Module 5

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 1

• Strings: • Pointers:
• Introduction • Introduction to pointers
• string taxonomy • declaring and accessing
• operations on strings- pointer variables
• strlen()
• strcmp()
• strcat()
• strcpy()

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 2

Strings
• Array of characters is called a string.
• It is always terminated by the NULL character – ‘\0’.
• It is a one dimensional array of characters.
• Syntax:
char string_variable[size];
• string_variable is any name given to the string variable
• size is used to define the length of the string, i.e the number of characters
strings will store.
• Example: char string[20]; /* string is not a reserved word */
char name[10] = “Yashas”
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 3
 String Taxonomy

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 4

Assigning a string
• We can initialize a C string in 4 different ways:
1. Assigning a String Literal without Size
• Here, the name of the string str acts as a pointer because it is an array.
• char str[] = "GeeksforGeeks“;

2. Assigning a String Literal with a Predefined Size

• String literals can be assigned with a predefined size, But always account for one extra space which
will be assigned to the null character.
• char str[50] = "GeeksforGeeks";

3. Assigning Character by Character with Size

• assign a string character by character, But remember to set the end character as ‘\0’ which is a null
character.
• char str[14] = { 'G','e','e','k','s','f','o','r','G','e','e','k','s','\0'};

4. Assigning Character by Character without size

• 20-10-2023
char str[] = { 'G','e','e','k','s','f','o','r','G','e','e','k','s','\0'};
Prof. Shilpa B V 5
Read a string
#include<stdio.h>

int main()
{
char str[50]; // declaring string
scanf("%s",str); // reading string, but only one word
gets(str); // reading string, many words with space - sentence
printf("%s",str); // print string, but only one word
puts(str); // print string, many words with space - sentence
return 0;
}
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 6
Operations on strings
• String library function
• There are several string library functions used to manipulate string and the
prototypes for these functions are in header file “string.h”.
• strlen()
• strcmp()
• strcat()
• strcpy()

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 7

strlen()
• This function return the length of
the string. i.e. the number of #include<stdio.h>
characters in the string excluding #include<string.h>
the terminating NULL character. void main()
{
• It accepts a single argument
char str[50];
which is pointer to the first print(”Enter a string:”);
character of the string. gets(str);
• Example: char name[20]; printf(“Length of string = %d\n”,strlen(str));
gets(name); }
n = strlen(name);

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 8

 #include<stdio.h>

strcmp()
#include<string.h>
void main()
{
char str1[10],str2[10];
• This function is used to compare printf(“Enter two strings:”);
two strings. gets(str1);
gets(str2);
• If the two string match, strcmp() if(strcmp(str1,str2)==0)
return a value 0 otherwise it return {
a non-zero value. printf(“String are same\n”);
}
• It compare the strings character by else if(strcmp(str1,str2) > 0)
character and the comparison stops {
printf(“String1 is larger than string2”);
when }
• the end of the string is reached or else
• the corresponding characters in the {
two string are not same. printf(“String1 is smaller than string2”);
}
}
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 9
strcpy()
• This function is used to copying #include<stdio.h>
one string to another string. #include<string.h>
void main()
• The function strcpy(str2,str1) {
copies str1 to str2 including the char str1[10],str2[10];
NULL character. printf(“Enter a string:”);
scanf(“%s”,str1);
• Here str1 is the source string strcpy(str2,str1);
and str2 is the destination printf(“First string:%s, \t Second string:%s”, str1, str2);
string. strcpy(str1,”National”);
strcpy(str2,”Institute”);
• The old content if exists in string printf(“First string :%s, \tSecond string:%s”, str1, str2);
str2 are lost. }
• The function returns a pointer to
destination string str2.
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 10
Strcat()
• This function is used to #include<stdio.h>
concatenate/append a copy of a #include<string.h>
string at the end of the other void main()
string. {
char str1[20],str[20];
• If the first string is “Computer” printf(“Enter two strings:”);
and second string is “Science” gets(str1);
then after using this function the gets(str2);
first string becomes printf(“First string:%s\t second string:%s\n”,str1,str2);
“ComputerScience”. strcat(str1,str2);
printf(“First string:%s\t second string:%s\n”,str1,str2);
• The NULL character from str1 is
strcat(str1,”&Engineering”);
removed and str2 is added at printf(“Now first string is %s\n”,str1);
the end of str1. }
• The second string str2 remains
unaffected.
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 11
Write a C program to determine whether a given word is a
palindrome or not. Use built-in functions for string handling.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h> // Keep comparing characters while they are same
while ( i < n)
void main() {
{ if (str[i++] != str[n--])
char str[20]; {
int i, n; printf("%s is not a palindrome\n", str);
return ;
printf(“Enter a string\n”); }
gets(str); }
i = 0; printf("%s is a palindrome\n", str);
n = strlen(str); return ;
n = n-1; }

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 12

Write a C program to determine whether a given word is a
palindrome or not. Use built-in functions for string handling.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h> for (i=0; i<n ; i++)
revstr[i] = str[j--]; // reverse string
void main()
{ if( strcmp( str, revstr) == 0)
char str[20],revstr[20]; printf("%s is a palindrome\n", str);
int i, n, j; else
printf("%s is not a palindrome\n", str);
printf(“Enter a string\n”);
gets(str); return;
i = 0; }
n = strlen(str);
j=n-1;
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 13
• Program to input names of N students. Sort the names in ascending order.
Display the sorted names.

