I need to construct a string of a specific length starting with a specific prefix. Is there any faster way (in terms of performance) to achieve the objective of the following piece of code? Would it be of any help to use char* here?
int strLen = 15;
string prefix = "1234"; // could be a number of any length less than strLen
int prefixLen = prefix.length();
string str = prefix;
for(int i=0;i<strLen-prefixLen;i++)
{
str.append("9"); // use character '9' as filler
}
printf("str: %s \n", str.c_str());
Sample prefix and output:
prefix: 123, str: 123999999999999
prefix: 1234, str: 123499999999999
The only thing I do not want changed in this code is the type of 'prefix' which should remain string.
try this:
std::string content(15, '9'); // start off with all 9s
content.replace(0, 4, "1234"); // replace the first four characters etc.
int StrLength = 15;
string PreFix = "1234";
string RestOfStr(StrLength - PreFix.length(), '9');
cout << PreFix << RestOfStr << endl;
the string class has an overloaded Constructor, taking a size and a char.
The constructor will create a string object filled with the char repeated x amount of times
Hope This Helps
Try this:
unsigned strLen(15);
std::string prefix("1234");
prefix += std::string(strLen - prefix.length(), '9');
Related
Let's suppose I've this code snippet in C++
char* str;
std::string data = "This is a string.";
I need to copy the string data (except the first and the last characters) in str.
My solution that seems to work is creating a substring and then performing the std::copy operation like this
std::string substring = data.substr(1, size - 2);
str = new char[size - 1];
std::copy(substring.begin(), substring.end(), str);
str[size - 2] = '\0';
But maybe this is a bit overkilling because I create a new string. Is there a simpler way to achieve this goal? Maybe working with offets in the std:copy calls?
Thanks
As mentioned above, you should consider keeping the sub-string as a std::string and use c_str() method when you need to access the underlying chars.
However-
If you must create the new string as a dynamic char array via new you can use the code below.
It checks whether data is long enough, and if so allocates memory for str and uses std::copy similarly to your code, but with adapted iterators.
Note: there is no need to allocate a temporary std::string for the sub-string.
The Code:
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
int main()
{
std::string data = "This is a string.";
auto len = data.length();
char* str = nullptr;
if (len > 2)
{
auto new_len = len - 2;
str = new char[new_len+1]; // add 1 for zero termination
std::copy(data.begin() + 1, data.end() - 1, str); // copy from 2nd char till one before the last
str[new_len] = '\0'; // add zero termination
std::cout << str << std::endl;
// ... use str
delete[] str; // must be released eventually
}
}
Output:
his is a string
There is:
int length = data.length() - 1;
memcpy(str, data.c_str() + 1, length);
str[length] = 0;
This will copy the string in data, starting at position [1] (instead of [0]) and keep copying until length() - 1 bytes have been copied. (-1 because you want to omit the first character).
The final character then gets overwritten with the terminating \0, finalizing the string and disposing of the final character.
Of course this approach will cause problems if the string does not have at least 1 character, so you should check for that beforehand.
I am fairly new with C++ so for some people the answer to the quesiton I have might seem quite obvious.
What I want to achieve is to create a method which would return the given char array fill with empty spaces before and after it in order to meet certain length. So the effect at the end would be as if the given char array would be in the middle of the other, bigger char array.
Lets say we have a char array with HelloWorld!
I want the method to return me a new char array with the length specified beforehand and the given char array "positioned" in the middle of returning char array.
char ch[] = "HelloWorld";
char ret[20]; // lets say we want to have the resulting char array the length of 20 chars
char ret[20] = " HelloWorld "; // this is the result to be expected as return of the method
In case of odd number of given char array would like for it to be in offset of one space on the left of the middle.
I would also like to avoid any memory consuming strings or any other methods that are not in standard library - keep it as plain as possible.
What would be the best way to tackle this issue? Thanks!
There are mainly two ways of doing this: either using char literals (aka char arrays), like you would do in C language or using built-in std::string type (or similar types), which is the usual choice if you're programming in C++, despite there are exceptions.
I'm providing you one example for each.
First, using arrays, you will need to include cstring header to use built-in string literals manipulation functions. Keep in mind that, as part of the length of it, a char array always terminates with the null terminator character '\0' (ASCII code is 0), therefore for a DIM-dimensioned string you will be able to store your characters in DIM - 1 positions. Here is the code with comments.
constexpr int DIM = 20;
char ch[] = "HelloWorld";
char ret[DIM] = "";
auto len_ch = std::strlen(ch); // length of ch without '\0' char
auto n_blanks = DIM - len_ch - 1; // number of blank chars needed
auto half_n_blanks = n_blanks / 2; // half of that
// fill in from begin and end of ret with blanks
for (auto i = 0u; i < half_n_blanks; i++)
ret[i] = ret[DIM - i - 2] = ' ';
// copy ch content into ret starting from half_n_blanks position
memcpy_s(
ret + half_n_blanks, // start inserting from here
DIM - half_n_blanks, // length from our position to the end of ret
ch, // string we need to copy
len_ch); // length of ch
// if odd, after ch copied chars
// there will be a space left to insert a blank in
if (n_blanks % 2 == 1)
*(ret + half_n_blanks + len_ch) = ' ';
I chose first to insert blank spaces both to the begin and to the end of the string and then to copy the content of ch.
