public member function
<string>

std::string::c_str

const char* c_str() const;
const char* c_str() const noexcept;
Get C string equivalent
Returns a pointer to an array that contains a null-terminated sequence of characters (i.e., a C-string) representing the current value of the string object.

This array includes the same sequence of characters that make up the value of the string object plus an additional terminating null-character ('\0') at the end.

A program shall not alter any of the characters in this sequence.
The pointer returned points to the internal array currently used by the string object to store the characters that conform its value.

Both string::data and string::c_str are synonyms and return the same value.

The pointer returned may be invalidated by further calls to other member functions that modify the object.

Parameters

none

Return Value

A pointer to the c-string representation of the string object's value.

Example

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// strings and c-strings
#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>
#include <string>

int main ()
{
  std::string str ("Please split this sentence into tokens");

  char * cstr = new char [str.length()+1];
  std::strcpy (cstr, str.c_str());

  // cstr now contains a c-string copy of str

  char * p = std::strtok (cstr," ");
  while (p!=0)
  {
    std::cout << p << '\n';
    p = std::strtok(NULL," ");
  }

  delete[] cstr;
  return 0;
}

Output:
Please
split
this
sentence
into
tokens


Complexity, iterator, access, exceptions

Unspecified or contradictory specifications.

Complexity

Constant.

Iterator validity

No changes.

Data races

The object is accessed.

Exception safety

No-throw guarantee: this member function never throws exceptions.

See also