CSC 270 – Survey of

Programming Languages
C++ Lecture 2 – Strings
Credited to Dr. Robert Siegfried
 Predefined Functions in <cstring>

Function Description Caution

strcpy(s, t) Copies t into s No bounds checking
strncpy(s, t, n) Copies t into s but no more Not implemented in all
than n characters are copies versions of c++
strcat(s, t) Concatenates t to the end of s No bounds checking
strncat(s, t, n) Concatenates t to the end of s Not implemented in all
but no more than n characters versions of c++
strlen(s) Returns the length of s (not
counting ‘\0’)
strcmp(s, t) Returns 0 if s == t No bounds checking
< 0 if s < t
> 0 if s > t
strncmp(s, t, n) Same as strcmp but compares Not implemented in all
no more than n characters versions of c++
 C-String: Input and Output
• In addition to cin >> and cout << , there are
other input and output methods available when
working with strings:
– getline()
– get()
– put()
– putback ()
– peek()
– ignore()
 getline()
• getline()allows the user to read in an entire line of
text at a time, or no more than n characters:
char a[80], s[5];
std::string str
cout << "Enter a line:"
cin.getline(a, 80);
cout << "Enter a short word:";
getline(cin, str, '\n');
cout << "\'" << a << "\'\n\'" << s
<< "\'" << endl;
• In both cases, one character less is actually read in to
leave room for '\0'
 getline() – An Example
Enter a line:
Do be do to you!
Enter a short word
Do be Do to you!
Do be Do to you!Do b
 get()
• The function get() allows the user to read in every
character typed, including whitespace characters.
• Use:
char nextChar;
cin.get(nextSymbol);
• get() reads blanks and newlines as well as other
characters:
char c1, c2, c3
cin.get(c1); cin.get(c2); cin.get(c3);
• If you had entered “AB\nCD”, c3 would contain
the newline.
 CheckInput.cpp
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void newLine(void);
// Discards all the input remaining on the current
// input line.
// Also discards the '\n' at the end of the line.

void getInt(int & number);

// Sets the variable number to a
// value that the user approves of
int main(void)
{
int n;

getInt(n);
cout << "Final value read in == " << n << "\n"
<< "End of demonstation." << endl;

return(0);
}
// Uses iostream:
void newLine(void)
{
char symbol;

do {
cin .get(symbol);
} while (symbol != '\n');
}

OR cin.ignore() – but flushes entire buffer.

//Uses iostream
void getInt(int &number)
{
char ans;

do {
cout << "Enter input number: ";
cin >> number;
cout << "You entered " << number
<< " Is that correct(yes/no): ";
cin >> ans;
newLine();
} while ((ans == 'N') || (ans == 'n'));
}
 put()

• put() allows the program to print a single

character.
• It does not do anything that cannot be done
using <<.
• Example
cout.put('a');
 putback ()

• Sometimes your program needs to know what

the next character in the input stream is going
to be, but it may not be needed here.
Therefore your program needs to be able to
“put back” that next character.
• putback() allows your program to return a
character to the input stream.
 if ( (c >= '0') && (c <= '9') )
{
cin.putback (c);
cin >> n;
cout << "You have entered number " << n << endl;
}
else
{
cin.putback (c);
cin >> str;
cout << " You have entered word " << str
<< endl;
}

return 0;
}
 peek()

• peek() returns the next character in the input

stream without actually removing it from the
input steam – it allows you a “peek” at what
comes next.
 peek() – An Example

// istream peek
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main () {
char c;
int n;
char str[256];

cout << "Enter a number or a word: ";

c=cin.peek();
 if ( (c >= '0') && (c <= '9') )
{
cin >> n;
cout << "You have entered number " << n << endl;
}
else
{
cin >> str;
cout << " You have entered word " << str
<< endl;
}

return 0;
}
 ignore()

• ignore() skips up to n characters, or until it

encounters a particular character of the
programmer’s choosing, which ever comes
first.
 ignore() – An Example

