min=minarray(numbers,6);//passing array with size
18. printf("minimum number is %d \n",min);
19. return 0;
20. }

Output

minimum number is 3

Function parameter:
Information can be passed to functions as a parameter. Parameters act as variables inside the
function. Parameters are specified after the function name, inside the parentheses. You can add
as many parameters as you want, just separate them with a comma:

Syntax
returnType functionName(parameter1, parameter2, parameter3) {
// code to be executed
}
The following function that takes a string of characters with name as parameter. When the
function is called, we pass along a name, which is used inside the function to print "Hello" and
the name of each person.

Example
void myFunction(char name[]) {
printf("Hello %s\n", name);
}

int main() {
myFunction("Liam");
myFunction("Jenny");
myFunction("Anja");
return 0;
}

Output:
Hello Liam
Hello Jenny
Hello Anja