The second approach is far easier (to code and to understand). The max characters size a std::string (defined in header string) can contain is std::npos, which is the max number you can have for the type std::size_t (usually a typedef for unsigned int). Basically, you don't have to worry about a std::string max length.
std::string ch = "HelloWorld", ret;
auto ret_max_length = 20;
auto n_blanks = ret_max_length - ch.size();
// insert blanks at the beginning
ret.append(n_blanks / 2, ' ');
// append ch
ret += ch;
// insert blanks after ch
// if odd, simply add 1 to the number of blanks
ret.append(n_blanks / 2 + n_blanks % 2, ' ');
The approach I took here is different, as you can see.
Notice that, because of '\0', the result of these two methods are NOT the same. If you want to obtain the same behaviour, you may either add 1 to DIM or subtract 1 from ret_max_length.
Assuming that we know the size, s, of the array, ret and knowing that the last character of any char array is '\0', we find the length, l, of the input char array, ch.
int l = 0;
int i;
for(i=0; ch[i]!='\0'; i++){
l++;
}
Then we compute how many spaces we need on either side. If total_space is even, then there are equal spaces on either side. Otherwise, we can choose which side will have the extra space, in this case, the left side.
int total_spaces = size-l-1; // subtract by 1 to adjust for '\0' character
int spaces_right = 0, spaces_left = 0;
if((total_spaces%2) == 0){
spaces_left = total_spaces/2;
spaces_right = total_spaces/2;
}
else{
spaces_left = total_spaces/2;
spaces_right = (total_spaces/2)+1;
}
Then first add the left_spaces, then the input array, ch, and then the right_spaces to ret.
i=0;
while(spaces_left > 0){
ret[i] = ' ';
spaces_left--;
i++;
} // add spaces
ret[i] = '\0';
strcat(ret, ch); // concatenate ch to ret
while(spaces_right){
ret[i] = ' ';
spaces_right--;
i++;
}
ret[i] = '\0';
Make sure to include <cstring> to use strcat().
I'm new to C++ and I've encountered a problem... I can't seem to create an array of characters from a string using a for loop. For example, in JavaScript you would write something like this:
var arr = [];
function setString(s) {
for(var i = s.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
arr.push(s[i]);
}
return arr.join("");
}
setString("Hello World!"); //Returns !dlroW olleH
I know it's a bit complicated, I do have a little bit of background knowledge on how to do it but the syntax of it is still not too familiar to me.
Is there any way that I could do that in c++ using arrays?
Could I join the array elements into one string as I do in JavaScript?
It would be greately appreciated if you could help. Thanks in advance.
If anyone needs more information just tell me and I'll edit the post.
By the way, my code in c++ is really messy at the moment but I have an idea of what I'm doing... What I've tried is this:
function setString(s) {
string arr[s.size() - 1];
for(int i = s.size() - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
arr[i] = s.at(i); //This is where I get stuck at...
//I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or not.
}
}
It would be nice if someone told me what I'm doing wrong or what I need to put or take out of the code. It's a console application compiled in Code::Blocks
std::string has the c_str() method that returns a C style string, which is just an array of characters.
Example:
std::string myString = "Hello, World!";
const char *characters = myString.c_str();
The closest thing to a direct translation of your function:
string setString(string s) {
string arr;
for(int i = s.length() - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
arr.push_back(s[i]);
}
return arr;
}
A std::string is a dynamic array underneath a fairly thin wrapper. There is no need to copy character by character, as it will do it properly for you:
If the character array is null-terminated (that is, the last element is a '\0'):
const char* c = "Hello, world!"; // '\0' is implicit for string literals
std::string s = c; // this will copy the entire string - no need for your loop
If the character array is not null-terminated:
char c[4] = {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'}; // creates a character array that will not work with cstdlib string functions (e.g. strlen)
std::string s(c, 4); // copies 4 characters from c into s - again, no need for your loop
If you cannot use std::string (e.g. if you are forced to use ANSI C):
const char* c = "Hello, World!";
// assume c2 is already properly allocated to strlen(c) + 1 and initialized to all zeros
strcpy(c2, c);
In your javascript example, you are reversing the string, which can be done easily enough:
std::string s = "Hello, world!";
std::string s1(s.rbegin(), s.rend());
Additionally, you can cut your iterations in half (for both C++ and Javascript) if you fix your loop (pseudo-code below):
string s = "Hello, world!"
for i = 0 to s.Length / 2
char t = s[i]
s[i] = s[s.Length - 1 - t]
s[s.Length - 1 - i] = t
Which will swap the ends of the string to reverse it. Instead of looping through N items, you loop through a maximum of N / 2 items.
