const char* c_str ( ) const;

Get C string equivalent

Generates a null-terminated sequence of characters (c-string) with the same content as the string object and returns it as a pointer to an array of characters.

A terminating null character is automatically appended.

The returned array points to an internal location with the required storage space for this sequence of characters plus its terminating null-character, but the values in this array should not be modified in the program and are only granted to remain unchanged until the next call to a non-constant member function of the string object.

Parameters

Return Value

Example

// strings and c-strings
#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int main ()
{
  char * cstr, *p;

  string str ("Please split this phrase into tokens");

  cstr = new char [str.size()+1];
  strcpy (cstr, str.c_str());

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

  p=strtok (cstr," ");
  while (p!=NULL)
  {
    cout << p << endl;
    p=strtok(NULL," ");
  }

  delete[] cstr;  
  return 0;
}

Output:

Please
split
this
phrase
into
tokens

Basic template member declaration

const charT* c_str ( ) const;

See also