convert vector into char** C++

Question

I have a vector variable. I need to pass it onto a method which accepts char**as an input parameter.

how to do this ? If

Answer 1

It is possible to solve the problem without copying out all the std::strings as long as the function does not modify the passed in char**. Otherwise I can see no alternative but to copy out everything into a new char**` structure (see second example).

void old_func(char** carray, size_t size)
{
    for(size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i)
        std::cout << carray[i] << '\n';
}

int main()
{
    std::vector strings {"one", "two", "three"};
    std::vector cstrings;
    cstrings.reserve(strings.size());

    for(size_t i = 0; i < strings.size(); ++i)
        cstrings.push_back(const_cast(strings[i].c_str()));

    // Do not change any of the strings here as that will
    // invalidate the new data structure that relies on
    // the returned values from `c_str()`
    //
    // This is not an issue after C++11 as long as you don't
    // increase the length of a string (as that may cause reallocation)

    if(!cstrings.empty())
        old_func(&cstrings[0], cstrings.size());
}

EXAMPLE 2: If the function must modify the passed in data:

void old_func(char** carray, size_t size)
{
    for(size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i)
        std::cout << carray[i] << '\n';
}

int main()
{
    {
        // pre C++11
        std::vector strings {"one", "two", "three"};

        // guarantee contiguous, null terminated strings
        std::vector> vstrings;

        // pointers to rhose strings
        std::vector cstrings;

        vstrings.reserve(strings.size());
        cstrings.reserve(strings.size());

        for(size_t i = 0; i < strings.size(); ++i)
        {
            vstrings.emplace_back(strings[i].begin(), strings[i].end());
            vstrings.back().push_back('\0');
            cstrings.push_back(vstrings.back().data());
        }

        old_func(cstrings.data(), cstrings.size());
    }

    {
        // post C++11
        std::vector strings {"one", "two", "three"};

        std::vector cstrings;   
        cstrings.reserve(strings.size());

        for(auto& s: strings)
            cstrings.push_back(&s[0]);

        old_func(cstrings.data(), cstrings.size());
    }
}

NOTE: Revised to provide better code.