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 14

 for(i=0;i<n; i++)
for(j=i+1;j<n;j++)
# include <stdio.h> {
#include <string.h> if(strcmp(str[i],str[j]) > 0)
void main() {
strcpy(temp,str[i]);
{ strcpy(str[i],str[j]);
char names[20][25], temp[25];
int i, j, n; strcpy(str[j],temp);
}
}
printf(“Enter value of N\n”);
scanf(“%d”,&n); printf(“The sorted names with
length are:\n”);
printf(“Enter %d names\n”, n); for(i =0; i<n; i++)
for(i =0; i<n; i++) printf(“%s %d\n”, names[i],
strlen(names[i]));
scanf(“%s “, names[i]);
return;
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 15
}
• Program to input First name and last name of N students. Display the List of
first and last names combined.

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 16

# include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h> for(i=0;i<n;i++)
void main() {
{ strcpy(names[i], first[i]);
strcat(names[i], “ “);
char names[50][50], first[25][25], last[25][25]; strcat(names[i], last[i]);
int i, j, n; }
printf(“Enter value of N\n”); printf(“The combined names are:\n”);
scanf(“%d”,&n); for(i =0; i<n; i++)
for(i =0; i<n; i++) {
{ printf(“ \nName %d = ”, i+1);
printf(“Enter first name %d :”, i+1); puts(names[i]);
scanf(“%s “, first[i]); }
}
printf(“Enter last name %d :”, i+1);
scanf(“%s “, last[i]);
}
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 17
Introduction to pointers
• A pointer is defined as a derived data type that can store the address of other variables or a
memory location.
• The data stored in that memory location can be accessed and manipulated using pointers
• A pointer can be used to store the memory address of other variable, function, or even other
pointer

• Syntax: datatype * ptr_variable;

where
datatype is the type of data it is pointing to.
ptr_variable is the name of the pointer.

• Example: int *ptr;  ptr points to integer data

float *p2;  p2 pointer to float type
char *p3;  p3 pointer to character type
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 18
void main()
{
int i=105; Address Value
int *p; // pointer declaration
p=&i; // assignment i 883056844 105

printf(“value of i=%d”,*p); // value of i thru pointer p

p 883056666 883056844
printf(“value of i=%d”, i); // direct
printf(“address of i=%d”,&i); // direct
printf(“address of i=%d”,p); // address of i through p
printf(“address of p=%d”,&p); // address of p
}

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 19

Applications of Pointers
• Pointers are used to pass information back and forth between functions.
• Pointers enable the programmers to return multiple data items from a
function via function arguments.
• Pointers provide an alternate way to access the individual elements of an
array.
• Pointers are used to pass arrays and strings as function arguments.
• Pointers are used to create complex data structures, such as trees, linked
lists, linked stacks, linked queues, and graphs
• Pointers are used for the dynamic memory allocation of a variable

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 20

 Program to swap two numbers using pointers
# include <stdio.h>
void main()
t = *x;
{
*x = *y;
int a,b,t;
*y = t;
int *x, *y;
printf(“values of a and b after swapping\n”);
printf(“Enter value of a and b\n”);
printf(“a = %d, b = %d \n”,a,b);
scanf(“%d%d”,&a,&b);
return;
printf(“values of a and b before swapping\n”);
}
printf(“a = %d, b = %d \n”,a,b);
x = &a;
y = &b;

20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 21

Program using pointers to compute the sum, mean and standard
deviation of all elements stored in an array of N real numbers.
#include<stdio.h>
#include<math.h>
mean = sum1 / n;
void main( )
ptr = a; // No & needed
{
for (i = 0; i < n; i++)
float a[20], sum1 = 0, sum2 = 0, mean, var, dev;
int i, n; {
float *ptr; sum2 = sum2 + pow ((*ptr - mean), 2);
printf ("Enter no of elements:"); ptr++;
scanf ("%d", &n); }
printf ("Enter array elements:"); var = sum2 / n;
for (i = 0; i < n; i++) dev = sqrt (var);
scanf ("%f", &a[i]); printf ("Sum :%f\n", sum1);
ptr = a; //since a is an array and it already printf ("Mean :%f\n", mean);
holds address ‘&’ need not be specified printf ("Variance :%f\n", var);
for (i = 0; i < n; i++) printf ("Deviation :%f\n", dev);
{ return;
sum = sum + *ptr; }
ptr++;
20-10-2023 Prof. Shilpa B V 22
}