How to get the number of characters in a std::string?

Question

How should I get the number of characters in a string in C++?

Answer 1

When dealing with C++ strings (std::string), you're looking for length() or size(). Both should provide you with the same value. However when dealing with C-Style strings, you would use strlen().

#include 
#include 

int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
   std::string str = "Hello!";
   const char *otherstr = "Hello!"; // C-Style string
   std::cout << str.size() << std::endl;
   std::cout << str.length() << std::endl;
   std::cout << strlen(otherstr) << std::endl; // C way for string length
   std::cout << strlen(str.c_str()) << std::endl; // convert C++ string to C-string then call strlen
   return 0;
}

Output:

6
6
6
6