// istream ignore
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main () {
char first, last;

cout << "Enter your first and last names: ";

first=cin.get();
cin.ignore(256,' ');
 last=cin.get();

cout << "Your initials are " << first << last;

return 0;
}
 Character-manipulating Functions
• There are several operations that you may need
for basic text manipulation and are most
commonly performed character by character.
• These functions have their prototypes in the
cctype header file.
• Using these methods requires that
#include <cctype>
be included in the program using them
 Functions in <cctype>
Function Description Example
toupper(c) Returns the upper case c = toupper(‘a’);
version of the character
tolower(c) Returns the lower case c = tolower(‘A’);
version of the character
isupper(c) Returns true if c is an if (isupper(c))
upper case letter cout << ‘upper case’;

islower(c) Returns true if c is an if (islower(c))

lower case letter cout << ‘lower case’;

isalpha(c) Returns true if c is a letter if (isalpha(c))

cout << “it’s a letter”;
isdigit(c) Returns true if c is a digit if (isalpha(c))
(0 through 9) cout << “it’s a number”;
 Functions in <cctype> (continued)
Function Description Example
isalnum(c) Returns true if c is if (isalnum(‘3’))
alphanumeric cout << “alphanumeric”;

isspace(c) Returns true if c is a white while (isspace(c))

space character cin.get(c);

ispunct(c) Returns true if c is a if (ispunct(c))

printable character other than cout << “punctuation”;
number, letter or white space
isprint(c) Returns true if c is a
printable character
isgraph(c) Returns true if c is a
printable character other an
white space

isctrl(c) Returns true if c is a control

character
 Pitfall: toupper and tolower return int
value
• In many ways, C and C++ consider characters
to be 8-bit unsigned integers. For this reason,
many string functions return an int value.
• Writing cout << toupper('a'); will not
write ‘A’ but the numeric code that represents
‘A’.
• To get the desired result write
char c = toupper('a');
cout << c;
 The string class
• Up until now, we have been using C-strings,
which are arrays of characters ended with a
null byte.
• The class string is defined in the library
<string> and allows you to use strings in a
somewhat more natural way.
• You can use = as an assignment operator and +
as a concatenation operator.
 ants.cpp
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main(void)
{
string phrase; //uninitialized

// The following ARE BOTH initialized

string adjective("fried"), noun("ants");
string wish = "Bon appetit";
 // + is used for concatenation
phrase = "I love " + adjective + " " + noun
+ "!";
cout << phrase << endl;
cout << wish << endl;

return 0;
}

Output
I love fried ants!
Bon appetit
 I/O with string
• You can use the insertion operator >> and
cout to print string objects just as you would
do with any other data item.
• You can use the extraction operator << and
cin to read string objects, but << will skip
initial whitespace and then read only until the
next whitespace character.
• If you wish to read input including the
whitespace, you need to use the method
cin.get()
 motto.cpp

// Demonstrates getline and cin.get

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

void newLine();

int main(void)
{
string firstName, lastName, recordName;
string motto
= "Your records are our records.";
cout << "Enter your first and last name:";
cin >> firstName >> lastName;
newLine();

recordName = lastName + ", " + firstName;

cout << "Your name in our records is: ";
cout << recordName << endl;

cout << "Our motto is\n"

<< motto << endl;
cout << "Please suggest a better "
<< "(one line) motto:\n";
 getline(cin, motto);
cout << "Our new motto will be:\n";
cout << motto << endl;

return(0);
}

// Uses iostream
void newLine(void)
{
char nextChar;

do {
cin.get(nextChar);
} while (nextChar != '\n');
}
 more Versions of getline
• getline(cin, line); will read until the
newline character.
• getline(cin, line, '?'); will read until
the '?'.
• getline(cin, s1) >> s2;
will read a line of characters into s1 and then
store the next string (up to the next
whitespace) in s2.
Mixing cin << variable with getline
• Consider
int n;
string line;
cin >> n;
getline(cin, line);
will read a value into n but nothing in line because it
is holding the remainder of the line from which n’s
value comes for the next use of cin.
 String Processing with string
• The string class lets you use the same
operations that C-string allow and then some.
• E.g.
string s1;
s1.length - returns the length of the string s1.
1astName[i] is the ith character in the string.
 NameArray.cpp