Is there a function in Phobos for converting a zero-terminated string into a D-string?
So far I've only found the reverse case toStringz.
I need this in the following snippet
// Lookup user name from user id
passwd pw;
passwd* pw_ret;
immutable size_t bufsize = 16384;
char* buf = cast(char*)core.stdc.stdlib.malloc(bufsize);
getpwuid_r(stat.st_uid, &pw, buf, bufsize, &pw_ret);
if (pw_ret != null) {
// TODO: The following loop maybe can be replace by some Phobos function?
size_t n = 0;
string name;
while (pw.pw_name[n] != 0) {
name ~= pw.pw_name[n];
n++;
}
writeln(name);
}
core.stdc.stdlib.free(buf);
which I use to lookup the username from a user id.
I assume UTF-8 compatiblity for now.
There's two easy ways to do it: slice or std.conv.to:
const(char)* foo = c_function();
string s = to!string(foo); // done!
Or you can slice it if you are going to use it temporarily or otherwise know it won't be written to or freed elsewhere:
immutable(char)* foo = c_functon();
string s = foo[0 .. strlen(foo)]; // make sure foo doesn't get freed while you're still using it
If you think it can be freed, you can also copy it by slicing then duping: foo[0..strlen(foo)].dup;
Slicing pointers works the same way in all array cases, not just strings:
int* foo = get_c_array(&c_array_length); // assume this returns the length in a param
int[] foo_a = foo[0 .. c_array_length]; // because you need length to slice
Just slice the original string (no coping). The $ inside [] is translated to str.length. If the zero is not at the end, just replace the "$ - 1" expression with position.
void main() {
auto str = "abc\0";
str.trimLastZero();
write(str);
}
void trimLastZero (ref string str) {
if (str[$ - 1] == 0)
str = str[0 .. $ - 1];
}
You can do the following to strip away the trailing zeros and convert it to a string:
char[256] name;
getNameFromCFunction(name.ptr, 256);
string s = to!string(cast(char*)name); //<-- this is the important bit
If you just pass in name you will convert it to a string but the trailing zeroes will still be there. So you cast it to a char pointer and voila std.conv.to will convert whatever it meets until a '\0' is encountered.
I wrote a very simple encryption program to practice c++ and i came across this weird behavior. When i convert my char* array to a string by setting the string equal to the array, then i get a wrong string, however when i create an empty string and add append the chars in the array individually, it creates the correct string. Could someone please explain why this is happening, i just started programming in c++ last week and i cannot figure out why this is not working.
Btw i checked online and these are apparently both valid ways of converting a char array to a string.
void expandPassword(string* pass)
{
int pHash = hashCode(pass);
int pLen = pass->size();
char* expPass = new char[264];
for (int i = 0; i < 264; i++)
{
expPass[i] = (*pass)[i % pLen] * (char) rand();
}
string str;
for (int i = 0; i < 264; i++)
{
str += expPass[i];// This creates the string version correctly
}
string str2 = expPass;// This creates much shorter string
cout <<str<<"\n--------------\n"<<str2<<"\n---------------\n";
delete[] expPass;
}
EDIT: I removed all of the zeros from the array and it did not change anything
When copying from char* to std::string, the assignment operator stops when it reaches the first NULL character. This points to a problem with your "encryption" which is causing embedded NULL characters.
This is one of the main reasons why encoding is used with encrypted data. After encryption, the resulting data should be encoded using Hex/base16 or base64 algorithms.
a c-string as what you are constructing is a series of characters ending with a \0 (zero) ascii value.
in the case of
expPass[i] = (*pass)[i % pLen] * (char) rand();
you may be inserting \0 into the array if the expression evaluates to 0, as well as you do not append a \0 at the end of the string either to assure it being a valid c-string.
when you do
string str2 = expPass;
it can very well be that the string gets shorter since it gets truncated when it finds a \0 somewhere in the string.
This is because str2 = expPass interprets expPass as a C-style string, meaning that a zero-valued ("null") byte '\0' indicates the end of the string. So, for example, this:
char p[2];
p[0] = 'a';
p[1] = '\0';
std::string s = p;
will cause s to have length 1, since p has only one nonzero byte before its terminating '\0'. But this:
char p[2];
p[0] = 'a';
p[1] = '\0';
std::string s;
s += p[0];
s += p[1];
will cause s to have length 2, because it explicitly adds both bytes to s. (A std::string, unlike a C-style string, can contain actual null bytes — though it's not always a good idea to take advantage of that.)
I guess the following line cuts your string:
expPass[i] = (*pass)[i % pLen] * (char) rand();
If rand() returns 0 you get a string terminator at position i.