Strings

Strings

Understanding Strings

What is a String?

In C programming, a String is simply a sequence of characters terminated by a special character called the Null Character (\0).

Essentially, a string is a 1-dimensional array of char. The null character tells the computer that the string has ended, which is why when you declare a string, you must ensure the array is large enough to hold the text plus that hidden extra character.

Syntax & Declaration

You can declare a string just like an array of characters. You can either specify the size manually or let C calculate it based on your initial text.

        char stringName[size];

        // Method 1: Using double quotes (Recommended)

        char name[] = "SkillEco";

        // Method 2: Character by character (Manual null character)

        char greet[6] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'};

Practical Examples

Example 1: Printing a String

In C, the %s format specifier is used to read or print strings.

char message[] = "Welcome to C Programming";

// The computer prints until it hits the \0 character
printf("Message: %s\n", message);

Example 2: Reading a String with `scanf`

char firstName[30];

printf("Enter your name: ");
// Note: No & symbol is needed for strings in scanf
scanf("%s", firstName);

printf("Hello, %s!", firstName);

The Space Limitation: When using scanf("%s", ...), the input stops as soon as it hits a space. To read a full line with spaces (like "John Doe"), students should use the fgets() function instead!

Example

🏋️ Test Yourself With Exercises

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