std::string

Learn to store text with std::string.

std::string

std::string is the type for holding text. With std::string name = "Alice"; you can store text of any length. To use std::string you include the #include <string> header (most of the time <iostream> pulls it in indirectly, but writing it explicitly is safer).

std::string is safer and more convenient than C-style character arrays (char[]): it manages the length automatically and does not leak memory.

You can concatenate two strings with +: std::string full = first + " " + last;. This makes text operations easy.

string operations

Common operations with std::string:

Length: name.length() or name.size() gives the character count
Concatenation: + joins two strings side by side
Access: name[0] gives the first character
Comparison: == checks whether two strings are the same

Example: std::string greeting = "Hello " + name; builds a greeting string. greeting.length() gives the number of characters.

Exercise Concatenate strings and print

Add the #include <string> header. Inside main, declare two std::string variables: firstName with value "Alice" and lastName with value "Smith". Declare a third std::string named fullName as firstName + " " + lastName. Print fullName with std::cout using std::endl.

Show example solution

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

int main() {
    // Declare firstName and lastName
    std::string firstName = "Alice";
    std::string lastName = "Smith";
    // Define fullName by concatenation
    std::string fullName = firstName + " " + lastName;
    // Print fullName with std::cout
    std::cout << fullName << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Test yourself

Which header is included to use std::string?
- <vector>
- <string>
- <map>
- <list>
Show answer

<string> — std::string is defined in the <string> header.
Match string operations

+

Concatenation
length()

Character count
[0]

First character
==

Equality comparison

String declaration

____ name = "Alice";

Show answer

std::string name = "Alice";

Next lesson: sizeof

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