Difference between Character Array and String in C

1. Introduction

In C programming, understanding the difference between a character array and a string is important for handling text data efficiently. A character array is a collection of characters stored in contiguous memory locations, whereas a string is a character array terminated with a null character '\0'.

2. Key Points

1. A character array can contain any sequence of characters and is not necessarily null-terminated.

2. A string is a character array but always ends with a null character \0 to denote the end of the string.

3. Strings are used for handling textual data that is human-readable.

4. Character arrays can be used as strings if they are null-terminated.

3. Differences

Character Array	String
A collection of characters.	A character array with a null character \0 at the end.
Can be used to store non-string data.	Used specifically for storing strings.
Not necessarily null-terminated.	Always null-terminated.

4. Example

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    // Character array example
    char charArray[6] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'};
    printf("Character Array: %s\n", charArray);

    // String example
    char string[] = "Hello";
    printf("String: %s\n", string);

    return 0;
}

Output:

Character Array: Hello
String: Hello

Explanation:

1. charArray is a character array that manually includes a null character \0 at the end, making it a string.

2. string is declared and initialized as a string, so it automatically includes a null character at the end.

5. When to use?

- Use a character array when you need to manipulate individual characters or store non-string data.

- Use a string for text data that requires standard string manipulation and when working with functions that expect null-terminated strings.

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