std::basic_string::c_str

C++

Language

Headers

Freestanding and hosted implementations

Named requirements

Language support library

Concepts library (C++20)

Diagnostics library

Utilities library

Strings library

Containers library

Algorithms library

Iterators library

Numerics library

Input/output library

Localizations library

Regular expressions library (C++11)

Atomic operations library (C++11)

Thread support library (C++11)

Filesystem library (C++17)

Technical Specifications

Strings library

Null-terminated strings

Byte strings

Multibyte strings

Wide strings

Classes

basic_string

basic_string_view (C++17)

char_traits

std::basic_string

Member functions basic_string::basic_string basic_string::operator= basic_string::assign basic_string::get_allocator Element access basic_string::at basic_string::operator[] basic_string::front (C++11) basic_string::back (C++11) basic_string::data basic_string::c_str basic_string::operator basic_string_view (C++17) Iterators basic_string::beginbasic_string::cbegin (C++11) basic_string::endbasic_string::cend (C++11) basic_string::rbeginbasic_string::crbegin (C++11) basic_string::rendbasic_string::crend (C++11) Capacity basic_string::empty basic_string::sizebasic_string::length basic_string::max_size basic_string::reserve basic_string::capacity basic_string::shrink_to_fit (C++11)

Operations basic_string::clear basic_string::insert basic_string::erase basic_string::push_back basic_string::pop_back (C++11) basic_string::append basic_string::operator+= basic_string::compare basic_string::starts_with (C++20) basic_string::ends_with (C++20) basic_string::replace basic_string::substr basic_string::copy basic_string::resize basic_string::swap Search basic_string::find basic_string::rfind basic_string::find_first_of basic_string::find_first_not_of basic_string::find_last_of basic_string::find_last_not_of Constants basic_string::npos

Non-member functions operator+ operator==operator!=operator<operator>operator<=operator>= swap(std::basic_string) operator<<operator>> getline stoistolstoll (C++11)(C++11)(C++11) stoulstoull (C++11)(C++11) stofstodstold (C++11)(C++11)(C++11) to_string (C++11) to_wstring (C++11) operator""s (C++14) Helper classes hash<std::string>hash<std::wstring>hash<std::u32string>hash<std::u16string> (C++11)(C++11)(C++11)(C++11) hash<std::pmr::string>hash<std::pmr::wstring>hash<std::pmr::u32string>hash<std::pmr::u16string> (C++20)(C++20)(C++20)(C++20) Deduction guides(C++17)

const CharT* c_str() const;

Returns a pointer to a null-terminated character array with data equivalent to those stored in the string.

The pointer is such that the range [c_str(); c_str() + size()] is valid and the values in it correspond to the values stored in the string with an additional null character after the last position.

The pointer obtained from c_str() may be invalidated by:

• Passing a non-const reference to the string to any standard library function, or
• Calling non-const member functions on the string, excluding operator[], at(), front(), back(), begin(), rbegin(), end() and rend().

Writing to the character array accessed through c_str() is undefined behavior.

c_str() and data() perform the same function.

(since C++11)

Parameters

(none)

Return value

Pointer to the underlying character storage.

data()[i] == operator[](i) for every i in [0, size()).	(until C++11)
data() + i == &operator[](i) for every i in [0, size()].	(since C++11)

Complexity

Constant.

Exceptions

(none)	(until C++11)
noexcept specification: noexcept	(since C++11)

Notes

The pointer obtained from c_str() may only be treated as a pointer to a null-terminated character string if the string object does not contain other null characters.

Example

Run this code

#include <algorithm>
#include <cassert>
#include <cstring>
#include <string>

int main()
{
  std::string const s("Emplary");
  assert(s.size() == std::strlen(s.c_str()));
  assert(std::equal(s.begin(), s.end(), s.c_str()));
  assert(std::equal(s.c_str(), s.c_str() + s.size(), s.begin()));
  assert(0 == *(s.c_str() + s.size()));
}

See also

front (C++11)	accesses the first character (public member function)
back (C++11)	accesses the last character (public member function)
data	returns a pointer to the first character of a string (public member function)