Arrays and Strings in C

1. Declaring and Referencing Arrays

An array is a collection of elements of the same data type stored in contiguous memory
locations. Each element can be accessed using its index number (subscript).
Syntax: data_type array_name[size]; Example: int marks[5]; // Declares an array of 5
integers
2. Array Subscripts
Array elements are accessed using subscripts (index numbers). The first element starts at
index 0.
Example: marks[0] = 90; marks[1] = 85; printf("%d", marks[0]); // Prints 90
3. Using for Loops for Sequential Access
Arrays are often processed using for loops to access each element sequentially.
Example Program: #include <stdio.h> int main() { int marks[5] = {80, 85, 90, 95, 100};
for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { printf("%d\n", marks[i]); } return 0; }
4. Using Array Elements as Function Arguments
Individual array elements can be passed to functions like normal variables.
Example: void display(int x) { printf("%d", x); } int main() { int a[3] = {10, 20, 30};
display(a[1]); // Passes the value 20 return 0; }
5. Array Arguments
Entire arrays can be passed to functions by passing the array name (which is the base
address).
Example: void display(int arr[], int n) { for(int i = 0; i < n; i++) printf("%d ", arr[i]); } int main()
{ int a[3] = {10, 20, 30}; display(a, 3); return 0; }
6. Searching and Sorting an Array
Searching and sorting are common array operations. Linear search and Bubble sort are
simple examples.
Example (Linear Search): #include <stdio.h> int main() { int a[5] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50}, key
= 30, found = 0; for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { if(a[i] == key) { found = 1; printf("Element found at
position %d", i+1); break; } } if(!found) printf("Element not found"); return 0; }
7. Parallel Arrays and Enumerated Types
Parallel arrays are multiple arrays of the same length, where corresponding elements are
related.
Example: char names[3][10] = {"Ram", "Raj", "Ravi"}; int marks[3] = {85, 90, 95}; for(int i=0;
i<3; i++) printf("%s scored %d\n", names[i], marks[i]);
8. Multidimensional Arrays
Multidimensional arrays store data in table-like (matrix) form. Most common is the 2D
array.
Example: #include <stdio.h> int main() { int a[2][3] = {{1,2,3},{4,5,6}}; for(int i=0; i<2; i++) {
for(int j=0; j<3; j++) { printf("%d ", a[i][j]); } printf("\n"); } return 0; }
9. String Basics
A string is an array of characters ending with a null character ('\0').
Example: char name[10] = "Hello";
10. String Library Functions: Assignment and Substrings
Strings cannot be assigned directly using '='. Instead, use library functions like strcpy() and
strncpy() from .
Example: #include <string.h> strcpy(dest, src); // Copies src to dest strncpy(dest, src, n); //
Copies first n characters
11. Longer Strings: Concatenation and Whole-Line Input
Use strcat() for concatenation and gets()/fgets() for input.
Example: #include <stdio.h> #include <string.h> int main() { char s1[20] = "Hello "; char
s2[10] = "World"; strcat(s1, s2); printf("%s", s1); return 0; }
12. String Comparison
strcmp() function compares two strings lexicographically.
Example: #include <string.h> int result = strcmp("abc", "abd"); // Returns negative since 'c'
< 'd'
13. Arrays of Pointers
An array of pointers can store addresses of strings efficiently.
Example: #include <stdio.h> int main() { char *names[] = {"C", "C++", "Python", "Java"};
for(int i=0; i<4; i++) printf("%s\n", names[i]); return 0; }

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