Character Arrays and Strings

In C++, when we want to work with text, we can use either a string object or a character array. For now, think of these as different ways to store and handle the text. In this lesson, we’ll explore both concepts and learn how they work.

What is a character array?

A character array is a sequence of individual characters stored in consecutive memory locations. Think of it like a train with multiple compartments, where each compartment can hold one character. We can declare a character array using the char keyword followed by parenthesis [] with the number of characters.

For example, a character array named Educative containing 8 characters can be declared as follows:

In memory, it can be represented as:

Key points

Here are some of the key points about character arrays:

• A character array has a fixed size that must be declared when created.

• The memory of a character array is allocated during compilation.

• Each index in a character array can only hold a single character. ...