Arrays and Strings in C Programming
In C programming, arrays and strings are used to store and manipulate collections of data. Arrays can
store multiple values of the same data type, while strings are specialized character arrays used to store
text.
1. Arrays in C
An array is a collection of elements of the same data type, stored in contiguous memory locations.
Syntax for Declaring an Array
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data_type array_name[size];
Example:
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int numbers[5]; // Declaration of an integer array of size 5
Types of Arrays
1. One-Dimensional Arrays
2. Multi-Dimensional Arrays (2D, 3D, etc.)
1. One-Dimensional Arrays
Declaration and Initialization:
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int numbers[5] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
Accessing Array Elements:
Elements are accessed using an index, starting from 0.
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printf("%d", numbers[2]); // Output: 30
Example: Traversing an Array
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int arr[5] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
return 0;
Output:
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12345
2. Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Arrays with more than one dimension, such as 2D arrays (matrices).
Declaration and Initialization:
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int matrix[3][3] = {
{1, 2, 3},
{4, 5, 6},
{7, 8, 9}
};
Accessing Elements:
c
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printf("%d", matrix[1][2]); // Output: 6
Example: Traversing a 2D Array
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int matrix[2][2] = {{1, 2}, {3, 4}};
for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < 2; j++) {
printf("%d ", matrix[i][j]);
printf("\n");
return 0;
Output:
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12
34
3. Passing Arrays to Functions
Arrays can be passed to functions using their base address.
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void printArray(int arr[], int size) {
for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
int main() {
int numbers[] = {10, 20, 30};
printArray(numbers, 3);
return 0;
Output: 10 20 30
4. Common Operations on Arrays
Insertion
Deletion
Searching
Sorting
Example: Linear Search
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#include <stdio.h>
int search(int arr[], int size, int key) {
for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
if (arr[i] == key) return i;
return -1;
}
int main() {
int numbers[] = {5, 10, 15, 20, 25};
int index = search(numbers, 5, 15);
if (index != -1)
printf("Element found at index %d\n", index);
else
printf("Element not found\n");
return 0;
2. Strings in C
A string in C is an array of characters, terminated by a null character \0.
Declaration and Initialization of Strings
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char str1[] = "Hello"; // Implicit null character added
char str2[6] = "Hello"; // Explicitly specifying size
char str3[] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'}; // Manual initialization
Input and Output of Strings
Using scanf and printf (Avoids spaces)
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char name[20];
printf("Enter your name: ");
scanf("%s", name); // Reads until space
printf("Hello, %s!\n", name);
return 0;
Using gets and puts (Allows spaces)
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char sentence[100];
printf("Enter a sentence: ");
gets(sentence); // Allows spaces
puts(sentence);
return 0;
String Functions (Using <string.h>)
C provides several built-in functions to manipulate strings.
1. strlen() – Get String Length
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#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
char str[] = "Programming";
printf("Length: %lu\n", strlen(str));
return 0;
}
Output: Length: 11
2. strcpy() – Copy Strings
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char source[] = "Hello";
char destination[20];
strcpy(destination, source);
3. strcat() – Concatenate Strings
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char str1[20] = "Hello, ";
char str2[] = "World!";
strcat(str1, str2);
4. strcmp() – Compare Strings
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if (strcmp("apple", "banana") == 0)
printf("Strings are equal\n");
else
printf("Strings are different\n");
5. strrev() – Reverse a String (Not standard)
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char str[] = "Hello";
strrev(str); // Reverse the string
Example Program: Working with Strings
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#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
char str1[50], str2[50];
printf("Enter first string: ");
gets(str1);
printf("Enter second string: ");
gets(str2);
if (strcmp(str1, str2) == 0)
printf("Strings are equal\n");
else
printf("Strings are different\n");
strcat(str1, str2);
printf("Concatenated String: %s\n", str1);
return 0;
Passing Strings to Functions
Strings can be passed to functions using character pointers.
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void printString(char str[]) {
printf("String: %s\n", str);
int main() {
char name[] = "Alice";
printString(name);
return 0;
Common Operations on Strings
1. Reversing a String
2. Checking Palindrome
3. Counting Characters
4. Converting Case (Upper/Lower)
Example: Check Palindrome
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#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int isPalindrome(char str[]) {
int len = strlen(str);
for (int i = 0; i < len / 2; i++) {
if (str[i] != str[len - i - 1]) {
return 0;
}
return 1;
int main() {
char str[] = "madam";
if (isPalindrome(str))
printf("Palindrome\n");
else
printf("Not a Palindrome\n");
return 0;
Summary of Arrays and Strings in C
Feature Arrays Strings
Type Homogeneous data collection Character array
Initialization int arr[3] = {1,2,3}; char str[] = "Hello";
Accessing arr[1] str[1]
Size Fixed Can vary with null character
Functions Custom loops Built-in (strlen, strcpy)