// Demonstrates using a string object as if it were

// an array
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main(void)
{
string firstName, lastName;

cout << "Enter your first and last name:\n";

cin >> firstName >> lastName;
cout << "Your last name is spelled:\n";
unsigned i;
for (i = 0; i < lastName.length(); i++) {
cout << lastName[i] << " ";
lastName[i] = '-';
}

cout << endl;

for (i = 0; i < lastName.length(); i++)
// Places a "-" under each letter
cout << lastName[i] << " ";
cout << endl;
 cout << "Good day, " << firstName << endl;

return(0);
}

Output
Enter your first and last name:
Robert Siegfried
Your last name is spelled:
S i e g f r i e d
- - - - - - - - -
Good day, Robert
 Member Functions of the string class
Example Remarks
Constructors
string str Default constructor – creates empty string object str
string str("string"); Creates a string object with data "string"
string str(aString); Creates a string object that is a copy of aString,
(which is a string object)
Element Access
str[i] Returns read/write reference to character in str at index
i
str.at(i) Returns read/write reference to character in str at index
i
str.substr(position, Return the substring of the calling object starting at
length) position and having length characters
 Member Functions of the string class
Example Remarks
Assignment/Modifiers
string str1 = str2; Allocates space and initializes it to str1’s data,
releases memory allocated to str1 and sets str1's size
to that of str2.
str1 += str2; Character data of str2 is concatenated to the end of
str1; the size is set appropriately
str.empty(); Returns true if str is an empty string; returns false
otherwise
str1 + str2 Returns a string that has str2’s data concatenated to
the end of str1’s data. The size is set appropriately
str.insert(pos, str2) Inserts str2 into str beginning at position pos
str.remove(pos, Removes a substring of size length beginning at
length) position pos
 Member Functions of the string class
Example Remarks
Comparisons
str1 == str2 Compare for equality or inequality; returns a
str1 != str2; Boolean value.
str1 < str2 str1 > str2 Four comparisons. All are lexicographical
str1 >= str2 str1 <= str2; comparisons
str.find(str1) Returns index of the first occurrence of str1 in
str.
str.find(str1, pos) Returns index of the first occurrence of str1 in
str; the search starts at position pos.
str.find_first_of(str1, pos) Returns index of the first instance of any
character in str1; the search starts at position
pos.
str.find_first_not_of(pos, Returns index of the first instance of any
length) character not in str1; the search starts at
position pos
 palindrome.cpp
// Test for palindrome property
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <cctype>
using namespace std;

// Interchanges the values of v1 and v2

void swap(char &v1, char &v2);

// Returns a copy of s but with characters in

// reverse order
string reverse(const string &s);
// Returns a copy of s with any occurrences of
// characters in the string punct removed.
string removePunct(const string &s,
const string &punct);

// Returns a copy of s that has all uppercase

// characters changed to lowercase, with other
// characters unchanged
string makeLower(const string &s);

// Returns true if s is a palindrome;

// false otherwise
bool isPal(const string &s);
int main(void) {
string str;

cout << "Enter a candidate for palindrome "

<< "test followed by press Return."
<< endl;
getline(cin, str);

if (isPal(str))
cout << "\"" << str
+ "\" is a palindrome." << endl;
else
cout << "\"" << str
+ "\" is not a palindrome." << endl;
 cin >> str;
return(0);
}

void swap(char &v1, char &v2) {

char temp = v1;
v1 = v2;
v2 = temp;
}
string reverse(const string &s) {
int start = 0;
int end = s.length();
string temp(s);

while (start < end) {

--end;
swap(temp[start], temp[end]);
start++;
}
return temp;
}
// Uses <cctype> and <string>
string makeLower(const string &s) {
string temp(s);

for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)

temp[i] = tolower(s[i]);

return temp;
}
string removePunct(const string &s,
const string &punct) {
string noPunct; //Initialized to empty string
int sLength = s.length();
int punctLength = punct.length();

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

// A one-character string
string aChar = s.substr(i, 1);

// Find location of successive

// characters of achar in punct
int location = punct.find(aChar, 0);
 // aChar is not in punct, so keep it
if (location < 0 ||
location >= punctLength)
noPunct = noPunct + aChar;
}
return noPunct;
}
// Uses functions makeLower, removePunct
bool isPal(const string &s) {
string punct(",;:.?!'\" "); // includes a
blank
string str(s);
str = makeLower(str);
string lowerStr = removePunct(str, punct);

return (lowerStr == reverse(lowerStr));

}
 Converting string objects and C-
Strings
//Legal
char aCString[] = “This is my C-string.”;
string stringVariable;
stringVariable = aCString;

//ILLEGAL
aCString = stringVariable;
Strcpy(ACString, stringVariable);

//Legal
Strcpy(aCString, stringVariable.c_str());

//ILLEGAL
aCString = stringVAriable.c_str();